With approximately 6,380 full-time employees, Lithia Motors Inc. has an army always at the ready to drive shareholder growth. As part of the Auto Dealerships sector, Lithia sells 27 brands of new vehicles and all brands of used vehicles. Their heritage is in serving smaller communities in the Western and Midwest U.S.
Headquartered in Medford, Oregon, Lithia Motors trades on the NYSE. A provider of cars and trucks and related services, they have 111 stores and an Internet presence for selling their products. The company operates in 49 markets in 15 states. They recently founded their online used vehicle business – L2 Auto.
Lithia Motors Inc. began in 1946 when Walter DeBoer opened a Chrysler-Plymouth-Dodge dealership in Ashland, Oregon. In fact, the name Lithia comes from Lithia Springs in Ashland. When Walter died in 1968, his son Sid and an associate, Dick Heimann, took over the business and grew it to 5 stores and 19 franchises in southern Oregon.
In December of 1996, Lithia Motors Inc. went public. Today, they continue to serve urban and regional populations throughout their traditional geographic territory. They arrange financing, warranties, and credit insurance contracts for their customers. They also provide car and truck parts, maintenance, and repair services at all of their stores.
Lithia continues to work to position themselves as a leading car dealership in the West and Midwest. Last year they sold 105,323 new and used vehicles. For the first quarter of 2008, Lithia’s board of directors approved a quarterly dividend of $0.14 per share. They hope to continue to give their customers and their shareholders the value for their money that they demand.
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