A President's Award-Winning Honda Dealership in Western Pennsylvania Changes Ownership
IRVINE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Kerrigan Advisors, a leading sell-side advisory firm to auto dealers in the U.S., represented and advised partners Bill Barnes and Paul Ritchie on their recent sale of Altoona Honda to Timbrook Automotive. The partners will continue to own and operate Hagerstown Honda and Hagerstown Kia. Timbrook Automotive has 11 dealerships throughout Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia. This sale marks the 85th dealership sale and 11th Honda franchise sale Kerrigan Advisors has represented since 2015, making the firm the most active in the marketplace.
"Altoona Honda has always been an integral part of the community here in Blair County" said partner Bill Barnes. "When we purchased the dealership in 2013, our aim was to respect and continue the values established in 1972, when the store opened. We went into this transaction with the same mindset. Kerrigan Advisors helped us achieve a transaction reflective of that wish, with ethical and professional representation and by identifying a buyer who shared our same values."Altoona Honda's long record of success includes winning the Honda President's Award for three consecutive years. The award recognizes Honda dealerships that achieve excellence in all aspects of sales and service operations.
"Altoona Honda has always exhibited the highest levels of excellence and is a pillar of the community. We knew how very important this decision was to Bill and Paul and were honored to represent them in the sale" said Erin Kerrigan, Managing Director of Kerrigan Advisors. "Our experience through ten previous Honda transactions helped inform this process, ensuring that we identified a buyer who not only understood Altoona Honda's legacy of quality and service, but one that would carry on that legacy, while living up to the values of the Honda brand."
Barnes and Ritchie will continue to own and operate Hagerstown Honda and Hagerstown Kia dealerships. The sale to Timbrook Automotive enables them to focus on their Hagerstown dealership operations, while ensuring that Altoona Honda continues to thrive.
"When it was time to find a buyer for Altoona Honda, we wanted an advisor that had plenty of Honda experience, as well as one who understood the integral role Altoona plays in this community" continued Barnes. "The wisdom, business acuity and sensitivity that Kerrigan Advisors displayed in previous Honda dealership transactions convinced me that they were the right partners for us. And we were not wrong. The Kerrigan Advisors team did an excellent job representing the dealership in a successful sale. I could not be more pleased."
Gabe Robleto, Vice President of Kerrigan Advisors, said, "Honda is known for its strong throughput, and very consistent dealership profitability and is highly sought after by today's buyers. Our experience with other Honda transactions meant we knew how to value the franchise and what to look for in a potential buyer. With Timbrook as the new owner, we are confident Altoona Honda will continue to compete for President's Awards and service the greater Altoona community long into the future."
Michael G. Charapp of Charapp & Weiss LLP served as legal counsel to the seller. Wayne C. Heavener of Skidmore & Alderson served as legal counsel to the buyer.
Kerrigan Advisors is the most active sell-side advisor in the auto retail industry. In addition to its sell-side advisory work, Kerrigan Advisors offers strategic consulting services to dealers and their families, including growth planning, capital raising and valuation analysis, creating value at every step of the auto retail lifecycle.
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 over 275 dealerships representing nearly $9 billion in client proceeds, including the third largest transaction in auto retail history – the sale of Jim Koons Automotive Companies to Asbury Automotive Group. 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 does not take listings, rather they develop a customized sales approach for each client to achieve their personal and financial goals. In addition to the firm’s sell-side advisory services, Kerrigan Advisors also provides a suite of consulting and investor services including growth strategy, market valuation assessments, capital allocation, transactional due diligence, open point proposals, operational improvement and real estate due diligence.
Kerrigan Advisors monitors conditions in the buy/sell market and publishes an in-depth analysis each quarter in The Blue Sky Report®, which 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 monthly The Kerrigan Index™ composed 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 2023 Kerrigan Dealer Survey, click here. To read the 2024 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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