A retiring dealer has sold his dealership to a former employee.

Tony T Automotive Group, led by president Tony Thomas has acquired Gulfgate Chrysler Dodge Jeep RAM in Houston from James Davis, according to Haig Partners, which represented the seller in the transaction.

Thomas served in several management positions, including general manager, at Gulfgate CDJR from 2010-2015. Since then he has acquired a dealership in South Carolina and two in Arkansas.

“Starting out as a sales manager and then growing into a general sales manager gave me the confidence to pursue my dream of owning a dealership,” he said in a post on LinkedIn. “Now, coming back to Gulfgate — this time as the owner — is truly a full circle moment.

“It is surreal to return to the place I helped build, but this time, with an even greater purpose.”

Davis was accepted into the Chrysler Minority Dealers Association Program in 2002 and was awarded the Gulfgate dealership. He later served as president of the Chrysler Minority Dealers Association and on the board of the National Association of Minority Automotive Dealers. He was a nominee for the TIME Dealer of the Year award in 2024.

“I’ve been fortunate to be a Stellantis dealer for the past 23 years, and I have had the privilege to support minority dealer causes and the Houston community during my time as a dealer,” Davis said. “Deciding to sell was not easy. However, I am looking forward to my next chapter, which is retirement.

“I also want to congratulate Tony Thomas on his acquisition. I’m happy that both our employees and customers will be in great hands through this transition.”

The dealership will be rebranded Tony T Chrysler Dodge Jeep RAM of Gulfgate.

Asbury promotes Clara to COO

Asbury Automotive Group has promoted senior vice president of operations Dan Clara to chief operating officer.

Clara has been with Asbury for 23 years, previously serving as regional vice president, market director and general manager, as well as store-level department leadership roles and store-level frontline retail positions

“Dan has done a great job leading store operations for Asbury for the past five years,” Asbury board chairman Tom Reddin said. “Dan’s leadership has contributed to significant same-store growth, successful integration of several large acquisitions and, importantly, value creation for our shareholders.”

President and CEO David Hult called Clara’s promotion “well-deserved” and said his new responsibilities include store operations, the development and innovation team, and “significant functions” with the marketing team.

“With the totality of Dan’s growing responsibilities, he will have an even larger impact on enabling an industry-leading guest experience and the go-to-market strategies in our stores,” Hult said.

Clara said he is “honored and grateful” for his new position and thanked the board and Hult for the opportunity.

“David has been a wonderful mentor to me since he joined the company in 2014,” he said. “I look forward to continuing the work alongside our team members in pursuit of our mission: to become the most guest-centric automotive retailer.”

Asbury operates 152 new-car dealerships, as well as a provider of service contracts and vehicle protection products, and 37 collision repair centers.