A trio of friends and relatives with roots going back 30 years have purchased their third dealership together since 2019.
Driving the news: KKS Automotive purchased a Ford dealership in Prince George, Virginia, from Crossroads Automotive Group, in a deal that closed June 16.
For context: KKS stands for the initials of the three men who own it: Keenan Allen, Kelvin Bratcher, and Scott Lang, Allen’s Dad.
(And yes, that Keenan Allen… The NFL wide receiver and six-time Pro Bowler who has spent the bulk of his career with the Chargers (which moved from San Diego to Los Angeles during his era), where he amassed more than 900 receptions and more than 11,000 receiving yards.)
KKS bought its first store, an Infiniti dealership in California, in part because the family's base was already there, and Allen was still playing for the Chargers at the time, Bratcher told CDG News.
But before they were business partners, they were friends.
“We all grew up together,” Bratcher said. “Scott and the family and I have known each other 30 years, and… we have automotive backgrounds," Bratcher said.
Both men worked in the industry via Flow Cos.: Lang via Rapid Towing, his transportation company that handled vehicle movement and wholesale for the group, and Bratcher as a longtime general manager, who ran several of their stores, including a BMW dealership in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
Nuts and bolts: The group renamed Crossroads Ford of Prince George using another meaningful acronym.
AML Ford of Prince George is a nod to the family-owned business behind AML Motorsports, which stands for (A)llen, his brother Zach (M)aynard, and (L)ang.
Robert Schlicht and Andy Church of Dealer Solutions Mergers and Acquisitions (DSMA) represented the sellers in the transaction.
KKS Automotive also owns a Nissan dealership in North Carolina.
What they're saying: Bratcher, who will run day-to-day operations with Lang, said the deal came together through a relationship and a really good conversation with Allen Boyd, owner of Crossroads Automotive Group.
“We talked about our families, his family, his faith, and we had a lot in common," Bratcher said.
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Looking ahead: KKS is targeting five to 10 stores total, focused on the I-95 corridor from Richmond through the Carolinas.
Bratcher said the talent pool in the region is a key reason for staying close to home, because people often wanted to come work for them but didn't want to leave North Carolina.
The California Infiniti store will likely remain the one outlier outside the geographic footprint.
No matter where they expand, community and relationships will stay important.
“We come from very humble beginnings, but that also allows us to be very open and transparent about how we give back,” Bratcher said. “Because we didn't get here by ourselves.”
You can see this deal announcement and many more throughout the entire year by visiting the CDG Buy/Sell tracker at CDGbuysell.com, powered by:
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