Actor Mark Wahlberg is adding a Chevrolet dealership in Ohio to his growing business empire.
There is a new Chevrolet dealer in Columbus, Ohio who has the potential to produce some of the best new car ads ever: Mark Wahlberg.
The man who hyped Calvin Klein underwear as a young rapper has since become a top-grossing actor with a burgeoning business empire anchored by the famous Wahlburger restaurant franchise.
Wahlberg is partnering with Michigan-based dealer Jay Feldman, who owns eight Chevy dealerships in southeast and mid-Michigan, according to Associated Press. They say they’ve been friends for several years and became partners in Wahlburgers restaurants in Cleveland and Georgia.
“I am continuously looking for ways to innovate my brand and engage in businesses I am passionate about,” Wahlberg said in a statement. “I love cars and the chance to work with an experienced, proven dealer-operator like Jay and represent an iconic brand like Chevrolet inspired me to get involved.”
(GM leads Ford in pickup sales through the first half of 2018. Click Here for the story.)
Jay Feldman, left, and Mark Wahlberg are partnering in the new Mark Wahlberg Chevrolet in Columbus, Ohio.
Wahlberg’s business portfolio includes the aforementioned Wahlburgers restaurant chain that he co-owns with his brothers, a movie production company, a health and wellness company and a bottled water brand with music mogul Diddy.
“The Wahlberg brand is all about Americana,” Feldman, president and CEO of Feldman Automotive, said in a statement. The pair said they plan to open additional dealerships.
(Click Here for more about the strong auto sales in June.)
Wahlberg is hardly the first celebrity to own an auto dealership; however, its typically professional athletes that own auto dealerships. John Elway, former Denver Bronco QB and currently team General Manager, owned scores of dealerships in Colorado and California for years before selling them a few years ago for nearly $83 million.
The new sign is already on the Chevrolet dealership.
Former major league pitcher C.J. Wilson owns 15 auto dealerships employing more than 150 people. He started with a Mazda dealership in Illinois in 2012, and now the Wilson Auto Group owns a variety brand locations.
(To see more about Chevrolet’s popular Centennial truck line-up, Click Here.)
NBA star Russell Westbrook of the Oklahoma City Thunder owns a Chrysler Dodge Ram Jeep dealer in Van Nuys, California. It’s not limited to athletes, some might consider Warren Buffet a celebrity and he purchased the former Van Tuyl Automotive Group in 2014. Renamed the Berkshire Hathaway Automotive Group, the collection of 85 dealerships boasts $9 billion in revenue.