| Revision as of 07:17, 26 February 2007 view sourceJkatzen (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users1,981 edits okay okay, I'll keep some of these in, but I'm paring them down and listing them as controversies. I don't know if they'll last though, as other editors may have a lower tolerance than I.← Previous edit | Revision as of 07:24, 26 February 2007 view source Pgurlygirl (talk | contribs)26 edits Added additional EEOC/Lawsuit issue surrounding autonation. (look before you delete - not related to the ones currently in controversy)Next edit → | ||
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| The company was formerly known as Republic Industries, Inc.,<ref name=Bradsher/> and changed its name to AutoNation in ]. The company's first Chief Executive Officer was Steve Berrard, who resigned from the company in July 1999.<ref>, '']'', July 1, 1999.</ref> | The company was formerly known as Republic Industries, Inc.,<ref name=Bradsher/> and changed its name to AutoNation in ]. The company's first Chief Executive Officer was Steve Berrard, who resigned from the company in July 1999.<ref>, '']'', July 1, 1999.</ref> | ||
| In ] of ] Autonation fired a pregant woman. The ] was notified and after an investigation they found reasonable cause for ]. Autonation offered a $7,000 settlement but the woman refused stating that she wanted $300,000. In ] of ] the woman filed a lawsuit in federal court seeking unspecified damages. Details surrounding this incident were reported<ref>Laughlin, Laura ''],'' September 28, 2000.</ref> by the ]. | |||
| In ], ], the AutoNation building in downtown Fort Lauderdale suffered significant damage due to ].<ref>Hoag, Christina, and Danner, Patrick, , ''],'' October 27, 2005.</ref> | In ], ], the AutoNation building in downtown Fort Lauderdale suffered significant damage due to ].<ref>Hoag, Christina, and Danner, Patrick, , ''],'' October 27, 2005.</ref> | ||
Revision as of 07:24, 26 February 2007
| Company type | Public (NYSE: AN) |
|---|---|
| Industry | Car dealership |
| Founded | 1996 (as Republic) April 6, 1999 (as AutoNation) |
| Headquarters | Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA |
| Revenue | $19.4 Billion |
AutoNation is a chain of auto dealerships founded by entrepreneur H. Wayne Huizinga, also founder of Blockbuster and Waste Management. The company, founded in 1996, is headquartered in Fort Lauderdale.
Company operations
AutoNation, Inc. is the largest automotive retailer in the United States. AutoNation has 272 dealerships nationwide, and employs approximately 27,000 employees. Autonation sells 37 different manufacturer brands nationwide. AutoNation outsells every other automotive retailer in the U.S. and is ranked #115 on the 2006 Fortune 500. The company has a significant internet presence, offering its entire inventory for online searching.
Total company revenue is as follows:
- 59% New Vehicles ($11.5 billion in 2005)
- 23% Used Vehicles ($4.4 billion in 2005)
- 14% Parts and Service ($2.2 billion in 2005)
- 3% Financing and Insurance ($615 million in 2005)
AutoNation brands
Instead of supporting a national mark, AutoNation has developed a unique brand name for its dealerships in each market.
These include the following:
- Appleway -- Spokane, Idaho
- Autoway -- Tampa Bay
- Champion -- Austin, Houston
- Courtesy -- Orlando
- Desert -- Las Vegas
- Dobbs -- Memphis
- Fox -- Baltimore
- Go -- Denver (formerly "John Elway" until 12/26/2006.)
- Maroone -- South Florida
- Mike Shad -- Jacksonville
- Mullinax -- Cleveland
- Power -- Southern California, Phoenix
- Team -- Atlanta
- Bankston -- Texas
History
From its founding in 1996 until 1999, AutoNation operated a series of used car megastores under the AutoNation USA brand, designed in the image of rival CarMax. Competition and market forces drove the company to shutter its AutoNation USA stores and instead focus on conventional dealerships with unique brand names in each market.
The company was formerly known as Republic Industries, Inc., and changed its name to AutoNation in 1999. The company's first Chief Executive Officer was Steve Berrard, who resigned from the company in July 1999.
In September of 1998 Autonation fired a pregant woman. The EEOC was notified and after an investigation they found reasonable cause for discrimination. Autonation offered a $7,000 settlement but the woman refused stating that she wanted $300,000. In August of 2000 the woman filed a lawsuit in federal court seeking unspecified damages. Details surrounding this incident were reported by the Phoenix New Times.
In October 24, 2005, the AutoNation building in downtown Fort Lauderdale suffered significant damage due to Hurricane Wilma.
Controversies
In 2007, an activist goup named Stop! AutoNation sent individual dealerships letters threatening a boycott for alleged discrimination against customers and employees. In particular, its concerns included the following:
- That, in 1997, the company allegedly terminated an employee for raising concern to management and fellow staff via email regarding the company's response to a fellow employee's gay rights poster displayed in his cubicle.
- That, in 2005, the EEOC investigated the company for permitting discrimination in the workplace.
- That the company does not extend health insurance to their employees' domestic partners or address sexual-orientation discrimination in its employee handbook.
Notes
- ^ Fortune 500: Autozone, CNN, April 17, 2006.
- ^ Bradsher, Keith, "Republic's Huizenga Wants to Dominate the Market", The New York Times, pp. D1, March 6, 1997.
- Gallagher, Richard S. (2002). The Soul of an Organization: Understanding the Values that Drive Successful Corporate Cultures. Kaplan Business. pp. pp. 113. ISBN 0-7931-5780-3.
{{cite book}}:|pages=has extra text (help) - White, Joseph B., "One Billion Cars", The Wall Street Journal, pp. R1, April 17, 2006.
- Tucci, Christopher L. (2001). Internet Business Models and Strategies: Text and Cases. McGraw-Hill. pp. pp. 270. ISBN 0-07-239724-1.
{{cite book}}:|pages=has extra text (help); Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - "AutoNation benches Elway's name," Denver Post, December 1, 2006,
- "Autonation Chief Executive Agrees to Step Down", The New York Times, July 1, 1999.
- Laughlin, Laura Lawsuit on BoardPhoenix New Times, September 28, 2000.
- Hoag, Christina, and Danner, Patrick, "Creatively coping with chaos: South Florida's hurricane-worn companies are making do to keep going despite a lack of offices", The Miami Herald, October 27, 2005.
- Schwartz, Harriet, Work can really be hell - discrimination against gays Currently archived, originally published in The Advocate, June 10th, 1997.
- Joyce, Amy, The Bias BreakdownThe Washington Post, December 9th, 2005.
- Human Rights Campaign Autonation Profile
Further reading
- Flynn, Michael S. (March 2001). "The Economy, Competition, and the Retail Automotive Dealer" (PDF). Final Report. The University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute. Retrieved 2006-11-28.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help)