Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
Automotion, Inc. history
Automotion, Inc. company history timeline
The business had grown out of a used car lot established in Danvers, Massachusetts, by Ira Rosenberg in 1967.
The suit was settled in 1967, but not without damage to the Essex's reputation.
To reflect this diversification, in 1968 Essex Wire Corp. changed its name to Essex International.
Essex's 1973 earnings had reached $40 million on sales of $845 million, attracting the attention of United Aircraft Corporation's president and CEO Harry Gray.
By 1974 Essex had lived up to its new name by opening plants in Spain, The United Kingdom, Canada, and Mexico, in addition to its nearly 100 American manufacturing plants.
In March of 1975, annual sales volume rose to $7 million, and a 52,000-square-foot facility at 233 S. Patterson was built for the O'Reilly/Ozark warehouse operation.
By 1975 he rose to the rank of president in the company and began to travel widely, making valuable contacts.
1975 - First Distribution Center & Corporate Office Opens A major reorganization of company operations takes place at this time.
His work life as an engine development engineer at Ford began in 1976, after he’d earned his mechanical engineering degree.
1977: Ugly Ducking is formed.
When Gray became interested in Ambac in 1978, the company was manufacturing medical, scientific, and environmental equipment in addition to its traditional fuel injection systems.
1978 - Dual-Market Strategy is Born O'Reilly develops the dual-market business strategy enabling the company to maximize sales both in the professional "do-it-for-me" business and in the retail "do-it-yourself" market.
UTA, a subsidiary of the giant United Technologies Corporation, was formed in 1979 when the Essex Group was merged with Ambac Industries.
Steven Rossi has worn an impressive number of hats of different makes and models reflecting the all-things-automotive arena in which he has both worked and played practically his whole life, including being an SAH member since 1980.
But in 1985 UTA acquired Alma Plastics, which added interior plastic trim and moldings to the product line.
By 1985 Ugly Duckling was the nation's fifth largest car rental company.
After a great deal of internal turmoil amongst UTC management, Gray stepped down as CEO of the troubled firm in 1986.
In 1987 Garcia had obtained a $20 million loan from Charles Keating's Lincoln Savings & Loan.
In 1988, as part of this reorganization, the wire manufacturing operations of Essex were spun off as an independent company, although the new enterprise continued to produce the wire for the automotive wire assemblies and electronic devices manufactured by United Technologies Automotive.
1989 - 100th Store Opens O'Reilly opens its 100th store, 132-Barling, AR.
Acquired by Garcia in 1990
In 1990 he formed a company called Duck Ventures, Inc., which purchased the assets of Ugly Duckling Rent-A-Car.
By late 1992, the O'Reilly family decides to take their thriving company public.
He started out by buying a small used car dealership in Phoenix and later in 1992 purchased a second dealership in Tucson.
O’Reilly common stock began active public trading on the NASDAQ market under the ticker ORLY on April 23, 1993, and closed at $19.28 per share on that day.
In 1993 Garcia acquired three Ugly Duckling dealerships.
In 1994, with sales of $2.6 billion, United Technologies decided that UTA's performance was strong enough to warrant a public offering of UTA stock and thereby unlock some of the parent company's investment in the automotive subsidiary.
Ugly Duckling closed one dealership in 1994 because it did not measure up to the firm's high standards.
When it was purchased in 1994, Champion had subprime contracts worth $1.9 million.
Formation of Group 1 in 1995
Group 1's chairman, president, and chief executive officer, B.B. (Ben) Hollingsworth, Jr., was the one with Wall Street experience among the men who founded the company in 1995.
In addition, in late 1995 it closed its dealership in Gilbert, Arizona, because the firm's experiment to sell later model used cars there failed.
The good news was that total revenues, of which used car sales comprised the bulk, had consistently increased, reaching $58.2 million ($47.8 million from car sales alone) at the end of 1995.
At the end of 1995, after four years in business, Ugly Duckling's financial picture was quite mixed.
To promote these various services, in November 1996 Ugly Duckling hired two new advertising firms.
In early 1997 Mercury Finance admitted to "accounting irregularities." Chairman Garcia said that 30 of his 35 managers formerly worked for Mercury, adding, "Up until last week it [Mercury Finance] was a great thing.
1997: The company undergoes aggressive expansion in Florida, Texas.
In addition, in March 1999 Group 1 completed a secondary offering of stock, selling two million additional shares, and placed $100 million in ten-year notes, for a gross of $138.9 million.
Ugly Duckling's other businesses, apart from the dealership chain, were divested by December 1999.
