Florida
| Larry C. Morgan | State/Metro Winners | |
|
ORLANDO, Fla., Feb. 13, 2010 – Larry C. Morgan, Chief Executive Officer of Toyota of Tampa Bay, a Toyota and Scion dealership in Tampa, Fla., was named the TIME Magazine Dealer of the Year from Florida.
Morgan was chosen to represent the Florida Automobile Dealers Association in the national competition. The award is sponsored by TIME Magazine in association with Goodyear, and in cooperation with NADA.
“The most rewarding aspect of my retail automotive career has been the development and growth of so many quality individuals in our organization,” says Morgan.
Graduating from Monroe City (MO) High in 1961, Morgan earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration at the University of Missouri in 1965. Straight out of college, Morgan began his auto industry career with Firestone Tire & Rubber Co., rising to become the youngest District Manager in company history by the time he left in 1972.
That year, Morgan took over Merchant’s Inc., a family-run, nine-store tire dealership. Over the next 18 years, as CEO and President, he transformed Merchants into one of the largest independent tire store chains in the country. In 1991, he purchased Don Olson Firestone, a 33-outlet chain based in Clearwater, FL, and in 10 years, he grew his new Morgan Tire & Auto (d/b/a Tires Plus) into a $1 billion, nationwide chain of 600-plus stores.
|
ALABAMA - G. Wayne Gargus |
|
|
|
||
