Copyright The Boston Globe
Herb Chambers finally relented and sold his namesake automotive empire to an even bigger dealership group for $1.5 billion in July. Months after the deal with Asbury Automotive Group closed, though, Chambers shows no sign of retiring. He kept one Mercedes-Benz dealership for himself, in Somerville, and goes into work three or four days a week, regularly meeting with customers. That work involves some charity, too, such as giving away an emergency relief vehicle (made by Mercedes-Benz, of course) via his foundation to the American Red Cross — like he did last week. These vehicles, valued at more than $150,000, enable the Red Cross to deliver food, supplies, and toys in the aftermath of emergencies such as fires and floods. Regional chief executive Holly Grant led a Red Cross contingent to accept Chambers’s latest gift at the Somerville showroom. So why did he hold onto one dealership, rather than just hopping on a helicopter and riding off into the sunset? At 83, he still loves the business too much to walk away, or fly away, now. Selling the Herb Chambers Cos. empire, he said, was a necessary step as part of estate planning, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t come to it with some reluctance. Advertisement “I needed something that gave me some contact with the industry,” Chambers said. Chambers is working on plans to renovate the Mercedes-Benz dealership within the next two years, and he has his team members thinking about ways to improve their customer relationships. “We’re trying to make this dealership better than it’s ever been,” Chambers added. “My target has always been to do that. Now it’s more focused on one dealership instead of 50.” This is an installment of our weekly Bold Types column about the movers and shakers on Boston’s business scene. Jon Chesto can be reached at jon.chesto@globe.com. Follow him @jonchesto.
