Karl Malone Auto Group and Jerry Seiner Dealerships among dealership buyers in Q4, Q1 transactions

Karl Malone Auto Group, Jerry Seiner Dealerships, a brother and sister ownership team and another duo bought dealerships in the fourth quarter of 2021 and first quarter of 2022.

Here's a look at deals involving domestic and import brands and dealerships in Idaho, Utah, Nevada, Connecticut and Georgia. One of the transactions involved a group ranked on Automotive News' top 150 dealership groups list.

Karl Malone expands Ford dealership lineup

Basketball Hall of Famer Karl Malone's dealership group expanded in the fourth quarter with two separate acquisitions, including one in a new state.

Karl Malone Auto Group, of Draper, Utah, bought Silver Creek Ford in Hailey, Idaho, on Oct. 31 from Matt Cook of Goode Motor Auto Group, said David Hicks, operations manager at Karl Malone Auto Group.

It marks the first franchised dealership for the group in Idaho, Hicks said. The store was renamed Karl Malone Ford Hailey. Hailey is east of Boise, Idaho.

And on Dec. 10, Karl Malone Auto Group bought another Ford dealership, purchasing Crandall Ford in Park City, Utah, from Robert Crandall, Hicks said. The store was renamed Karl Malone Ford Park City.

It marks the second dealership in Park City for the group. In September, Karl Malone Auto bought Mike Hale Chevrolet there. In June, the group bought two rooftops representing four brands in Arkansas.

Karl Malone Auto now has eight rooftops across Arkansas, Idaho, Louisiana and Utah, Hicks confirmed.

"We're still actively looking" for acquisitions, he told Automotive News.

The group also has seven powersports stores across Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho and Utah, Hicks said.

Malone, 58, in October was named a member of the NBA's 75th Anniversary Team.

Jerry Seiner Dealerships enters Las Vegas market

Jerry Seiner Dealerships of Salt Lake City entered the Las Vegas market and its third state with the purchase of two dealerships from Earnhardt Auto Centers this week.

Jerry Seiner on Monday bought Earnhardt Buick-GMC Las Vegas and Earnhardt Mazda Las Vegas, adding Mazda to its brand portfolio. The dealerships were renamed Jerry Seiner Buick-GMC and Jerry Seiner Mazda.

"The sale of these stores was not an easy decision for our family, but it was the right one as we increase our focus on our highly successful core group of stores in Arizona," Dodge Earnhardt of Earnhardt Auto said in a statement.

Earnhardt, of Chandler, Ariz., ranked No. 23 on Automotive News' most recent list of the top 150 dealership groups based in the U.S., retailing 28,888 new vehicles in 2020.

Jerry Seiner has had dealerships in Utah for more than 40 years and entered Arizona about two years ago.

"We are thrilled to introduce the Seiner brand and our commitment to excellence to the Las Vegas area and surrounding communities," Chris Hemmersmeier, owner and CEO of Jerry Seiner Dealerships, said in a statement on its website.

Kerrigan Advisors, an Irvine, Calif., sell-side firm, represented Earnhardt Auto Centers in the transaction.

Monaco siblings add second dealership

The Monaco family on Oct. 25 bought Crest Ford in Niantic, Conn., from sellers Richard Fitzpatrick and Jim Leva.

The dealership was renamed Monaco Ford of Niantic.

In a Nov. 22 Facebook post, Monaco Ford said it had purchased Crest Ford and that it was co-owned by siblings Chrissy and Mike Monaco.

"We wanted to buy this store because it will provide us the opportunity to broaden our reach throughout Connecticut," Chrissy Monaco said in an email to Automotive News. "We felt the proximity to our store in Glastonbury was just the right distance to not completely overlap and gives us the reach to provide sales, service and parts to the majority of the state."

The siblings also own Monaco Ford in Glastonbury, about 35 miles from Niantic.

Gordon Wisbach Jr. of GW Marketing Services in Newton Centre, Mass., handled the transaction for the sellers.

Miller and Thigpen add dealership

Anthony Miller and Paul Thigpen in December added another dealership in their partnership when the duo bought a Ford dealership in Waynesboro, Ga., according to The True Citizen newspaper.

Miller and Thigpen of Paul Thigpen Automotive Group on Dec. 15 took over as owners of William Mizell Ford from William Mizell, the newspaper reported.

The dealership was renamed Paul Thigpen Ford of Waynesboro. Waynesboro is south of Augusta, Ga.
On Aug. 31, Miller and Thigpen purchased Jackson Chevrolet-Buick-GMC in LaFayette, Ga. Miller previously told Automotive News that he and Thigpen also own Paul Thigpen Ford-Lincoln in Vidalia, Ga., and Thigpen owns a Chevrolet-Buick-GMC store in Vidalia.

Haig Partners, a buy-sell firm in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., represented the seller in the sale.