Entrepreneurship is three generations strong at Cronin Auto Group – Cincinnati Business Courier – Cincinnati Business Courier
This story is a supplement to the Courier’s 2022 list of largest automobile dealerships.
You could say that Patrick Cronin was always destined to work in the automotive industry. Cronin’s father and grandfather were car dealers. The latter opened his Ford dealership in 1945, right after World War II; Cronin’s dad branched out on his own in 1959 when he was awarded a Volkswagen dealership, selling those “funny little cars that looked like upside-down saucers,” he said.
Cronin worked with his dad in spurts, of course, including during his time in law school, which led to a 10-year stint at a small downtown Cincinnati firm. But when his father died unexpectedly in 1986, he and his two brothers stepped in more permanently.
“Once I was back in this day to day, I decided that’s what I wanted to make it my career,” Cronin said. “The car business is a people business, and I enjoy that. It sounds corny, but I enjoy helping people.”
There’s been several iterations of Cronin Auto since, but as it stands today, it’s six stores strong: three in Greater Cincinnati (including Harrison and Lebanon), two in Richmond, Ind., and one in Lexington, Ky.
What are some of the biggest industry changes you’ve seen over the last year? The whole system has been turned on its head. I’ve never been a fan of the distribution system — the way cars were brought to market. We’ve had an oversupply really my whole career. With Covid, things have flipped. Instead of dealers taking more cars from manufacturers than they need and having large inventories, large floorplan costs and large advertising costs to move the merchandise, we have an undersupply. Inventories are extremely low. It’s much leaner. Advertising is probably not as critical as it used to be. I think most dealers like this new way of doing business, and hope it continues.
You worked as a lawyer before returning to the auto industry. How did that experience help? (As a lawyer) I learned a lot about the business world and it provided a good background for negotiating to purchase my first dealership. Then negotiating to sell that dealership to buy another one. Getting back into the car business was a little unexpected. When my father died, I went with my brothers and took over his dealership. My mother owned it, and we sold that for her benefit. Then I had to start over and find a place to buy. It took several years, and in the meantime, I went back to practicing law. I found a place in Middletown on I-75, bought that in 1998, and off I went.
What did you enjoy most about the career change? When you’re practicing law, you’re doing things on behalf of your clients. I decided that I’d rather sail my own ship. My grandfather and father both wanted to own their own businesses. I feel I was motivated the same way.
What’s parked in your driveway right now? A Kia Stinger. I’m more of a car guy than an SUV or truck guy. I usually drive a car for two or three months then hop in another.
Do you have a favorite spot in the region? Since I started doing business in Lebanon, I’ve been going to the Golden Lamb a lot. That’s a hidden gem. Lebanon itself is a hidden gem. It’s a growing community, but it’s got a lot of history. Our business here has really grown — we just built a new facility — and we enjoy spending time in the area.
The industry faced a whole host of changes in 2021, including supply chain issues and an ongoing pandemic which shrunk inventories to historic lows. What’s your outlook for this year? I’m very bullish. I see 2022 being a lot of the same: Inventories are going to be extremely tight on the new (car) side, which means used car prices are going to stay high. It’s just supply and demand. It’s a great time to be a car dealer.
Patrick Cronin
Title: President, Cronin Auto Group
Education: St. Xavier High School; Denison University; University of Cincinnati College of Law
Experience: 10 years as an attorney with Spraul and Reyering. Dealer principal, Cronin Volkswagen (1986-96). Dealer principal, Cronin Auto Group (present)
Resides: Glendale
Family: Wife, Margie; four children; 14 grandchildren
© 2022 American City Business Journals. All rights reserved. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement (updated 1/1/21) and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement (updated 7/20/21). The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of American City Business Journals.
