Move Responds to a Growing Demand for the Firm’s M&A Services
NEW YORK – The Dave Cantin Group (DCG), one of the automotive industry’s largest dealership merger and acquisition companies, has expanded its management team to meet a growing demand for M&A services in key regions of the U.S.
The move nearly doubles DCG’s national team of regional and district managers, according to Dave Cantin, the firm’s founder and CEO.
Mark Dwyer, previously managing director of DCG’s Midwest regional office in Chicago has moved to DCG’s Madison Avenue headquarters in New York, where he joins William “Woody” Woodward to co-manage the Northeast region in one of the firm’s busiest offices. Scott Worthing will succeed Dwyer as managing director of the Midwest region.
In addition, Chad Goodson has been appointed a managing director for the Southeast region, where he will co-manage the regional office with Dan Simonson. Based in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale area, the Southeast is another of the firm’s fastest growing regions.
Fred Sherwood and Alex Covino also have joined the company as district managers in the firm’s West region. Based in Irvine, California, the region is led by Managing Director George Pero.
Worthing has more than 30 years of experience in automotive dealership lending. He began his career with Mercedes-Benz Financial, where he held a number of senior management positions in dealer relationship management. He moved from captive finance to commercial banking in 2008, joining M&T Bank in Philadelphia as administrative vice president of Dealer Financial Services. M&T Bank later appointed him to open an expansion market in Chicago through its SunTrust Bank group working closely with dealers in the Midwest.
“DCG has quickly established a solid reputation as the go-to dealership M&A firm in North America, and I’m excited to be part of the management team at such a fast-growing company,” said Worthing.
Goodson comes to DCG from Cornerstone Executive Capital, where he served as a managing director for more than 10 years. At Cornerstone he counseled auto dealers on organizational development, performance management, valuations, sales and service. He previously worked as a client development manager at CARFAX, where he directed leadership and development activities with the company’s top dealer groups and vendor partners. Prior to CARFAX, he was in brand performance management for GP Strategies Corporation where he represented General Motors in the company’s Southeast region.
“DCG fills a much-needed service gap in a rapidly evolving market,” Goodson noted. “I’m looking forward to joining this group of top-notch merger-and-acquisition specialists – unquestionably leaders in their field.”
Sherwood has worked in the automotive industry for 40 years, including significant experience with Chrysler (now FCA) in its Dealer Network Office on the West Coast. He spent the last three years managing his own private consulting business and has been instrumental in consummating numerous buy/sell agreements.
Covino joins DCG with experience in both financial and real estate markets. Early in his career, he worked as an equity trader responsible for the active management of short-term-oriented portfolios under continuously changing market conditions. Covino later worked in residential and commercial real estate, where he built a high-output real estate investment company that helped bridge the gap between conventional sellers and institutional investors.
“The rapid growth in demand for our services over the past year has allowed us to expand our team of M&A professionals to include a group of highly effective managing directors at five regional locations throughout the U.S.,” noted CEO Dave Cantin. “This is the most experienced team of M&A experts in the country – a team with considerable expertise both on the retail and wholesale sides of the business.”
DCG’s national team of M&A professionals now work from regional offices in New York, California, Florida, Illinois and Texas.
About the Dave Cantin Group
The Dave Cantin Group (DCG) is a full-service M&A firm that manages the sale and purchase of automotive dealerships throughout the United States. DCG maintains extensive relationships with manufacturers, automotive attorneys, accountants and lenders, as well investor groups, private equity firms, investment funds and family-controlled or private wealth-management advisory firms.
The group’s successful partnership approach to the buy-and-sell process is coupled with a firm commitment to community service and charitable giving. Dave Cantin personally has helped raise more than $150 million in the fight against pediatric cancer, and DCG is committed to donating a percentage of its revenue to the cause.