Bradshaw Automotive Group, founded by William Bradshaw 43 years ago, announced the sale of its assets to the Anderson Automotive Group of North Carolina for an undisclosed price.

The transaction closed Jan. 30.

Founded in Greer in 1979 and built with the goal of treating customers and employees as family, Bradshaw Automotive grew into a preeminent auto dealership brand in the Upstate with more than 400 employees and Buick, Chevrolet, Cadillac, GMC, Acura, Honda, Mazda, and Infiniti dealerships.

William Donovan, Bradshaw’s son-in-law, joined the family business in 1998 and later became manager of Import Operations. 

Bradshaw’s son, Wes, came on board in 1999 upon graduation from college. Wes later assumed management of Domestic Operations, reaffirming the family approach that has existed since the establishment of the business.

William Bradshaw has been influential at local, state and national levels of automobile marketing and servicing throughout his career.

He served as chairman of the National Automobile Dealers Association, a trade organization representing 16,000+ franchised foreign and domestic automobile dealers before Congress, federal agencies, the media and the public.

A third-generation family-owned business founded in 1955 with a Chevrolet dealership in Waynesville, N.C., Anderson Automotive has grown to 1,000 employees. 

It is comprised of eight Toyota, Nissan, Subaru and Kia dealerships in Raleigh, Asheville and Sanford, N.C., and Charleston, S.C.

Bradshaw said the economic realities of the automotive industry necessitated continued expansion and that the best opportunity for success rested with an automotive group that had the same core values and business philosophies coupled with the scale to achieve growth.

“Like Bradshaw Automotive, Anderson Automotive is a family-owned business that shares our dedication to giving back to the community,” said William Bradshaw. “Their commitment to our 400 employees and focus on customer service ensures that our customers will continue to experience unparalleled service. I want to thank our thousands of customers for their many years of loyalty.”

Bradshaw credited his employees as critical to building the business, describing them as “the most dedicated hard-working customer-centered group of employees we could ever hope for.”

“Thanks to all your effort, we have built a great business – one that we can all be very proud of,” Bradshaw told his employees. “What we have achieved together has allowed us to give back to the community that has been so supportive of us

The Bradshaw Automotive Group has enabled the Bradshaw Family ­– William, his wife Annette, and children Angie and Wes – to follow their natural inclinations and be supportive of the many different needs of the local community.

They have supported numerous causes dedicated to building a safer and healthier community, state and nation for children. 

In addition to being vocal advocates for child passenger safety initiatives, their work includes the Children’s Museum of the Upstate in Greenville and the Prisma Health Children’s Hospital-Upstate SafeKids program.

Headlining these efforts is the establishment of The Bradshaw Institute for Community Child Health and Advocacy, part of Prisma Health Children’s Hospital-Upstate. 

The institution's vision is to create optimal health for children through innovative education and prevention programs, clinical research, academic partnerships and practices.

"William Bradshaw and his team have built an extraordinary business while having a profound impact on the lives of children and families,” said Fred Anderson, chairman, Anderson Automotive Group. “We are excited to build on that legacy and look forward to contributing back to the Upstate community.”