Clement Auto Group Purchases Marty Cancila Dodge Chrysler Jeep Ram Dealership
Marty Cancila Dodge Chrysler Jeep Ram in Florissant, MO, has been acquired by the Clement Auto Group in a deal brokered by the Tim Lamb Group.
Clement Auto Group owner and president Raj Clement pursued Marty Cancila Dodge Chrysler Jeep Ram after the announcement was made that the previous owner, Tony Cancila would be retiring. The dealership, now known as Clement Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram Florissant, is located in the Greater Metro St. Louis area. The entire team was retained from the previous owner, many of whom had been with the company for more than 20 years.
The 50,500 square foot space includes 34 bays, a used car lot and a full-service body shop just up the road. The interior of the showroom is currently undergoing renovations with aspirations of expanding the service center to increase the service capacity at this dealership and to account for the growing needs of their nearby Clement Pre-Owned Store.
“I’ve known Tim Wild for many years and we have had discussions about potential deals for quite some time. I’m pleased that we were finally able to make it happen,” stated Clement.
Clement Auto Group currently owns four dealerships in Missouri and one in Illinois that offer Ford, Hyundai, Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram, and Mitsubishi vehicles, along with two large pre-owned stores in Missouri.
New Genesis Store Planned in Naples
Tim and Sheila Zellers, longtime owners of Tamiami Ford, Tamiami Hyundai and Genesis of Naples, plan to break ground on a new two-story home for their Genesis dealership on property they purchased on the northern side of Pine Ridge Road just west of Interstate 75.
Its completion, targeted for late 2025, will allow Genesis to have a larger standalone dealership and relocate from the North Naples space it shares with Tamiami Hyundai.
The Hyundai dealership will then be able to be fully renovated and expanded at its current site at 6780 Airport-Pulling Road. The Zellers plan to renovate the showroom and customer service areas and update the building’s elements and finishes to comply with corporate standards, plans show.
Lou Fusz Automotive Network Acquires Missouri Store
Lou Fusz Automotive Network has acquired Steve Schmitt Kia in Florissant, MO, in a deal which Performance Brokerage Services served as advisors.
Steve Schmitt Kia will be renamed Lou Fusz Kia of North County and will remain at its current location at New Halls Ferry Road.
Steve Schmitt Auto Group has been in the automotive business for over 90 years, consisting of two locations in Highland and Litchfield, Illinois, representing Chevrolet, Buick, and GMC.
Lou Fusz Automotive Network was founded in 1952 by Louis Fusz, Sr., growing from a single Dodge and Plymouth dealership into one of the largest automotive groups in the St. Louis region. Lou Fusz Automotive Network is ranked #107 on the 2024 Automotive News Top 150 Dealership Groups based on 2023 new vehicle retail sales units. The group is comprised of 18 dealerships across Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana.
Wisconsin Truck Businesses Sold
Joe Laux completed the selloff of his truck business, with the sale of two truck stores in La Crosse, WI., to two Wisconsin-based dealer groups.
Dahl Automotive acquired La Crosse Truck Center Ford and Kriete Truck Centers purchased La Crosse Truck Center Mack-Isuzu, according to Haig Partners, which advised the seller in the transactions.
Dahl operates 13 franchised auto dealerships in Wisconsin and Minnesota and Wisconsin, and Kriete owns 11 Volvo and Mack locations in Wisconsin, Haig said.
The dealerships were previously part of River States Truck and Trailer, of which Laux was owner and CEO. In a separate transaction, Haig said, River States sold its three Freightliner-Western Star dealerships to Premier Truck Group, a subsidiary of Penske Automotive Group.
Haig Partners vice president Derek Garber said the decision to sell River States’ businesses separately was made because “drawing from our past experience with heavy truck buy-sells, we did not believe one single buyer would receive OEM approval to acquire all of Joe’s franchises.”
Haig said La Crosse Truck Center Ford dealership is one of Ford’s last remaining medium-duty-only dealerships, while the Mack-Isuzu dealership sells and services medium and heavy-duty trucks.
Kriete Truck Centers CEO David Kriete said the acquisition “aligns perfectly with our growth strategy.” Andrew Dahl, president of Dahl Automotive, said its new addition expands a relationship with Ford that dates to 1911.
“This Ford Pro location will allow us to further scale our commercial vehicle operations in the region” Dahl said. “We look forward to continuing the legacy built by Joe.”
