IRVINE, Calif. — Don Ray has joined Portfolio as a consultant focusing on dealer reinsurance opportunities, the company announced. A graduate of the University of Memphis, Ray was formerly the managing partner at George B. Jones & Co., a CPA firm working exclusively with US car dealers. Upon the merger of George B. Jones and Dixon Hughes Goodman, Ray became the co-managing member of the Dealer Services Group.
Ray has spent much of his career on dealership buy/sell transactions and interacting with various industry experts, including as a consultant to Toyota, General Motors, Ford and Chrysler as well as serving as CFO for major dealership groups. He was a charter member of InnovAuto Group which was composed of experts from the automotive OEMs and the dealership space, including finance, sales and fixed operations.
He is also associated with The Rawls Group offering succession planning and coaching to automobile dealers and their families and managers. Ray is recognized for staying abreast of the trends in the automobile business including innovative tax ideas, buying and selling of dealerships, reinsurance companies, captive finance companies, buy here, pay here operations and subprime financing. He also serves on the board of directors of the International Succession Planning Association, and of Blues City Thrift Stores, a nonprofit providing financial support to selected charities, on the board of Leader Auto Resources, the largest car dealer buying group in North America, and as the founder of Green Dealer Support, whose mission is assisting car dealers to become more “green” in a profitable manner.
Ray is also active in the Independent Presbyterian Church, a member of the Presbyterian Church in America. He and his wife of 20 years, Sharon, have five children.
