Interview with Tameron Automotive Group

Rob Gallik and his partner Danny Braden are owners of Tameron Automotive Group, which owns Honda, Toyota and Hyundai dealerships in Hoover, Alabama. Gallik and Braden also owned Toyota of Newnan, one of Metro Atlanta’s most valuable Toyota dealerships. Kerrigan Advisors represented Gallik and Braden on the sale of Toyota of Newnan to AutoNation in June 2026.

How did you first get into the car business?

Rob: I was in college and hated it, so I didn’t attend much and eventually decided that wasn’t the route for me. My dad’s best friend was a small car dealer in northern Wisconsin, and my dad told me I ought to go sell cars. At first, I thought, no way. But after not finishing school and not having a job, I figured I’d better get one. I started selling cars at DeLuca Toyota in Ocala, Florida, with zero training. They put me in the used car department, and the first car I ever sold was a green Mazda 626 to a young guy. I got my first commission voucher and had no idea how the gross and unit bonuses even worked, but the high from that first sale told me exactly what I wanted to do. The camaraderie with the other salespeople sealed it for me. I fell in love with the car business and never looked back. That was 27 years ago.

How did you connect with your partner, Danny Braden, and how did Toyota of Newnan come about?

Rob: I met Danny through a mutual friend while I was general sales manager at a big Honda store in Houston. He and dealer Tom Atchison invited me to Birmingham just to meet them, and it immediately felt like home — we were like-minded, and the conversation was effortless. It took about a year, but I started as general sales manager of their Honda store in February 2009. Years later, Danny and I lost out on a Toyota deal we wanted in Tennessee, but we stayed on the hunt, eventually learning that a Toyota store in Newnan, Georgia could be for sale. We made an offer which was accepted by the dealer, sight unseen I should mention, then drove over afterward to look at what we had just bought. We immediately recognized the store’s growth potential. After we closed on the purchase, Toyota of Newnan became one of Metro Atlanta’s most valuable Toyota stores before we sold it to AutoNation this year.

You and your partners have been able to grow your group through successful acquisitions with top OEMs in strong markets. What advice would you give other dealers on building good relationships with your manufacturers to ensure the approval process goes smoothly when you seek to acquire another franchise?

Rob: Be good at what you do and build a real reputation and relationship with your manufacturers. You need market share, strong CSI, and to hit all their metrics. We’ve always treated our OEM relationships as true partnerships — if they have a program that matters to them, we’re doing it, whether it’s certified cars, parts support or finance options. So many dealers get into a me-me-me mindset, worrying about what a program costs them instead of the bigger picture. If you want to grow, you have to do right by all your business partners — the manufacturer, your banks, your lenders, your employees. Have that reputation, and you’ll get approved.

"The dealer body is as strong as it’s ever been, and I think we’re perceived as better businesspeople than ever before." — Rob Gallik

What leadership principles have guided you as you’ve built your group?

Rob: We promote almost entirely from within. If someone shows leadership ability, we don’t care whether they’re selling 30 cars a month or 15 — we’ll start them in finance, move them to the desk, then general sales manager, then general manager. Hiring from outside is risky; everyone’s on their best behavior in an interview, and it rarely works out the way you hope. I’d rather deal with the growing pains of promoting someone green than inherit somebody else’s problem. I also believe deeply in the operating partner model. Giving people real ownership changes how they think — once you have skin in the game, you stop being a sales manager and start being a business owner focused on customers and employees, not just money. Building the right team matters just as much. Everybody has strengths and weaknesses, and you surround yourself with people who complement yours. My team calls me out when I need it, and that openness makes all of us better.

What’s your outlook on the auto retail industry, and on Toyota specifically?

Rob: I’m definitely long on auto retail. There are a lot of headwinds that get overblown by fear, but dealers are the most resourceful people on the planet — we’ve had people shooting at us for 30 or 40 years and we dealers always come out on top. The dealer body is as strong as it’s ever been, and I think we’re perceived as better businesspeople than ever before. I’m especially optimistic about Toyota. We’re lucky to have Toyota, Honda and Hyundai — all great, supportive franchises — but Toyota does such a good job supporting its dealers that it makes you want to fight for them. Selling Toyota of Newnan is not our swan song with the brand. We will have another Toyota store, and I look forward to doing again what we accomplished in Newnan. This industry rewards dealers who stay engaged with their manufacturers and their communities, and that’s not going to change.

What led you to sell Toyota of Newnan, and why was this the right time?

Rob: There’s never really a perfect year to exit, but this made sense because it freed up capital and energy to grow our platform here at home. I was driving to Newnan once or twice a week, about two and a half hours from Hoover, Alabama. My son is heading off to college, and Danny is in his late 60s with lots of gas in the tank and his own son now runs our Honda store. It felt like the right time to redirect that energy closer to home rather than splitting it across two markets. The capital from the sale gives us real room to grow, whether that’s a single point or another platform — Toyota, Honda, import or domestic, it doesn’t matter to us. We just want a good market with good people, and we’re ready to put that capital to work. It was less about the brand and more about timing and where we could get the best return on our energy.

What surprised you most about the sale process?

Rob: The length of time it took. When Gabe and I first talked, I honestly thought it wouldn’t take long — it’s a Toyota store, how big a deal could it be? We had a ton of interest right away, but I had no idea the level of detail and the caliber of presentation Kerrigan Advisors would put into it. Gabe called me for our first real conversation while he was on vacation with his family, and that told me everything — this was someone who was going to be responsive no matter what. I’d heard great things about Kerrigan, and once I understood their process, I knew they were the right people to sell an asset this size. I didn’t want to fly-by-night something this important, and it was clear Kerrigan knew far more about selling a business like ours than we did. We’re exceedingly happy with the result.

Why did you choose Kerrigan Advisors to lead your sale?

Rob: Once I understood Kerrigan’s sale process, it was an easy decision. We’d heard great things about Kerrigan from others in the business before we ever spoke with them ourselves. Selling a store as valuable as Toyota of Newnan, we wanted an advisor who understood the asset and could bring us a strong, competitive group of buyers — which is exactly what Kerrigan delivered. None of the buyers they brought us were a question mark on manufacturer approval, which mattered given how important that relationship is to a deal like this. Kerrigan Advisors gave us the confidence that our sale process would be handled the right way from start to finish, and the results backed that up completely. Their impeccable reputation is well earned — you will not go wrong hiring Kerrigan Advisors to lead your sale.

What’s next for you and Danny — where do you see growth opportunities?

Rob: We’re focused on growing our platform, using the capital from the sale. I want to be in a good market with good people — that matters more to me than any specific brand or location. Toyota, Honda, import, domestic, single point or multi-store platform, it doesn’t matter. We’ve done well in strong, business-friendly markets, and the Southeast is about as business-friendly as it gets. I fully expect we’ll have another Toyota store down the road. We’re also going to keep using the operating partner model, because giving talented people real ownership is what built this company in the first place, and I don’t see us ever walking away from that. We’re excited about what comes next.

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