ZT Motors to Quadruple Rooftop Footprint in Southeast by 2023
HOUSTON, December 2, 2019 (Newswire.com) - Following the recent successful acquisition of Steve Rayman, one of Atlanta’s leading Chevrolet dealerships, ZT Motors, a portfolio company of Houston-based Private Equity firm, ZT Corporate, is planning for the future. ZT Corporate plans to add 15-20 dealerships throughout the Southeast U.S. to the company’s current roster of five dealerships: BMW, Chevrolet, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz and Toyota, which would quadruple the automotive portfolio’s footprint and position the company to be one of the largest minority-owned dealerships in the country.
In 2015, ZT Motors, founded by Taseer Badar, acquired the Fort Walton Beach, Florida BMW, Mazda, Mercedez-Benz and Toyota dealerships. After rapidly and successfully growing these dealerships, ZT Motors began seeking opportunities to acquire additional dealerships under the leadership of their seasoned automotive management team. ZT Motors retains leadership talent with roots in the local community when it acquires dealerships, and provides that talent with the resources to grow the business.
“I have a passion for cars, and this portfolio combines my passion with ZT Corporate’s mission to create value for our investors, staff and customers,” said Taseer Badar, CEO & Chairman, ZT Corporate. “We are experts and successful at what we do. Once we acquired the Fort Walton Beach Toyota dealership, it became the number one volume Toyota store in the Florida panhandle. We want to replicate this model across the Southeast.”
Over the next three years, ZT Motors will seek opportunities to invest in top-performing and cash-flowing dealerships, where leadership can leverage its operating strength to expand the business in the Southeast region. The portfolio is on pace to double its EBITDA since its initial acquisition of the Fort Walton Beach dealerships and has a goal to achieve $30 million EBITDA by 2023.
ZT Motors is eying several markets within the Southeast, especially Houston. Home to ZT Corporate’s headquarters and most of its investors, Houston is an attractive market for ZT Motors because of its rapidly expanding population and heavy reliance on personal transportation. Additionally, ZT Motors has plans to add high-volume manufacturers to the roster, including Ford and Honda.
“The benefit to a customer of purchasing from a privately-owned dealership such as ZT Motors is we treat customers like family,” said Badar. “We know that buying a car is a major purchase for our customers, and we provide a hands-on auto purchasing approach that is based on decades of experience and our passion for the auto industry.”
“The Southeast is a prime market for ZT Motors to expand. The population is growing and most people will rely on personal cars for transportation for the foreseeable future. At the same time, dealers are retiring, and the need for experienced management staff and capital is growing. We receive calls from dealerships every day looking to sell,” said Keith Monnin, President of ZT Motors. “The dealerships that are most attractive to us have an incredible reputation in the community, clean accounting records and a dedicated, passionate team.”
For more information about ZT Corporate, visit www.ztcorporate.com or follow on Facebook and Instagram at @ZTCorporate.
About ZT Corporate
ZT Corporate was established in 1997 and has grown into a full-service wealth management firm that provides specialized financial solutions to its clients through traditional, alternative and private equity investments. ZT Corporate provides investment opportunities in lower middle-market companies, with a primary focus on the healthcare industry. Success in the healthcare portfolio provided ZT Corporate with the strength to diversify its portfolio into new industries, including real estate, sports and entertainment, franchise restaurants, and most recently, the retail automotive industry.
About ZT Motors
ZT Motors was founded in 2015 and has become one of the fastest-growing verticals within ZT Corporate’s portfolio. ZT Motors operates automotive dealerships in Florida and Georgia for BMW, Chevrolet, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, and Toyota. ZT Motors provides the management expertise and capital to grow retail automobile dealerships in the Southeast.
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Source: ZT Corporate