Toyota moved into the American market in 1957, setting up shop on Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles. One of the most important and immediate tasks was to set up a dealer and distribution network that could serve this massive new market.
Learn MoreTom Friedkin partnered with the Japanese automaker to launch a bold new business distributing cars throughout Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Mississippi and Louisiana. Gulf States Toyota would go on to become one of the world’s largest automotive distributorships.
Learn MoreGST almost immediately outgrew its original Houston offices and moved into a new, much larger space on Harwin Drive.
GST’s Port of Houston facility underwent continuous updates and improvements over the years, becoming one of the finest and most efficient facilities in the automotive import business.
Gulf States Toyota Trucking, a division of GST, began with 10 transports that delivered Toyota products to dealers across the state of Texas. Known today as US AutoLogistics, the company operates across the U.S. to provide state-of-the-art transportation solutions to the world’s best automobile brands.
Learn MoreGSFSGroup filled an important niche in the car-buying process by providing a full range of finance and insurance products to drivers. The company currently works with dealers across the country.
Learn MoreContinued growth necessitated another move for GST and other Friedkin businesses. In 1985, the companies moved to a nearly 150,000-square-foot facility on Wilshire Drive in Northwest Houston.
In order to better serve dealers across the region, GST opened the Parts Distribution Center in San Felipe, Texas.
Beginning in 1986, the Friedkin family has spent decades investing in Africa and helping to restore and preserve some of the most beautiful areas of Tanzania. Today, Legendary Expeditions provides world-renowned photographic safaris, while providing hundreds of jobs, enriching local communities and stimulating the Tanzanian economy.
GSM is a full-service automotive marketing company that works with clients across the country to provide forefront, data-driven marketing solutions. The company has offices in both Houston and Louisville, Kentucky.
Learn MoreWestside Lexus opened its doors 30 years after Tom Friedkin founded GST, and it has consistently been one of the nation’s top Lexus dealerships.
Learn MoreHaving outgrown its processing center at the Port of Houston, GST opened the Vehicle Processing Center in North Houston. At the time the facility spanned 80 acres, but it has continued to grow over the years.
In 1995, Dan Friedkin assumed leadership of the Friedkin companies and has provided innovative and visionary leadership to the organization for over a quarter century.
Nine years after Westside Lexus, Northside Lexus opened its doors in the Houston area. It has consistently been named one of the top Lexus dealerships in America.
Learn MoreHouston’s premiere sports and entertainment venue opened its doors as the Toyota Center through a naming rights agreement in 2003. The home of the Houston Rockets covers six blocks in downtown Houston and plays host to some of the biggest musical acts in the world.
Between 2004 and 2012, additional Lexus and Toyota dealerships were opened across the country: Metro Lexus opened in Cleveland, Ohio; Lexus of Akron-Canton opened in Ohio; Lexus of Las Vegas opened; Lexus of Henderson opened in Nevada; Toyota of Greensburg opened in Pennsylvania.
GST topped the Houston Chronicle’s list of the area’s top private companies for the first time in 2005. Since then it has remained a staple on the list, including taking the top spot for the past seven years running.
As GST continued to grow, the Vehicle Processing Center kept pace. In 2006 the facility was expanded to 150 acres, and GST sold nearly 227,000 vehicles by years’ end.
The Friedkin Group’s current home at Enclave Parkway in Houston opened its doors in 2009. The LEED Certified facility is comprised of three buildings, including the largest Toyota training center in the U.S. and is home to GST, GSFSGroup and GSM.
With its astonishing, high-elevation views of North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains and a challenging layout delicately integrated into the natural terrain, Diamond Creek is consistently ranked as one of America’s 100 Greatest Golf Courses by Golf Digest.
Learn MoreThe center of soccer in North Texas officially became Toyota Stadium through a naming rights agreement in 2013. The Frisco, Texas facility, which is home to FC Dallas, includes a state-of-the-art stadium for soccer matches, concerts and football games and draws more than 1 million visitors each year.
Auberge Resorts Collection is a leading portfolio of boutique luxury hotels, resorts and residences located in some of the most stunning destinations worldwide, including California, Colorado, Mexico and the Caribbean. In 2018 Auberge entered into a strategic partnership that brought Grace Hotels into its portfolio, which added locations in New England and Europe.
Learn MoreIn 2013, GST announced its naming rights partnership with Toyota Field, a brand new complex founded to support Morgan’s Wonderland and the San Antonio soccer market. Today, Toyota Field is home to San Antonio FC, a United Soccer League team managed by the San Antonio Spurs.
Imperative Entertainment is an innovative studio with a keen eye for bold and powerful storytelling that captivates and excites audiences. Imperative develops, produces and finances original and branded entertainment focusing on film, television and documentaries.
Learn MorePursuit Aviation’s team of highly trained stunt pilots, aerial coordinators and cinematographers of the sky work with some of the biggest names in Hollywood and the aerospace industry and are continually breaking ground in the aerial cinematography business.
Learn MoreSituated on an historic 18th century estate, and surrounded by more than 2,000 acres of fishing lakes and longleaf pine forests in South Carolina’s scenic Lowcountry, Congaree is a world-class golf club with a philanthropic mission at its core.
Learn More30WEST provides capital and strategic guidance to high caliber creative projects and forward-thinking companies operating throughout popular culture.
Learn MoreIn September 2017, GST announced its new naming rights partnership at Toyota Music Factory, located in Las Colinas, Texas. The venue hosts world-class entertainment at the new soul of the DFW Metroplex. Seating more than 8,000 spectators, it boasts an amphitheater, outdoor event plaza and more than 25 restaurants.
After a successful collaboration on the hit film “I, Tonya,” 30WEST partnered with NEON to become the majority investor in the award-winning independent film distribution studio.
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