A family of dealers that’s been in business more than 100 years is bowing out of the Omaha area as a growing dealership group moves into Nebraska for the first time.
Morrie’s Auto Group announced it has acquired Beardmore Subaru, Beardmore Hyundai and Beardmore Chevrolet in Bellevue, Neb., from the Beardmore Auto Group, giving Morrie’s its first stores in the state.
With its new additions, which have been renamed Morrie’s Bellevue Subaru, Morrie’s Bellevue Hyundai and Morrie’s Bellevue Chevrolet, the Minnesota-based group now operates 32 locations in five Midwestern states.
“We’re honored to serve Beardmore customers and the greater Omaha community,” Morrie’s Auto Group CEO Lance Iserman said. “We look forward to building on Beardmore’s strong legacy by continuing the tradition of transparency, trust and service integrity.”
Iserman said the company’s philosophy is based on “the Morrie’s Promise,” which he said “is rooted in transparent pricing, commission-free sales guidance, service integrity, unmatched vehicle choice, fair trade and sell options, and tools that educate and empower customers throughout their ownership journey.”
In a news release, Kerrigan Advisors, which represented the seller in the transaction, said Morrie’s, founded in 1960, retailed more than 46,000 vehicles in 2025, generating more than $1.8 billion in revenue. The firm said the three dealerships it acquired hold a 35% market share in Bellevue.
For Beardmore, the sale means an emotional exit from a market the company has served for 54 years. The company was founded in 1919 by Wilford Overton Beardmore and is led by his great-granddaughter Carey Hamilton and her husband, Brian Hamilton.
“It is bittersweet to transition a business that has been in our family for four generations,” Carey Hamilton said. “Honoring our family’s legacy and ensuring our employees and community were well served post-sale were incredibly important to us.”
She said the family decided to sell to Morrie’s because it’s a “growing Midwestern group aligned with our long-term vision.”
Brian Hamilton, who served on the NADA board of directors for 15 years, said, “We are deeply grateful to our employees, the Omaha community and the auto retail industry for their support over the decades. … We are proud of what our team has built and excited to see our family’s dealerships continue to grow and thrive under new ownership with Morrie’s Automotive Group.”
The Hamiltons continue to operate two dealership locations and a collision center in Kearney, Neb.
Kerrigan called Omaha one of the Midwest’s most attractive non-luxury auto markets, with its population growing 50% faster than the national average since 2019 and business operating costs 12% below the national average.
“The Omaha buy-sell market continues to demonstrate strong momentum,” Kerrigan senior vice president Chris Gempton said. “High-performing non-luxury franchises in growth markets with strong regional market share are attracting significant buyer interest.”
Circle BMW has earned two of the manufacturer’s highest awards, including a newly established one.
The dealership in Eatontown, N.J., was selected to BMW’s Center of Excellence for the second consecutive year, placing it among the top 10% of BMW locations nationwide and making it one of just eight stores to claim the honor back-to-back.
Circle BMW said the award recognizes “elite composite performance across every dimension of the customer experience.”
“This award reflects our team’s unwavering dedication to providing an outstanding experience for every client who walks through our doors or uses our mobile service,” said Tom DeFelice III, the dealership’s center operator and son of founder Tom DeFelice Jr. “We’re never satisfied with the status quo. We are always looking for new ways to improve our operations to better serve our employees, clients and community. Our goal is to get 1% better every single day.”
As a result of that goal, Circle BMW was among the inaugural recipients in BMW’s regional network to receive the Red Belt Award, created to honor dealers who embody the kaizen philosophy of continuous improvement — not just performing as a high level but demonstrating an institutional drive to raise the bar in the future.
Circle BMW said that drive shows in areas such as a staff whose members collectively are fluent in 10 languages, a fleet of courtesy vehicles and a mobile service program to bring BMW-certified service directly to clients. This summer, the dealership plans to launch a dedicated tow service.
The dealerships awards also include multiple selections as a DealerRater 5-Star Dealer, a Carfax Top Rated Dealer and the Cars.com Consumer Satisfaction Award. In addition, two of its client advisors were ranked among BMW’s top 30 in the U.S.
Kerrigan Advisors is the leading sell-side advisor and thought partner to auto dealers nationwide. Since its founding in 2014, the firm has led the industry with the sale of more than 300 dealerships generating more than $10 billion in client proceeds, including two of the largest transactions in auto retail history – the sale of Jim Koons Automotive Companies to Asbury Automotive Group and Leith Automotive to Holman. The firm advises the industry’s leading dealership groups, enhancing value through the lifecycle of growing, operating and, when the time is right, selling their businesses. Led by a team of veteran industry experts with backgrounds in investment banking, private equity, accounting, finance and real estate, Kerrigan Advisors is the only firm in auto retail exclusively dedicated to sell-side advisory, providing its clients the assurance of a conflict-free approach.
Kerrigan Advisors monitors conditions in the buy/sell market and publishes an in-depth analysis each quarter in The Blue Sky Report®, the industry authority on dealership buy/sell market trends and valuations and includes Kerrigan Advisors’ signature blue sky charts, multiples and analysis for each franchise in the luxury and non-luxury segments. To download a preview of the report, click here. The firm also releases The Kerrigan Index™ comprised of the seven publicly traded auto retail companies with operations focused on the US market. The Kerrigan Auto Retail Index is designed to track dealership valuation trends, while also providing key insights into factors influencing auto retail. To access The Kerrigan Index™, click here. To read the 2024 Kerrigan Dealer Survey, click here. To read the 2025 Kerrigan OEM Survey, click here. Kerrigan Advisors also is the co-author of NADA’s Guide to Buying and Selling a Dealership.
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