Auto sales veteran motors through challenges

Count Tampa-based Ferman Motor Car Co. as one of the winners, at least in terms of sales growth, in the pandemic. The company, with brands that include BMW, Ford and Chevrolet is nearing $1 billion in annual sales.

But President and CEO James Ferman, speaking at a recent University of Tampa Hall of Fame Business Speaker Series event, says he went into the pandemic fearing a repeat of the 2008 recession. He soon realized that with people staying home and not traveling, they needed to maintain their cars or trade up — something that boosted auto dealers across the region. “Surprisingly, we had enormously good sales in 2020 and it’s continued into 2021,” Ferman said at the event, hosted by the Sykes College of Business and held at the Falk Theater in Tampa and online via Zoom. “We haven’t felt the pain of the pandemic like so many businesses that weren’t as fortunate.”