Salt Lake City’s Ken Garff Automotive Group has purchased the seven Aloha Kia dealerships in Hawaii from Bill van den Hurk, who has retired from the automotive business. The sale of the dealerships, located in Oahu, Kauai, Maui and Hawaii, was completed on July 31.
Russell Wong, longtime chief operating officer of Aloha Kia, will move to the role of regional vice president of Garff over the Aloha Kia dealerships. The dealerships will retain the Aloha Kia name and keep their current dealership leadership teams.
“Our admiration of Bill van den Hurk, Russell Wong and the 220-person Aloha Kia team is deep and sincere,” said Brett Hopkins, CEO of Ken Garff Automotive Group. “Our goal is to continue to operate these stores the way that they’ve been run for years, with a focus on providing quality experiences for employees and customers alike and giving back to the local communities.”
“I’m so proud of what we’ve built at these seven dealerships over the past 27 years, and in particular the positive influence we’ve been able to provide in our communities,” said van den Hurk. “I’m grateful the Ken Garff team has the same level of commitment to building great workplaces and supporting philanthropic efforts.”
Founded in 1932, Ken Garff operates more than 65 stores primarily in the western United States.
“When my grandfather founded Ken Garff Automotive Group in 1932, he built the company on principles of treating people right and creating lifetime customers, which is a practice that lives on today,” said John Garff, president of Ken Garff Enterprises.
“We are excited to expand into Hawaii and continue to grow our relationship with Kia,” Hopkins said. “We believe these stores and their employees align nicely with our values and our focus on people.”