A President’s Award-Winning Honda Dealership in Western Pennsylvania Changes Ownership 

Irvine, CA, February 12, 2020 – 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 Presidents 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 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 the report, click here. The company 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.

About Kerrigan Advisors

Kerrigan Advisors is a leading sell-side advisor and thought partner to auto dealers in the US.  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.  Kerrigan Advisors has represented on auto retail’s largest transactions, including five of the Top 100 Dealership Groups in the US, more than any other firm in the industry. Led by a team of veteran industry experts, the firm does not take listings, rather develops a customized approach for each client to achieve their personal and financial goals. In addition to Kerrigan Advisors’ sell-side advisory and capital-raising services, the firm also provides a suite of consulting services including growth strategies, capital allocation, transactional due diligence, open point proposals, operational improvement and real estate due diligence.

Kerrigan Advisors publishes The Blue Sky Report®, which is the auto industry's most comprehensive and authoritative quarterly report of dealership buy/sell activity and franchise values, received by over 9,000 industry recipients in 35 countries.  To access The Blue Sky Report®, click here.  Kerrigan Advisors also publishes The Kerrigan Index™, the only monthly report tracking the seven publicly traded auto retail companies. To access The Kerrigan Index™, click here.

Kerrigan Advisors’ Founder and Managing Director, Erin Kerrigan, is a recognized expert on dealership valuation, real estate, and buy/sells, and is a frequent speaker at leading auto retail events and conferences, including NADA, JD Power Automotive Roundtable, Automotive News’ Canadian World Congress, AICPA, and NADC. She has also been quoted numerous times by The Wall Street Journal, CNBC, Bloomberg and The Economist and has been a keynote speaker for events hosted by American Honda Motor Company, Audi of America, US Trust, Bank of America, Ohio Automobile Dealer Association, and SunTrust Bank. Kerrigan Advisors’ Managing Director Ryan Kerrigan is also a sought-after industry expert. He is featured in a monthly column for Dealer Magazine and has written Op-Eds for Automotive News.

Kerrigan Advisors Media Contact:
Melanie Webber (melanie@mwebbcom.com), mWEBB Communications, 949-307-1723