Dave Cantin Group Announces Acquisition of DCG Capital and Ownership Accelerator Program Business Lines by Biltmore Automotive Services

NEW YORKSeptember 16, 2024 – Dave Cantin Group, a leading mergers and acquisitions advisory firm for automotive retail groups and their owners, today announced that Biltmore Automotive Services has acquired two DCG business lines: DCG Capital and its innovation Property Accelerator Program (OAP). The parties began negotiations on the agreement at the 2024 National Association of Minority Automobile Dealers (NAMAD) conference.

“Biltmore combines DCG’s first-time buyers’ businesses with its Path to Ownership program for first-time buyers, as DCG focuses on advising the nation’s 500 largest dealership groups on growth strategies, platform management, acquisitions and divestitures,” said DCG President and CEO Dave Cantin. “DCG Capital and OAP are important programs, and there’s no better home for them than Biltmore.”

DCG and Biltmore have partnered to mentor emerging car dealers for more than three years. DCG and Biltmore’s programs have guided non-owner professionals from the automotive and other industries through the complex process of not only negotiating with existing primary dealers, but also securing capital and meeting the automakers’ stringent franchise requirements. These programs have helped dozens of professionals successfully acquire their first car dealerships and have facilitated the acquisition of more than fifty dealerships nationwide, with gross transaction value approaching half a billion dollars.

Tim Devine is a longtime automotive executive who worked at Hyundai Capital, Nissan Motor Acceptance Corp. and Daimler Financial before becoming one of three partners at Savannah, Ga.-based Biltmore, which is heavily focused on helping startup dealerships from concept to acquisition completion. Biltmore also provides ongoing automotive expertise and financial services to dealership owners. Biltmore’s other partners include Ivan Rascanin and Frank O’Donnell.

Biltmore is integrating DCG’s first-time buyer businesses into its Path to Ownership program, and DCG CEO Jim Duffy is moving to Biltmore. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

“DCG Capital and OAP are a great fit for our boutique firm,” Devine said. “Automakers are looking to firms like ours to help them identify qualified new dealers, including minority and women candidates. We have a broad network of banks, lenders and companies that we work with to help these buyers successfully identify and close their first new car dealerships.”

“DCG is proud to have created and grown these innovative programs into the strong and influential business lines they are today,” said Cantin. “It’s critical to the industry that great people have the support they need to become new dealers, and Biltmore will make sure that support exists.”

DCG continues to invest in innovative ways to support its automotive retail customers. DCG publishes a twice-yearly Market Outlook Report packed with industry data and insights and announced the development and launch of its AI-powered data mining software Jump IQ. Jump IQ leverages billions of data points to accurately and reliably determine financial information, performance data, custom multiples and overall valuation for every U.S. franchised dealership. It also includes a tool to compare any subset of dealerships to each other: any brand, any geographic area.

About Dave Cantin Group

Headquartered in New York, NY, The Dave Cantin Group (DCG) is a leading automotive M&A advisory firm specializing in acquisitions, divestitures, intelligence, and other advisory services. The firm is the M&A services provider of choice for top dealership groups in North America. Through its M&A Intelligence division, DCG creates automotive content and delivers relevant, timely marketing information, including the automotive Market Outlook Report (MOR). The firm’s nonprofit initiative, DCG Giving, funds childhood and adolescent cancer research and treatment in communities across the country, as well as other notable charitable causes that its clients are passionate about. For more information, visit davecantingroup.com.

About Biltmore Automotive Services Limited liability company

Biltmore is a consulting and services firm for investors and financial firms in the automotive sector, as well as for automotive dealers and OEMs. Biltmore’s leadership team includes industry veterans who have participated in more than 500 dealership transactions. Biltmore designs and implements programs that protect shareholder equity. We structure solutions that address the real needs of our clients’ organizations – in a variety of related sectors, including automotive retail, investment banking, commercial banking and private equity.