Jim Click Automotive Team, Tuttle-Click Automotive Group to be Acquired by Gee Automotive Companies

The Jim Click Automotive Team, which has owned and operated dealerships in Tucson, Arizona since 1971, announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to sell its automotive enterprise to Gee Automotive Companies in Spokane, Wash.

Under the transaction, Gee Automotive will acquire 16 dealerships, 10 in Southern Arizona owned by Jim Click Automotive and six in Southern California owned by Tuttle-Click Automotive Group.  The transaction is expected to close later this year, subject to the satisfaction of certain closing conditions.

Following the transaction, all of the dealerships are expected to continue operating under their existing names and brands and at their existing locations.  Upon the closing of the transaction, current employees of the Jim Click Automotive Team and Tuttle-Click Automotive Group are expected to become part of the Gee Automotive team.

Founded by George Gee in 1983, Gee Automotive started as a single Pontiac dealership in Spokane, Washington. The company subsequently expanded across the Pacific Northwest under the leadership of President and CEO Ryan Gee, further growing its regional footprint to 42 dealerships across five states – Washington, Oregon, Idaho, California and Arizona.

“The Click and Gee families share the same spirit and belief system about business, about our valued employees, about family, and about the importance of giving back to our communities,” said Jim Click, Jr. “This is why family-owned Gee Automotive was such a natural fit for us, to take our family of dealerships on its next exciting journey for the next 50 years and beyond,” he continued. “I’m grateful for the generous support of the communities that we’ve served over the last several decades, and I know that they’ll be in great hands with a company that has made an impactful difference in each community in which they’ve done business for nearly 45 years.”

“We started doing business in Tucson in 2022 when we acquired Tucson Subaru, and we were immediately struck by the warmth of this special community and its people,” said Ryan Gee. “The opportunity to grow our Southern Arizona presence, with our core principle of ‘families serving families,’ is an important one for us, and we consider it a true privilege to do this under a name that means so much to so many, and that’s Jim Click. We’re honored to continue his legacy in the communities that he loves.”

Sam Khayat, who has been with the Jim Click Automotive Team for 40 years, will continue to oversee local operations as President.

While Jim Click will no longer have an ownership stake in the automotive dealerships after the deal closes, he will remain active in the community and committed to maintaining the Click Family Foundation, which supports organizations, programs, and causes that build stronger communities.

J.P. Morgan Securities LLC is serving as the exclusive financial advisor and Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP is serving as legal counsel to the Jim Click Automotive Team and Tuttle-Click Automotive Group.

Pictured above – Photo by Brent G. Mathis