Beyond Blue Sky - A Kerrigan Conversation

In this episode of Beyond Blue Sky — A Kerrigan Conversation, Erin Kerrigan sits down with Carey (Beardmore) Hamilton, fourth-generation dealer principal of Beardmore Auto Group and one of the first female General Motors dealers in the United States. Founded in 1919 by Maurice "Moe" Beardmore, the Beardmore Auto Group operated across Kansas and Nebraska for over a century — including 60 years serving the Omaha market. In 2026, Carey and her husband Brian hired Kerrigan Advisors to sell Beardmore Subaru, Chevrolet and Hyundai in Bellevue, Nebraska to Morrie's Automotive Group, the 74th largest dealership group in the country and a Minnesota-based operator now entering the Nebraska market for the first time. Carey opens up about what it means to steward a 100-year family legacy, the personal and strategic factors that led to their decision to sell, and her candid perspective on the forces reshaping auto retail — from accelerating consolidation and the rise of AI to the growing scale required to compete in major metro markets. In this episode: A century of family history in the car business What led a fourth-generation dealer to sell The buy/sell process and working with Kerrigan Advisors Industry consolidation and what it means for family dealers AI, technology and the future of auto retail Beyond Blue Sky is produced by Kerrigan Advisors, the leading sell-side advisor and thought leader in auto retail. Subscribe for more conversations with the dealers and industry leaders shaping the future of automotive at www.kerriganadvisors.com. About Kerrigan AdvisorsKerrigan Advisors is the leading sell-side advisor and thought partner to auto dealers nationwide. Since its founding in 2014, the firm has led the industry with the sale of more than 440 franchises generating more than $10 billion in client proceeds, including two of the largest transactions in auto retail history – the sale of Jim Koons Automotive Companies to Asbury Automotive Group and Leith Automotive to Holman. The firm advises the industry’s leading dealership groups, enhancing value through the lifecycle of growing, operating and, when the time is right, selling their businesses. Led by a team of veteran industry experts with backgrounds in investment banking, private equity, accounting, finance and real estate, Kerrigan Advisors is the only firm in auto retail exclusively dedicated to sell-side advisory, providing its clients the assurance of a conflict-free approach.Kerrigan Advisors monitors conditions in the buy/sell market and publishes an in-depth analysis each quarter in The Blue Sky Report®, the industry authority on dealership buy/sell market trends and valuations and includes Kerrigan Advisors’ signature blue sky charts, multiples and analysis for each franchise in the luxury and non-luxury segments. To download a preview of the report, click here. The firm also releases The Kerrigan Index™ comprised of the seven publicly traded auto retail companies with operations focused on the US market. The Kerrigan Auto Retail Index is designed to track dealership valuation trends, while also providing key insights into factors influencing auto retail. To access The Kerrigan Index™, click here. To read the 2024 Kerrigan Dealer Survey, click here. To read the 2025 Kerrigan OEM Survey, click here. Kerrigan Advisors also is the co-author of NADA’s Guide to Buying and Selling a Dealership.