Founder Todd Blue Acquires His First Mercedes-Benz Franchise
HOUSTON, Dec. 19, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Todd Blue, Founder and CEO of Houston-based LAPIS, today announced that his company has acquired Mercedes-Benz of Northern Arizona (formerly Mercedes-Benz of Flagstaff), located at 5171 Test Drive, Flagstaff, Arizona 86004. The purchase includes all real estate and the automotive franchise. Mr. Blue finalized the purchase December 19, 2023. Mr. Blue will serve as Dealer Principal for Mercedes-Benz of Northern Arizona (www.MercedesArizona.com).
"Mercedes-Benz is an absolutely iconic brand. I have had the pleasure to represent most of the finest luxury automotive manufacturers in the world. Representing Mercedes-Benz is a life-long dream which now begins a new chapter for what I would like to bring to customers – starting in Arizona," said Mr. Blue. "We are ecstatic to make our re-entry into retail-automotive by representing a marque of the highest quality." He added, "The LAPIS philosophy equals Luxury Access Performance Innovation and Service for our customers, the communities we serve and the manufacturers we have the honor to represent. We are delighted to commence our new chapter serving Northern Arizona, including Flagstaff, Prescott, Cottonwood, Payson, Page, Williams and Sedona, Arizona."
A life-long car enthusiast and collector, Mr. Blue will be a hands-on Dealer Principal. "I choose the brands I align with very carefully and bring a background of luxury expertise which will set every LAPIS dealership apart – it's a culture," explained Mr. Blue. "Building and embracing customer passion is our top priority; LAPIS delivers the extraordinary to our customers, communities, partners and team members."
Mr. Blue returns to the automotive sector with his new brand and company; LAPIS, where his passionate roots and track record of success as a Dealer Principal will propel the dealerships he acquires to new heights of customer satisfaction and community involvement. Mercedes-Benz of Northern Arizona will be Lapis' first franchise automotive dealership, joining its boutique classic car portfolio, which will be made available to customers.
From 2010-2020, as Founder and CEO, Mr. Blue lead his former auto group on an unparalleled growth trajectory for ten years before selling the balance of his company in late 2020. During his tenure, Mr. Blue was Dealer Principal for multiple Audi, Jaguar, Land Rover, Lamborghini, Rolls-Royce, McLaren franchises and single points stores for Aston Martin, Bentley, Volkswagen, BMW as well as four Porsche dealerships. Mr. Blue led with a focus built on and around a love for customers. Mr. Blue was the only dealer selected by Porsche AG to serve on the design committee which conceived the Destination Porsche facility Generation Five facility design. Mr. Blue also became the first in the world to build a Destination Porsche facility in California. Mr. Blue was selected as one of 50 nominees for the Time Magazine National Automobile Dealer Association's Dealer of the Year in 2019. During his time as CEO, his dealerships were multi-year award winners of the J.D. Power Dealer of Excellence Award, Automotive News Best Dealership to Work For, Audi Magna Society, Porsche Premier Dealer, Pride of Jaguar, Lamborghini Vision, and the Provenance Dealer of the Year award for Rolls Royce. Mr. Blue served on the Board of Regents for Porsche Cars North America, The Aston Martin of the Americas Dealer Advisor Panel, the BMW Western Region Dealer Board, and the Bentley USA Presidential Cabinet.
Mr. Blue has been an active member of the Young Presidents Organization (and YPO Gold) since 2003. In January of 2023, Mr. Blue was appointed to the California Highway Patrol 11-99 Foundation Board of Directors.
For more information on Mr. Todd Blue, LAPIS Automotive LLC, visit www.LAPIS.com.
SOURCE LAPIS
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