Driving the news: Joe O'Brien and Mason Moore purchased a longtime Kentucky Ford dealership from siblings Bob Kain, Vickie Kain Fister, and Pat Kain, whose family business spans three generations, in a Sept. 30 deal.

For context: Purchased was Jack Kain Ford in Versailles, Kentucky, west of Lexington.

  • The dealership was renamed O'Brien Ford of Versailles.

  • Paul Kechnie, Mark Shackelford, and Mark Shackelford Jr. of Performance Brokerage Services advised the sellers in the transaction.

  • O'Brien and Moore also own O'Brien Ford in Shelbyville, Kentucky.

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Worth noting: The late Jack Kain, an Air Force veteran who served during the Korean War, became a car dealer in 1953, according to his obituary.

  • A former NADA chairman, Kain added Ford dealer to his resume in 1959 in Frankfort, Kentucky, moving the store to Versailles in 1979.

  • Kain died March 26, 2024, at age 94.

  • Second-generation leader Bob Kain, who was the dealership's president and general manager, talked about the store's legacy on an Aug. 28 episode of "Kain and Friends," hosted by his brother David Kain.

The store used a one-price sales model and was a 13-time winner of Ford's President's Award, he said, crediting the store's staff for its success.

What they're saying: “It’s not the ownership; it's the great employees that we have, and they're the ones that create the culture and take great care of the customers," Bob Kain said on the podcast.

You can see this deal announcement and many more throughout the entire year by visiting the CDG Buy/Sell tracker at CDGbuysell.com, presented by Presidio.

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