Eve Knudtsen, owner and president of Post Falls-based Knudtsen Chevrolet Co., has acquired Foothills Lincoln Mazda, of Spokane, from longtime owners Ray Kish and Rick Reilly.

"We are excited to expand our presence in the communities surrounding the Foothills dealerships," says Knudtsen in a press release announcing the transaction.

Foothills Lincoln Mazda, which opened in 1981, has been rebranded to Knudtsen Foothills Mazda and Knudtsen Foothills Lincoln.

All employees in Spokane will remain onboard under Knudtsen, according to the press release.

The acquisition could bring total employment at Knudtsen Chevrolet Co. to over 150 employees, including 58 full-time employees who worked at the Spokane dealership in October, as reported in the Journals 2023 New-Car Dealers list; and 102 full-time employees in Post Falls, as of June, the Journal previously reported.

The Lincoln and Mazda dealership property comprise the Foothills Auto Mall, at 202 E. North Foothills Drive, in Spokane. The site is home to showrooms for both makes and a body shop.

The 6.8-acre site was purchased by LAC 202 E. North Foothills Drive Spokane WA LLC, which is affiliated with Malvern, Pennsylvania-based Legacy Automotive Capital, for $12.9 million in February, according to Spokane County tax information. Legacy Automotive specializes in sales and leasing of real estate to auto dealerships.

The mid-February purchase of the Spokane Lincoln-Mercury Sales Inc. dealership, which does business as Foothills Lincoln Mazda, was facilitated through Tim Wild, director at Columbus, Ohio-based brokerage Tim Lamb Group, who worked with both parties.

"For the last 10 years, we have had multiple offers from dealers looking to purchase our stores and none of them felt right," Kish says in the release. "When I met Tim Wild, he understood our philosophy and wanted to help us find a buyer who would uphold everything that Rick and I have worked so hard to build over the last 43 years."

Knudtsen has been leading Knudtsen Chevrolet for nearly 30 years. She took over the Post Falls dealership in 1995 as a third-generation owner following her father and grandfather. 

"We are proud to have chosen the Knudtsen family to be our successors," Kish says in the press release. "It's keeping with the family dynamic and values that a family-owned business understands."