Marsh Auto Group sells to Serra Automotive
Jan. 5—TRAVERSE CITY — It was almost 42 years ago that local businessman Bill Marsh Sr. bought a struggling Buick auto dealership in Traverse City and — with his family — grew it into the largest locally-owned automotive group in northern Michigan.
Four decades later that era will come to an end as the Marsh family is selling the Bill Marsh Auto Group to Michigan-based Serra Automotive, which is among the top 10 privately held retail auto groups in the U.S. The sale is expected to close in early May. A purchase price was not disclosed.
"It was a very considered decision," said Jamie Marsh, who co-owns the business with his brothers Bill Jr. and Mike Marsh. The brothers shared news of the pending sale on Thursday with their nearly 300 employees at the Marsh dealerships in Traverse City, Kalkaska and Gaylord. Serra Automotive Chairman Joseph Serra, President Matt Serra and Traverse City partners Jerry Zezulka and Jim Tuohy also took part in those meetings.
Marsh said his family first met the Serra family when both ran Saturn dealerships in Michigan several years ago.
"They were very helpful to us," Marsh said. "We got to know them well."
Marsh said Serra Automotive is known for its "decentralized operations" that establish locally-based management teams for their dealerships, similar to what it created when Serra purchased the Cherry Capital Cadillac-Subaru and Traverse Motors dealerships in 2015 from long-time Traverse City car dealer Otto Belovich. Continuity of the Marsh operations was among the "overriding themes" of the sale, he said, and the new owners will retain all Marsh employees and facilities.
"Really, not much of anything will change, certainly in the short term," Marsh said. "(Joseph Serra) expressed a lot of respect for our operations."
The sale includes the three Marsh dealerships, plus other operations including Brake & Alignment Plus+, Northern Michigan Line-X, the Body & Paint Center and the local Thrifty Car Rental franchise. It does not include the Marsh family's JD Byrider used car dealerships in Traverse City, Saginaw and Grand Rapids, which the brothers will continue to operate.
The Marsh brand runs deep in the Grand Traverse region, trademarked by Bill Sr.'s familiar television and radio ads that saturated the airwaves during the 1980s and '90s that always ended with his signature tagline "... and thank you." He started in the automotive business in 1958 when he ran a Ford dealership in Newton, Pennsylvania. After he bought the Traverse City dealership in 1982, the Marsh group later added GMC, Chrysler, Ford, Hyundai, Jeep, Dodge and Ram to its product lines. It also has three Price Point used car locations. The senior Marsh sold the business to his sons in 2005, and passed away in 2016.
The Serra family also has deep roots in Michigan's automotive industry. Founder Albert Serra, who was born in southern Italy and passed away in 2006, started with a single Chevrolet dealership in 1973, and within five years it was among the top five dealerships in the U.S. His son Joseph, one of 10 children in the family, joined the business in 1982 and worked his way up to chief operating officer for Saturn Retail Enterprises in the late 1990s. He returned to Michigan in early 2000 and purchased Serra Automotive from his father and several shareholders.
Today, Serra Automotive — headquartered in Fenton — operates in seven states with 54 dealerships, 66 auto franchises and 25 different car brands with approximately 3,000 employees, according to the company's website. A message was left with Joseph Serra on Thursday for comment on the Marsh Auto Group acquisition. Serra's Traverse City operation on South Garfield Ave. features the Audi, Cadillac, Nissan, Toyota, Volkswagen and Volvo brands, plus a large used car inventory.
The Marsh brothers said they intend to remain in the Traverse City area and stay active in the community. Jamie said he and his brothers came into the business as a team and wanted to go out together as well, and found the right sale partner to make it happen.
"In terms of life changes and personal motivation, we were all in alignment that this was best from a timing standpoint," Marsh said. "We don't necessarily see ourselves retiring. It's more of a life change for us."
