SIERRA VISTA, Ariz. (KGUN) — The Ed Morse Automotive Group first announced its purchase of seven Lawley Automotive Group dealerships in Sierra Vista in February. Six months later, the deal is done and the group officially has its first set of dealerships in Arizona.
Ed Morse Automotive Group Chairman and CEO, Teddy Morse, told KGUN they announced the purchase earlier than normal because they had to file the licenses with the state, and people saw the businesses for which they were filing.
"I love Arizona," he said. "The general rule of thumb is, you always follow the deal. If it's the right brands, in the right market then we go after it."
Morse says the brands Sean Lawley had here in Sierra Vista were great for rural communities, which was proven with the success he had.
"I know it matters to the individual dealerships what brands they buy, but I just want to take care of the consumer," Morse said.
One way he's doing that is by retaining all 250 Lawley Automotive Group employees. For Morse, he says only positives came from the early announcement of the sale and acquisition, because it allowed him to meet the staff in person before the deal was completed.
“It made me breathe a lot easier because I knew we were making the right decisions,” he said. "You can't do anything without the right people, and they have the right people."
Morse doesn't plan to change any of the current policies or procedures, but wants customers to feel heard when they are shopping or having a service done.
"You tend to see it at other dealerships, that they want to sell what they want to sell, not necessarily what the customer needs or wants," he said. "So listening to the customer: what they need the vehicle for, what's important to them. That's what I want our people to do."
The transition has had a few bumps, with technology not syncing between two of the businesses, affecting appointments and the customer experience. Morse says this is not uncommon after sales and acquisitions.
"I'm sorry that happened," he said. "No excuses, it's going to get fixed."
The chairman and CEO has plans to fix more than technology glitches. He said the changes people will really see will be to the facilities. Morse says some of the lots need potholes fixed and the buildings need some updating. He told KGUN, a longer term project he plans to do is to separate the Ford and Kia dealerships, because the competing manufacturers don't like sharing the lot.
Morse confessed to KGUN that it's easy to say what he'll do and why the community should support them, but he has to prove it.
“I could come on here and I could say all the right things, but I just I look forward to being able to show the people of Sierra Vista and Cochise County that I mean what I say,” he said.
This is a complete list of former Lawley Automotive properties now under the Ed Morse brand:
- Ed Morse Ford, formerly Lawley’s Team Ford — 100 N. Highway 90, Sierra Vista
- Ed Morse Kia, formerly Lawley Kia — 100 N Highway 90, Sierra Vista
- Ed Morse Nissan, formerly Lawley Nissan — 2960 E. Fry Blvd, Sierra Vista
- Ed Morse Chevrolet GMC, formerly Lawley Chevrolet GMC — 2900 E. Fry Blvd SE, Sierra Vista
- Ed Morse Hyundai, formerly Lawley Hyundai — 2800 E. Fry Blvd, Sierra Vista
- Ed Morse Chrysler Dodge Jeep RAM, formerly Lawley Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram — 1901 S. Highway 92, Sierra Vista
- Ed Morse Honda, formerly Lawley Honda — 3200 E. Fry Blvd, Sierra Vista
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Alexis Ramanjulu is a reporter in Cochise County for KGUN 9. She began her journalism career reporting for the Herald/Review in Sierra Vista, which she also calls home. Share your story ideas with Alexis by emailing alexis.ramanjulu@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook.
