NEW YORK -

Beekman Group, a private equity firm based in New York focused on building companies in the healthcare, consumer and the business services sectors, now has a presence in the buy-here, pay-here industry.

This week, Beekman announced that the firm has completed an investment in AutoManager to support growth and a recapitalization of the company.

California-based AutoManager was founded in 1987 and is a provider of dealer management system (DMS) and website builder tools to independent dealerships in North America, providing a range of software modules used for managing dealerships such as inventory management, F&I, BHPH, CRM and accounting, as well as website and digital marketing solutions.

AutoManager recently launched a browser-based version of its DMS — DeskManager Online — which allows dealers to access their software from any device at any time.

In addition to DeskManager DMS, AutoManager offers website and digital marketing solutions through its WebManager toolkit, a mobile-first, responsive, and secure platform designed to provide independent dealerships with intuitive and robust tools for conducting online sales and marketing.

Beekman partnered in the transaction with company management and Beekman industry advisor, Allen Dobbins, who is the founder and former chief executive officer of Autostar Solutions and Sigma Payment Solutions and co-invested in the transaction.

“AutoManager has a talented and long-tenured team that has significant experience and insight into the DMS industry,” Beekman managing director Jim Clippard said in a news release.

“We saw a unique opportunity to support product development and other growth initiatives through an industry leading platform, and we are thrilled to be AutoManager’s capital partner going forward,” Clippard continued.

AutoManager CEO Kami Tafreshi added in the news release, “This investment is an important milestone for AutoManager, and we are thrilled to have Beekman as a partner for our next phase of growth. Our team has developed an impressive track record over many years of providing market leading tools and support to our dealership customers, and we look forward to building on this tradition with Beekman.

“We see significant opportunities in the industry and now have additional valuable resources to address them,” Tafreshi went on to say.