ZT Motors Comes Home to Houston with Acquisition of Ron Carter Autoland

HOUSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--ZT Motors, the automotive portfolio arm of Houston-based private equity firm ZT Corporate, announced today it has completed the acquisition of Ron Carter Autoland, located south of Houston in Alvin, Texas. The transaction is a crucial deal for ZT Motors as it marks its first location in Texas with three adjacent dealerships and expands the company’s rooftop footprint from five to eight. The location will feature new and used vehicle brands including Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, Ford, Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge and Ram.

“To say we’re excited to deliver the ZT Motors experience to our hometown of Houston would be an understatement,” said Taseer Badar, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of ZT Corporate. “Our team has evaluated dealerships in the area for many years, and we’re confident that a highly respected and reputable brand like Ron Carter Autoland is the right opportunity to fuel our growth strategy. We look forward to continued operational excellence and bringing our customer-first model to the Houston area.”

Over the last five years, ZT Motors has diligently built a portfolio that includes Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Toyota and Mazda dealerships in Fort Walton Beach, Florida, and a Chevrolet dealership in Atlanta, Georgia. The company’s dual focus on quality service and operational efficiency has expanded topline revenue and bottom-line profits. As a minority-owned dealership led by Badar, a Pakistani-American, the company’s success has drawn attention from automobile manufacturers in an industry where only 5-7% of rooftops are owned by ethnic minorities. According to the National Association of Minority Automobile Dealers, only 0.7% of Ford dealerships, 1.3% of GM dealerships and 1.9% of Fiat Chrysler dealerships are owned by Asian-Americans. ZT Motors plans to change those figures by growing its dealership platform in the Southeast, with a disciplined adherence to its trademark “service + efficiency” strategy.

The Alvin dealerships will retain the Ron Carter Autoland name and are located in a prime automotive hub for the Houston region, known for its growing population and reliance on personal transportation. The site will feature three service departments and one body shop, and customers will benefit from the unique, personal customer service approach available at a privately-owned dealership.

"Our dealerships operate at the highest levels, with customer experience front and center and seamless backoffice operations to ensure efficiency,” said Keith Monnin, President of ZT Motors. “Not only is our team passionate about running a successful business, but we know and love cars, too. We want our customers to enjoy the shopping experience and excitement that a car purchase can bring.”

The Ron Carter auto group has been recognized with the J.D. Power Dealer of Excellence award and multiple Dealer of the Year awards, as well as being named a 2019 Top Rated Dealer by Car Gurus.

“Our overriding priority is to create value for our customers, investors and store-level talent by acquiring top-quartile and cash-flowing dealerships where we can leverage our operating strength to further improve business operations,” said Sheheryar Shah, Chief Investment Officer of ZT Corporate. “At ZT Corporate, we are intentional on investing where we know we can succeed. During the COVID-19 health pandemic, our automotive dealerships have continued to yield solid returns, and we’re confident that this Houston acquisition will bring similar success.”

After successfully growing the Fort Walton Beach and Atlanta dealerships, ZT Motors has continued seeking opportunities to acquire additional dealerships in the Southeast under the leadership of their highly-respected automotive management team. A key element of ZT Corporate’s long-standing strategy to successfully integrate acquired companies is to retain leadership talent in the local community where the acquired company resides.

The parties representing the transaction included:

• Taseer Badar, Chairman and CEO of ZT Corporate
• Keith Monnin, President of ZT Motors
• Claire Thompson, CFO of ZT Motors
• Sheheryar Shah, Chief Investment Officer of ZT Corporate
• Monica Hoenshell of the Calvert Law Firm represented ZT Corporate
• Alan Haig and Mike Toth of Haig Partners acted as the Seller’s M&A Advisor
• Chrysler Capital acted as ZT Corporate’s lender

About ZT Corporate

Established in 1997, ZT Corporate is a private equity firm with an active portfolio in healthcare services and automotive dealerships. With offices in Houston and New York, the team provides full-service wealth management services to its clients and investors and creates value through a broad range of financial channels, including traditional and alternative investments. ZT Corporate’s active healthcare portfolio operates under Altus Healthcare, Neighbors and PSN Affiliates, with automotive dealerships branded under the ZT Motors. For more information: www.ztcorporate.com

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.

Contacts

Victoria Cook
Pierpont Communications for ZT Corporate
vcook@piercom.com, 713-627-2223