IRVINE, Calif. -

It’s been a busy month for the team at Performance Brokerage Services, as the automotive dealership brokerage firm announced its involvement in two more closings this week.

After being involved in the transaction of a Toyota store in Washington, the firm also helped to facilitate the moves involving a Minnesota Subaru rooftop and a Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram dealership.

According to separate news releases, Performance Brokerage Services advised Scott Bement in the sale of St. Cloud Subaru in St. Cloud, Minn., to an unspecified buyer. The firm also announced the sale of Plaza Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram in Orangeburg, S.C., from Joseph Nolette to Tony Thomas.

Performance Brokerage Services noted that Bement originally purchased St. Cloud Subaru in November 2006, moving his family to the city northwest of Minneapolis so he could be running the store daily. Bement built a new facility in 2015 that nearly doubled the dealership’s size to keep up with its growing demand.

Bement mentioned in the news release his happiness that the franchised store will remain a fixture in the community at its current location at 141 Park Avenue South in St. Cloud.

Subaru St. Cloud has partnered with the local Boys and Girls Club and donated proceeds generated through Subaru’s Share the Love program for the past seven years, totaling more than $213,000.

“It was a privilege to have represented Scott Bement in the sale of his Subaru dealership,” said Performance Brokerage Services Midwest partner Paul Kechnie, who served as the exclusive agent for this transaction.

“Subaru is a highly desirable franchise, demonstrating exceptional performance in specific markets and regions, and St. Cloud Subaru was no exception,” Kechnie continued. “We thank Scott for entrusting our team to guide him through the buy-sell process and to capitalize on this unique moment in time.”

The Performance Brokerage Services team also helped another principal capitalize on the active buy-sell market as part of the transaction the South Carolina Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram dealership.

According to another news release, the dealership will remain at its current location at 2801 St. Matthews Road in Orangeburg but operating with a new name — Tony T Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram of Orangeburg.

Performance Brokerage Services highlighted Thomas began his career in the automotive business more than 20 years ago, holding a broad range of positions within dealerships retailing both domestic and import brands.

Thomas previously was a partner at Hyundai of Silsbee in east Texas who also has been actively involved with the Houston area Boys and Girls Club of America mentoring program as well as his own foundation started in 2011, the Tony T Foundation, which also looks to help at-risk youth.

One of Thomas’ colleagues, Lekeitha Morris, had this to say: “I have known Tony over 30 years in several roles. Over the years, I have found Tony to demonstrate exceptional organizational skills and unprecedented time management skills. I have witnessed him completely change the trajectory of dealerships.”

Now Thomas will be looking to do the same with Tony T Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram of Orangeburg as Nolette makes a pivot with his dealership business.

“Attorney Mark Ornstein at Bass Sox Mercer referred me to Mr. Joseph Nolette to help sell his dealership in Orangeburg, South Carolina so that he could focus on his Florida dealerships,” said Performance Brokerage Services Southeast partner George Chaconas, who was the exclusive advisor for this transaction.

“It was an honor and privilege representing Mr. Nolette. Buddy Irby, the CFO and operations manager, was instrumental and an integral part in facilitating the transaction. I want to thank Joe and Buddy very much for the opportunity to be of service. Best wishes,” Chaconas went on to say.

Both transactions triggered praise by the involved parties for Performance Brokerage Services, which has been involved in more than 200 deals during the past five years.

Bement said, “Buying or selling an auto dealership can be a challenging transaction. I was happy to have people with experience like Paul Kechnie and Performance Brokerage Services to work through the details with me. Paul was always available, professional, and fair. Paul and Performance Brokerage Services have my recommendation.”

And Thomas added, “I would like to thank and highly recommend Performance Brokerage Services for helping with this acquisition. George Chaconas and Courtney Bernhard worked hard to identify the type of opportunity I was looking for and also provided excellent communication during the process. I am looking forward to working together on future deals.”