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The Presidio Group Exclusively Advises the Brown Family on the Sale of Bill Brown Ford to Penske Automotive Group

By: via Business Wire

The Presidio Group LLC (“Presidio”), an independent merchant banking firm focused on mergers and acquisitions, capital raising and investments in the automotive retail and consumer mobility sectors, exclusively advised the Brown family on the sale of Bill Brown Ford of Livonia, Mich., to Penske Automotive Group, Inc.

“After nearly a century in the greater Detroit community, it was essential to find a buyer who values the culture we’ve created at Bill Brown Ford and would carry on our family’s legacy as a top-notch employer and a trusted provider of vehicle sales and service to customers throughout Southeast Michigan,” said Tom Brown, owner of Bill Brown Ford. “We found just that steward in Penske Automotive Group. We could not have done this without the Presidio team, which guided us through this entire process and exceeded our expectations.”

Bill Brown Ford was founded in 1940 and has received numerous accolades over the decades. It most recently has tallied an impressive streak winning Ford’s most prestigious dealership awards — the automaker’s Triple Crown Award for the last seven years straight and its President’s Award for the last 17 consecutive years. It has been part of the Livonia, Mich., community since 1952.

For 50 years, Bill Brown Ford was led by Ed Brown, who passed away in March 2023. The dealership flourished and cemented its customer-first approach under Ed Brown’s leadership, and he handed those values down to his children, current owners Tom Brown and Ruth Ann Brown.

“To say that Ford Motor Company has been transformational to our family and all the employees at Bill Brown Ford would be an understatement,” owner Ruth Ann Brown said. “There is no better organization than Penske Automotive Group to lead Bill Brown Ford into the future and represent Ford Motor Company.”

She added: “We appreciate the care and expertise that the Presidio team brought to the process of selling the business. The guidance from Presidio was exemplary, and we believe they helped us find the perfect buyer in Penske Automotive Group to carry our father’s vision forward and take the best possible care of our employees and customers.”

“Bill Brown Ford is an innovative retailer that has built a strong presence in Southeast Michigan over the decades, and Penske Automotive is pleased to add the dealership to our network,” Penske CEO Roger Penske said. “We welcome Bill Brown Ford employees to the Penske family and look forward to carrying on the family’s legacy.”

The transaction is one of the industry’s most notable dealership buy-sell deals so far in 2024.

“What an immense honor it was for the Presidio team to represent the Brown family and facilitate the sale of this remarkable business,” said Alex Watterson, managing director of The Presidio Group. “We congratulate Tom Brown, Ruth Ann Brown and Penske Automotive Group for completing this important transaction.”

“Penske Automotive Group is one of the industry’s legendary dealers, and it made perfect sense to entrust the organization with the Bill Brown Ford legacy,” said George Karolis, president of The Presidio Group. “It was a privilege for the Presidio team to facilitate this historic sale.”

Jeff G. Roberts and Emily K. Dillow, partners with Underwood & Roberts, PLLC, provided legal counsel to Bill Brown Ford.

The Presidio Group provided exclusive M&A advisory services to Bill Brown Ford through its wholly owned investment bank, Presidio Merchant Partners LLC.

About Bill Brown Ford

Bill Brown Ford is an award-winning Ford dealership and fleet truck center founded in 1940. The family-owned company operates its dealership and collision repair business on 29 acres in Livonia, Mich. Bill Brown Ford has won Ford Motor Co.’s Triple Crown Award for the last seven years straight and its President’s Award for the last 17 consecutive years. For more information, visit www.billbrownford.net.

About Penske Automotive Group, Inc.

Penske Automotive Group, Inc., (NYSE: PAG) headquartered in Bloomfield Hills, Mich., is a diversified international transportation services company and one of the world's top automobile and commercial truck retailers. PAG operates dealerships in the U.S., United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, Italy, Japan and Australia and is one of the largest retailers of commercial trucks in North America for Freightliner. PAG also distributes and retails commercial vehicles, diesel and gas engines, power systems and related parts and services, principally in Australia and New Zealand. PAG, which employs more than 28,500 people worldwide, also owns 28.9 percent of Penske Transportation Solutions, which manages one of the largest, most comprehensive and modern trucking fleets in North America with more than 442,000 trucks, tractors, and trailers under lease, rental and/or maintenance contracts. PAG is a member of the S&P Mid Cap 400, Fortune 500, Russell 1000, Russell 3000 indexes and the S&P Mid Cap 400 Index. For additional information, including the company's 2023 Corporate Responsibility Report highlighting its corporate responsibility strategies, activities and certain metrics, visit Penske’s website at www.penskeautomotive.com.

About The Presidio Group LLC

The Presidio Group was founded in 1998 with the simple mission to relentlessly put the interests of our clients first. By steadfastly adhering to this philosophy, the firm has earned the trust of clients throughout the United States. During their careers, the professionals at Presidio have collectively closed more than 275 transactions for approximately $18.5 billion. The Presidio Group, based in Denver and Atlanta, publishes Presidio Perspectives: A Quarterly Outlook on Auto Retail and M&A Trends, a leading source of information about the automotive retail landscape. Presidio Merchant Partners LLC is a subsidiary of The Presidio Group LLC and is a member of FINRA and SIPC. For more information on Presidio, visit www.thepresidiogroup.com.

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