A family transaction represented the end of one career and the expansion of another when Patrick O’Brien on April 6 purchased Pat O’Brien Chevrolet in Vermilion, Ohio, from his father, Pat O’Brien.
Patrick O’Brien renamed the dealership Firelands Chevrolet Vermilion. His father, Pat O’Brien, had owned the dealership since 2010 and is retiring at age 71, his son said.
The acquisition adds a fourth dealership to Firelands Auto Group, founded in 2017 by Patrick O’Brien. The group also includes Firelands Chevrolet-Buick in Norwalk, Ohio, Firelands Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep-Ram in Sandusky, Ohio, and Firelands Toyota, also in Sandusky.
Vermilion is about 40 miles west of Cleveland and is east of Sandusky.
Patrick O’Brien, owner and dealer principal of the Firelands Chevy store, told Automotive News that he’s able to visit all four dealerships nearly every day since they’re in the same market and located about 20 miles from each other.
Aside from adding positions, O’Brien said he kept the same staff and didn’t anticipate any big changes for the dealership.
“He did a really good job,” O’Brien said of his father.
Patrick O’Brien said his dad had an “amazing career” that started in 1970 when he began selling cars for Ed Mullinax, helping to grow that business and was a part owner. The Mullinax dealership group ultimately was sold in 1996 to Republic Industries Inc., which later became AutoNation Inc.
“I started working at Mullinax Ford [in Wickliffe, Ohio] in high school, washing cars and stuff,” Patrick O’Brien said, adding that his father had retired for about a decade after the AutoNation sale.
When Pat O’Brien returned to auto retail in 2005 at age 55, his son came to work for him and his father grew his business to five dealerships; he sold one other dealership (the Chevrolet-Buick store) to his son in 2017.
Now, Patrick O’Brien looks forward to carrying on the family tradition. And while he hopes to keep expanding his business, the younger O’Brien said he has no pending acquisitions.