PANAMA CITY, Fla., Aug. 27 /PRNewswire/ -- AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE: AN),
Florida's largest Fortune 100 company, today joined Florida Governor Jeb Bush
in celebrating the award of AutoNation's first "Take Stock in Children"
scholarship to a Bay County resident, local student Mia Morgan, a seventh
grader at Everitt Middle School.
Joining the Governor in marking the occasion was AutoNation President and
Chief Operating Officer Michael E. Maroone, who visited here to kick off the
grand re-opening of AutoNation's Cook-Whitehead Ford store. The store's
$5-million expansion has added 77% more combined showroom and service space
and new jobs to the 71-year-old Panama City institution.
The young student's scholarship is part of a five-year, $1-million
commitment AutoNation has made to "Take Stock in Children," a statewide
program that provides scholarships and mentors to low-income students.
AutoNation has given $200,000 each year to the scholarship program since 1998.
"With 7,600 employees in Florida, we at AutoNation believe in investing in
this state's citizens," said AutoNation President and Chief Operating Officer
Michael E. Maroone. "This is why we support programs such as 'Take Stock in
Children,' and why we invest in our stores, so we can continue to grow and
serve the great citizens of this state."
Governor Bush announced AutoNation's scholarship award before an estimated
audience of 200 invited guests at the recently expanded Cook-Whitehead
showroom. In his remarks the Governor also recognized Fort-Lauderdale-based
AutoNation's contributions to Florida's economy.
"I am excited about AutoNation's decision to continue to invest in Florida
and in the Panhandle," Governor Bush said. "As Florida's largest Fortune 100
company, AutoNation has shown that corporations can also look beyond the
bottom line and take leadership roles in education and community development
programs. They are also a sign of the continued strength of Florida's
economy."
The grand re-opening ceremonies at Cook-Whitehead Ford were also attended
by Cook-Whitehead co-founder Charlie Whitehead, Take Stock in Children
President and Founder Dr. Donald Pemberton and Ford Brand Division General
Manager Steve Lyons. For today's special grand re-opening ceremonies, Cook-
Whitehead Ford displayed the all-new Ford Thunderbird, which was recently
redesigned for the 2002 model year.
About AutoNation, Inc.
AutoNation, Inc., a Fortune 100 company based in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.,
owns and operates 368 new vehicle franchises at 276 dealership locations in 17
states. In 2000, the Company generated more than $20 billion in revenue. For
more information, visit www.autonation.com, where shoppers can find
approximately 100,000 new and used vehicles for sale.
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SOURCE AutoNation, Inc.
CONTACT: Oscar Suris, AutoNation, Inc., +1-954-769-3576, or
suriso@autonation.com /