Get to know the “Michael Jordan of the Tire Industry.” No he’s not 6-foot-6 with six playoff rings, but he is the largest car dealer in the state of Florida, who happened to lay his roots in the tire industry. That man is Larry Morgan, chairman of Morgan Family Ventures, a high-growth group of companies spanning multiple industries. Today that includes 47 car dealerships as part of Morgan Auto Group, a construction management company, a real estate holding agency and others.
Why is he the “Michael Jordan of the Tire Industry?” Well, because he’s the GOAT – one of the greatest tire dealers of all time, according to his friend, Johnny g (aka John Gamauf). But let’s let his record speak for itself.
Larry got his start as a Firestone store manager after graduating from Firestone’s management training class and quickly rose through the ranks. Years later, he would invest “every single dime” he had to purchase 30 locations of Don Olson Tire in Clearwater, Florida, with the help of Firestone Tire. In less than 10 years, he’d grow it to 600+ locations of Tires Plus retail stores across the country.
Along the way, he’s molded himself into a philanthropist that gives back in the Tampa Bay community. Larry was inducted into the Tire Industry Hall of Fame in 2008 and named Tampa Bay’s CEO of the Year in 2009.
When Johnny g (aka John Gamauf) met Larry, he was on the path to becoming a business mogul as CEO of Merchant’s Tire. Since then, the two have been through the ups and downs of the industry—and life—together.
In this episode of Johnny g & Friends, presented by Firestone, hear how Larry grew Tires Plus to a 630-location tire dealership, the challenges along the way, and like MJ, how he switched careers to become the largest car dealer in the Sunshine State.
To hear more about the secrets to Larry’s success, be sure to check out the full episode here from our Babcox Media sister publication, Tire Review.
