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Nelson E. Bowers, II
     Founder
In 1976, at 30 years of age, Nelson E. Bowers II became a franchised Volvo dealer in Chattanooga and his success with that dealership led to being awarded the BMW franchise for the market in 1977. Bowers' customer oriented philosophy established his dealerships as market leaders. He received the highest recognition from Volvo and BMW relative to performance in sales, market penetration, customer service, and profitability.

From the mid 1980's to 1997, Bowers built an industry leading organization of 14 franchises in eight locations in Chattanooga and Nashville with annual revenue of more than $250 million.

In 1997, Bowers' primary dealership group was acquired by Charlotte-based Sonic Automotive, Inc. as a part of Bruton Smith's consolidation to launch an initial public offering. Bowers became a charter member of Sonic Automotive's senior management team serving on the Board of Directors and as executive vice-president leading Sonics' aggressive acquisition strategy. In January 1999, Bowers left Sonic to focus on investment banking opportunities resulting from the auto industry's consolidation trend.

Mr. Bowers is currently a principal in Presidio Strategies, LLC a San Francisco-based investment banking firm specializing in advisory services to auto dealers. In addition, Bowers continues to own and operate successful automobile dealerships and collision centers in the greater Chattanooga, TN, Cleveland, TN, and Valdosta, GA areas. He is also an active venture capitalist and investor in a variety of business opportunities.

Bowers was also involved with the NASCAR scene for many years. He was one of three owners that formed MB2 Motorsports in 1996 and sold his interest in 2006.

As a native of Chattanooga, Bowers attended the University of Georgia on a football scholarship. He graduated in 1967 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in business and currently serves on the University of Georgia's Board of Trustees.

He is married to Pamela Greene Bowers and has two children Rick and Courtney. He also has five grandchildren. Bowers hobbies include bird hunting, aviation, and traveling.

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