Retail | Wholesale | Food | Beverage 2023: JIM KOONS

OWNER, JIM KOONS AUTOMOTIVE, VIENNA

Published August 30, 2023 by Virginia Business

Koons owns and operates 20 auto franchises in the mid-Atlantic region, under the umbrella of the nation’s 13th largest used-vehicle dealership and Virginia’s biggest, according to Automotive News. Koons’ father, John, opened the first location in 1964 in Falls Church, and Jim Koons bought out his brother’s stake in the business in 1992. With more than 2,400 employees spread across 20 dealerships in Virginia and Maryland, Koons Automotive generated $1.18 billion in revenue last year from used vehicle sales.

A longtime philanthropist, Koons has supported Bishop O’Connell High School, Catholic Charities and Northwood University, where his donations helped fund on-campus housing. Koons graduated from the Michigan university in 1973 with a bachelor’s degree in business management; he was his alma mater’s commencement speaker in 2011 and received an honorary doctorate.

Koons and his wife, Cece, also are major donors to the Talbot Hospice Foundation. A section of Talbot Hospice in Easton, Maryland, is named the Eleanor A. Koons Hospice House in memory of Jim Koons’ mother.

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