Muscatine car dealerships now part of Ed Morse Group

MUSCATINE, Iowa – The family-owned, Florida-based Ed Morse Automotive Group has expanded into Iowa after acquiring four Quad Cities auto dealerships and a parts center from Krieger Motor Co. of Muscatine.

Headquartered in Delray Beach, Florida, Ed Morse’s acquisition of the three dealerships in Muscatine and one in DeWitt, Iowa, marks the company’s first Iowa expansion. Ed Morse also owns dealerships in Florida, Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri and Illinois.

Muscatine’s Krieger family-owned dealerships and parts center have joined the Ed Morse Automotive Group fold. CREDIT JIM ELIAS

The new Iowa dealerships include:

  • Ed Morse Ford & Ed Morse Lincoln, formerly Krieger Ford Lincoln, 3205 North U.S. Highway 61, Muscatine, Iowa.
  • Ed Morse Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram, formerly Krieger Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram, 3205 North Highway U.S. 61, Muscatine, Iowa.
  • Ed Morse Chevrolet Buick GMC, formerly Krieger Chevrolet Buick GMC, 501 West Bypass U.S. 61, Muscatine, Iowa. 
  • Ed Morse Chevrolet Buick GMC North, formerly Krieger Chevrolet Buick GMC, 2113 11th Street, DeWitt, Iowa.

In addition, the NAPA Auto Parts at 203 Ford Ave., Muscatine, was a part of the sale.

“To be able to expand our automotive footprint into the great state of Iowa is tremendously exciting for our organization,” said Teddy Morse, chairman and CEO of the automotive group.    

He said his company was founded by his grandfather, Ed Morse, in 1946 and has been family-owned ever since. Likewise, Krieger Motor Co. had been family-owned since Marvin Krieger and his father, Joseph, opened their Cadillac dealership in 1956 in Muscatine.

“Our family felt an immediate connection with them,” said Joey Krieger, Marvin Krieger’s grandson and executive manager of the new Iowa Ed Morse Automotive Group dealerships. He said his grandfather, uncle, and brother also stayed on as employees of the Ed Morse Auto Group after the sale.

“We were actually able to keep 140 of our 143 full-time employees,” Mr. Krieger told the QCBJ. He called it a testament to how well the values of the two companies aligned.

The younger Mr. Krieger said his grandfather, Marvin Krieger, who still comes to work at 91, believed in hiring quality employees and treating them as such; exceptional customer service; and staying true to his small-town values. The elder Mr. Krieger called these principles the “Krieger Way” of doing business. 

With this acquisition, the Ed Morse Auto Group has 34 locations, 63 automotive franchises, and 15 domestic and import brands of vehicles including Alfa Romeo, Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Dodge, FIAT, Ford, GMC, Honda, Jeep, Lincoln, Mitsubishi, RAM and Toyota.

“We look forward to making significant capital improvements and supporting the communities of Muscatine and DeWitt,” Mr. Morse said. “The enhancements that we will bring to these dealerships will be beneficial to the success of the incredible employees there, while providing our customers a world-class car-buying experience.” 

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