Thrifty Car Sales Opens Eight Dealerships in Six States

By: Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group | 0 Shares 193 Reads

TULSA, Okla., Nov. 26 // PRNewswire-FirstCall // -- Thrifty Car Sales, a subsidiary of Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group, Inc. (NYSE: DTG), is turning up the heat on expansions, recently adding eight locations to its national network of franchised used car dealerships.

New dealerships are opening in markets that include Baxley, Ga.; Louisville, Ky.; Albuquerque, N.M.; Bixby and Pryor, Okla.; East Providence, R.I.; and Spokane, Wash.

In Baxley, Ga., dealer Keven Carter opened a Thrifty Car Sales dealership at 755 W. Parker St. Carter has been in the automotive business for more than 10 years, most recently as Sales Manager at Woody Folsom Chevrolet.

Steve Sternberg, a Thrifty Car Rental and Truck Rental franchisee for more than 32 years, has opened a dealership at 6507 Preston Highway in Louisville, Ky.

Owners Leonard McCullough and Mike Willis recently opened at 14780 S. Memorial Dr. in Bixby, Okla. McCullough spent several years in the automotive and healthcare industries. Willis is a practicing attorney with a local law firm, as well as a business and political consultant. They plan to expand Thrifty Car Sales in the Tulsa metropolitan area to include five stores in the next three to five years.

Don Chalmers of Albuquerque, N.M., has reopened his dealership at 7710 Lomas Ave. N.E. He has been a Thrifty Car Sales dealer since 2003 and has a second Thrifty Car Sales dealership at 5200 Alameda Blvd. NE.

Tom Celona recently opened a new Thrifty Car Sales dealership in East Providence, R.I., at 2312 Pawtucket Ave. The facility marks Celona's third Thrifty Car Sales location in Rhode Island. Celona has a long history with Thrifty, having previously been a Thrifty Car Rental franchisee for more than 35 years.

In Pryor, Okla., Johnny Ragsdale brings Thrifty Car Sales to a new location at 850 S. Mill St. A 35-year resident of Pryor, Ragsdale has been in the automotive business for more than four years, having served first as a controller and later General Manager of Mays County Chrysler. He was also involved with the purchase and start-up of a Chevrolet dealership in Vinita, Okla.

Spokane, Wash., is the home of two new dealerships at 8022 E. Sprague and 6418 N. Wall St. Both are owned by Barry and Bernadette Curry, who converted their existing car sales facilities to full-fledged Thrifty Car Sales operations. They are Thrifty Car Rental franchisees of 29 years and currently operate Thrifty Car Rental and Dollar Rent A Car at Spokane International Airport.

In Rexburg and Idaho Falls, Idaho, Ray and Jacque Loveland and sons Mitch and Blake Loveland became the new owners of two stores at 1235 North Woodruff in Idaho Falls and 673 N. 2nd East in Rexburg. The family recently acquired the Thrifty Car Sales locations previously owned by Brad and Bryan Call. They have been in the automotive sales industry for more than 40 years and operate as Stone's Town and Country Motors, Inc. In addition to their two Thrifty Car Sales locations, they also have Toyota and Chrysler locations.

"We are really pleased with the new additions we have to the Thrifty Car Sales system, and these terrific dealers," said Jeff Cerefice, Vice President of Thrifty Car Sales. "It is proof-positive that the investments we have made in the Thrifty Car Sales business model are working. Dealers are seeing the advantages of a nationally-franchised brand that include a Business Development Center [BDC], the traffic-driving capabilities of http://ThriftyCarSales.com and the many other offerings available to them. Thrifty Car Sales is a brand on the move."

About Thrifty Car Sales

Thrifty Car Sales is a subsidiary of Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group, Inc. (NYSE: DTG), a Fortune 1000 Company headquartered in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Thrifty Car Sales, with 39 locations, franchises retail used car sales dealerships throughout the United States. Dealerships offer a wide range of late model, low mileage vehicles. Thrifty Certified(R) vehicles pass extensive inspection and are backed by a limited warranty. Thrifty Car Sales was founded in 1999.

SOURCE: Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group