Ken Marks
Ken Marks
Tallahassee Dodge Chrysler Jeep Ram
Tallahassee, Florida
“Our dealership's ability to endure through good and bad economic times – and consistently provide a fulfilling work environment where employees prosper and grow – is very rewarding to me,”
A 1983 graduate of Florida State University in Tallahassee, where he studied business and communications, Marks began his career working in his father’s Ford dealership in Clearwater, Florida, in 1984.
“I purchased a majority of the dealership in 1994,” he explained. “I then merged my dealership into Sonic Automotive to go public in 1998 and bought my current dealership in Tallahassee in 2000.” He is currently partners in the business with Chuck Urban, his general manager.
Marks contributes to numerous charitable organizations in both the Tampa Bay area and the Tallahassee region. The groups that are closest to his heart include the Florida Sheriffs Youth Ranches, Florida United Methodist Children’s Home (Enterprise, Florida) and YMCA of the Suncoast. “Helping young people, who by no fault of their own, are in difficult family situations, is a passion of mine,” he said. “My drive is to support them and help provide the foundation from which they can propel themselves forward in their own lives.”
A member of his local Optimist Club and a benefactor of his alma mater, Florida State University, and his fraternity, Pi Kappa Alpha, Marks also supports Harborside Christian Church in Safety Harbor, Florida, and Samaritan’s Purse, an international relief organization, as well as groups that assist first responders.
Marks was nominated for the TIME Dealer of the Year award by Ted Smith, president of the Florida Automobile Dealers Association. He and his wife, Terri, have six children.