Around the beginning of 1999, the company installed its proprietary "CLASS" Car Loan Accounting and Servicing Software, Sullivan told the Wall Street Transcript.
The two other purchases were tuck-ins: Elgin Ford in the Austin area and a Beaumont, Texas, automall, Autoplex 2000, which included Mercedes-Benz, Dodge, Nissan, Volvo, and Buick franchises.
While some of its competitors were forced to slow down their roll-up efforts, Group 1 in early 2000 continued to add dealerships, including two new platforms and a tuck-in.
For 2000 Group 1 recorded revenues of nearly $3.6 billion and net profits of $40.8 million.
Ugly Duckling also could afford to buy much more advertising, CEO Gregory Sullivan told the Wall Street Transcript in 2000.
2001 - Mid-State Acquisition The O'Reilly sales footprint grew by five states with the Mid-State acquisition in the fall (October 1) of 2001.
In 2001, for instance, the bestselling vehicle for the company was Ford's F-series pickup truck followed by the Toyota Camry.
The company's corporate headquarters was moved to a former Mega Foods grocery store in 2001.
In January 2002 Garcia and Sullivan bought Ugly Duckling for $15.5 million.
Finances continued to improve in 2002, but it was becoming more difficult to find as many dealerships willing to sell, leading some observers to maintain that the best properties had already been acquired.
Seeking to publicize its new name and expand its client base, the company hired the advertising firm O'Leary and Partners in 2003, dedicating some $10 million for radio and television advertising.
David O'Reilly remains active as Chairman of the Board.The Midwest acquisition on May 31, 2005, takes O'Reilly halfway across the United StatesA. with stores in 25 states.
In December of 2007, O'Reilly celebrates 50 years in the auto parts business with 1,687 stores and 14 distribution centers.
2008 - CSK Acquisition The July 11 CSK acquisition brings O'Reilly to 40,000 team members and 3,200 stores in 38 states.
2010 - New Corporate Office O'Reilly opens a new, 115,000 square foot Corporate Office in Springfield, MO, on June 1.
2012 - VIP Acquisition The December 31 acquisition of VIP Auto Parts moves O'Reilly into the Northeast and 42 states.
2013 - O'Reilly Names New President/CEO On January 1, Greg Henslee was named President/CEO. Ted Wise transitioned from Co-President/COO to the role of Executive Vice President of Expansion.
2016 - Bond Acquisition On December 2, O'Reilly's 59th Anniversary, the company acquired the privately held Northeast automotive parts supplier Bond Auto Parts.
2020 - COVID-19, Rosalie Retires, and First Prototype Store Opening The COVID-19 pandemic had a devastating impact on the world.
The recipients of the 2022 Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot Awards, English Language, have been announced:
Rate Automotion, Inc.'s efforts to communicate its history to employees.
Automotion, Inc. jobs
Do you work at Automotion, Inc.?
Is Automotion, Inc.'s vision a big part of strategic planning?
Automotion, Inc. competitors
| Company name | Founded date | Revenue | Employee size | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shick Esteve | 1956 | $8.0M | 100 | - |
| Oxbo International | - | $1.0M | 25 | - |
| Aero Tech Mfg | 1967 | $16.4M | 100 | - |
| Reinke Irrigation | 1954 | $77.0M | 200 | 15 |
| UMF Medical | 1945 | $7.2M | 50 | - |
| JLG Industries | 1969 | $2.1B | 4,993 | 5 |
| EFCO | 1951 | $172.5M | 1,750 | 15 |
| Schwarze Industries | 1974 | $24.5M | 100 | - |
| Superior Metal Products | 1966 | $12.0M | 50 | - |
| Capital Safety | 1998 | $350.0M | 1,200 | - |
Automotion, Inc. history FAQs
Zippia gives an in-depth look into the details of Automotion, Inc., including salaries, political affiliations, employee data, and more, in order to inform job seekers about Automotion, Inc.. The employee data is based on information from people who have self-reported their past or current employments at Automotion, Inc.. The data on this page is also based on data sources collected from public and open data sources on the Internet and other locations, as well as proprietary data we licensed from other companies. Sources of data may include, but are not limited to, the BLS, company filings, estimates based on those filings, H1B filings, and other public and private datasets. While we have made attempts to ensure that the information displayed are correct, Zippia is not responsible for any errors or omissions or for the results obtained from the use of this information. None of the information on this page has been provided or approved by Automotion, Inc.. The data presented on this page does not represent the view of Automotion, Inc. and its employees or that of Zippia.
Automotion, Inc. may also be known as or be related to Automotion, Automotion, Inc. and Automotion, Inc. (Illinois).