Anderson Automotive Group (AAG) is a family owned and operated business in North and South Carolina. With Toyota, Nissan, and Kia dealerships located in Raleigh, Sanford, & Asheville NC and Columbia & Charleston SC, the business is rooted in family values and has several family members serving in key positions. 

Beginnings

W.H. "Andy" Anderson got his start in the car business when he went to work for Universal Chevrolet in Wendell, NC as a parts manager in 1948. After taking on more responsibility in the dealership over the next few years, he was approached by Chevrolet about an ownership opportunity.  In 1955, with the assistance and blessing of his employer, Andy opened his first dealership in Creedmoor, NC. He successfully ran the Chevrolet dealership there for five years, before returning to his mother's childhood home of Waynesville, NC to open Anderson Chevrolet-Oldsmobile in 1960. Andy, like his mother, was born and raised in the mountains of Western North Carolina.

Andy's son Fred Anderson grew up helping out at the dealership. Starting in the service and parts departments, he gradually moved into sales and learned the dealership business. When a Chevrolet dealer in a neighboring town went out of business, Fred was presented with the opportunity to take over as owner operator. In 1970 at the age of 21, Fred Anderson became the youngest Chevrolet dealer in the country. 

 "At the time I thought I knew a lot about running a dealership, but as I began the work of running my first store, I soon realized that I didn't know nearly enough," tells Mr. Anderson. After assembling his team, Fred and his employees set out to learn the business together. This pattern of learning and growing together is a key part of the AAG to this day. "That environment is still what we try to maintain today - it creates energy, confidence and optimism so we try to hold on to that habit of learning together." 

Growth

After becoming the largest volume GM dealer in Western North Carolina, Fred Anderson started to expand with the acquisition of local Nissan and Chrysler-Dodge dealerships in the early 1980's. Mr. Anderson was a very successful small-town dealer, but he wanted to grow the company. While presenting his annual growth plan to a Chevrolet zone manager one year, Mr. Anderson was told "if you want to operate that way, you need to get yourself a metro point [dealership location]." So, he did. 

The really big, important break came in 1987 when Mr. Anderson was awarded the opportunity to open a Toyota dealership in Raleigh, NC. Through years and years of hard work and dedication, that Toyota store has become the flagship operation of AAG and one of the largest volume Toyota dealerships in the southeastern United States. Other dealerships have followed as the company continued to grow. In the early 2000's yet another Anderson came aboard to work in the family business.

Like his father before him, Michael Anderson grew up working in a dealership from a young age.  After college at Hamden Sydney in Virginia, Michael decided he wanted to join the family business. Instead of working at an Anderson Automotive dealership, Michael decided to leave North Carolina and learn the business with an unaffiliated dealership. Over the course of two years, he sold used cars in the Florida sun, and also worked as a service advisor. Upon returning to AAG, Michael has worked his way through the ranks as a Finance Manager, Used Car Sales Manager, and General Manager. 

Michael transitioned from the dealership to the role VP of Sales and Marketing in 2009. This position gave him oversight for the variable operations for all dealerships in the company. The move gave Michael the opportunity to work under the veteran Jake Lowe, who was the company's president, and his father in managing the enterprise during the Great Recession. "Over time my relationship with my dad has definitely changed. He became a mentor and a boss early on, and now it's more like partners and friends", comments Michael on working for his father. The experience of working with his father, along with an MBA from Kennesaw State University, has proved valuable as AAG expands and plans for the future.

Future

Michael Anderson became president of AAG in 2014. Even though Fred Anderson has relinquished some control, he did so gladly for the long-term health of the company. They even currently share the same office! "It's so cool to share an office [with Michael] and be able to talk and be together...I'm his biggest supporter" tells Fred Anderson of his officemate. 

As President, Michael Anderson added significant capabilities to the company by building more robust finance and human resource functions. Michael has also built an experienced and talented executive team with a COO, CFO, and CHRO. The company has doubled in size under Michael's leadership, and is prepared to continue that growth.