In 1976, at age 30, Bowers became a franchised Volvo dealer in Chattanooga, and his success with that dealership led to his own BMW franchise in 1977. Bowers' customer-oriented philosophy established his dealerships as market leaders. He received the highest recognition from both Volvo and BMW relative to performance in sales, market penetration, customer service and profitability. From the mid 1980's to the present, Bowers was awarded or acquired more than 20 different automotive franchises in middle and east Tennessee. Today, the Bowers Transportation Group consists of fourteen franchises in seven locations in the Chattanooga market.
Further expansion is planned in the near future.
Agreements have been reached for the awarding of a Mazda franchise in Cleveland, Tennessee, and the acquisition of a BMW-Volkswagen dealership in Nashville.