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The Crown Automotive Group, one of the top 100 privately-held dealership groups in the United States, has acquired Kelly Subaru in Chattanooga, Tenn. Terms of the acquisition weren’t disclosed. The acquisition in the greater Chattanooga market extends St. Pete-based Crown’s footprint in the region, according to a statement, adding to a pair of Chrysler dealerships it operates there. The Subaru corporate office also approved Crown to operate in the Chattanooga area, as well as parts of Georgia and Alabama, the release states. Crown will operate with its current team including General Manager Steve Marlin and Fixed Operations Manager Desmond Hagan. ....
Despite making millions in automotive sales, Dwayne Hawkins, much to the surprise of top officials around him, never flew anywhere first class. “He’d fly coach,” Crown Automotive President and COO Jim Myers says, “when a lot of people like him could fly on their own planes.” That humility, mixed with a folksy, southern gentleman style, was a hallmark of Hawkins’ life. The founder of St. Petersburg-based Crown Automotive Group, Hawkins died Christmas Eve from natural causes. He was 85. What a great dad, friend and mentor he was to me,” his son Kevin Hawkins says in a statement. The younger Hawkins will succeed his dad as principal dealer and chairman of Crown Automotive, which comprises 22 dealerships in three states, employing more than 1,100 people. “His loss to the Crown family is immense. Dwayne Hawkins was an inspirational and visionary leader, a dedicated and passionate giver and a truly remarkable human being. He will be sorely missed.” ....
Dwayne Hawkins, Crown Automotive founder and philanthropist, dead at 85 Anastasia Dawson, Tampa Bay Times It was never the cars that fueled Dwayne Hawkins’ drive for success. In fact, his sons say their father founder and CEO of Crown Automotive Group, one of the largest automobile dealerships in the southeast wasn’t really much of a gearhead. He favored station wagons over muscle cars. “We had a Pontiac Safari handle-side wagon we rode around in, which is borderline child abuse,” quipped his son Kevin. “I don’t remember ever seeing a GTO in the driveway. But it wasn’t about the cars. He wanted to accomplish something.” ....
Wednesday s Afternoon Update | 12/30/2020 Florida’s coronavirus economy: Down so long that things are looking up By many measures, Florida’s economy has turned around some since the the pandemic’s deepest hits in the early spring. The unemployment rate is less than half of what it was in March, state sales tax collections have picked up and Florida home sales are stronger than they were this time last year. But the rate and scope of further economic progress, experts say, will depend on the success of vaccine distribution and whether recently approved federal financial relief is enough to stave off another downturn. More from the Tampa Bay Times. ....