VT

VT is in pursuit of the pole-position as one of the top privately-owned US car dealers. The company, which does business as Van Enterprises, operates more than 30 dealerships in about 10 states, primarily Texas and Missouri. It offers about 20 brands of new and used cars (and RVs) made by General Motors, Ford, Honda, Isuzu, and Nissan, among others. Van also engages in fleet sales and receives a portion of its revenue from back-shop operations such as parts and service and body shop sales. Founder and co-CEO Cecil Van Tuyl began his automotive empire in 1955. He owns the company with son and co-CEO Larry Van Tuyl.