A native of LaBelle, Missouri, Larry C Morgan graduated from the University of Missouri with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Economics. In 1991, through the acquisition of a Clearwater based retail tire business which he grew from 33 to 600 stores under the Tires Plus name Larry quickly became a staple of the automotive industry. A short time later in 2000 he sold the company to Bridgestone in order to pursue other things. In 2001, the tire industry named him “Tire Dealer of the Year” in recognition of his contributions to the tire business as a whole and in 2004, he was recognized regionally and inducted into the Tampa Bay Business Hall of Fame. In 2007, the Tampa Bay Business Journal named the Morgan Auto Group the 2nd largest new car automobile dealership in their market and in 2008, Larry was inducted into the Tire Industry Association’s Hall of Fame. Today Larry Morgan and his son, Brett Morgan, own and operate 62 automobile dealerships under the Morgan Auto Group name. In 2008 less than twenty years after he opened his first tire store, Toyota and Time magazine recognized Larry Morgan for his outstanding sales, customer service, and contributions to the community and in 2009, Tampa Bay CEO Magazine named him “CEO of the Year” in Retail Services and one of the Top 100 Most Influential Business Leaders in Tampa Bay. As of today the Tampa based group has 62 dealerships from Naples, FL to Lake City, FL with their largest concentration in the Tampa Bay and Ocala/Gainesville region.