Coronet CEOs

Coronet has had many CEOs over the years.

## Eugene Lewis

Eugene Lewis in 1970, age 71.

Eugene Lewis was the founder of Coronet Carriages Ltd.. Born on April 27, 1899, he founded Coronet on a rainy August's day on August 28, 1929, at age 30. In 1953, he and Elijah Crapper signed a business deal that sold Coronet to CM. He retired from the company on July 28, 1964, at age 65.

He had a son, Gerald, born on October 21, 1925. Eugene later died on September 30, 1988.

**Known For:**

* 1932-1937 Coronet Kingfisher
* 1936-1937 Coronet Lauderdale
* 1938-1942 Coronet Pharaoh
* 1938-1942 Coronet Kingfisher
* 1946-1951 Coronet Kingfisher

## 2nd Owner of Coronet Carriages Ltd.

### Succeeded by

Ronald Clarence

Gerald Lewis was born on October 21, 1925. He took over as owner of Coronet on August 1, 1964, age 38. He had one son, Patrick Lewis, born on June 11, 1948. Gerald retired as owner of Coronet on February 21, 1971, at age 45. He later died on November 3, 2014.

**Known For:**

* 1967-1972 Coronet Kingfisher
* 1971-1973 Coronet Trebuchet

## 3rd Owner of Coronet Carriages Ltd.

### Succeeded by

Cecil Philips

After a business deal, Ronald Clarence took over as owner of Coronet, the first non-family member to own the company.

Born on May 25, 1932, he took over the company on March 1, 1971, at age 38, and retired on December 31, 1979, at age 47, owning the company for almost the entirety of the 1970s. He went grey not long after his end of ownership of Coronet, mostly likely due to the stresses of the job especially during the 1973-1979 Energy Crisis, and was rumored to already be dyeing his hair to keep its color. His left ear was known to sag also, which he largely tried to hide until later in his life. He also acquired heterochromia after an eye injury in 1988. He later died on January 31, 2006, at age 73.

**Known For:**

* 1974-1977 Coronet Flotilla
* 1974-1978 Coronet Trebuchet
* 1974-1978 Coronet Kingfisher
* 1979-1984 Coronet Trebuchet

## 4th Owner of Coronet Carriages Ltd.

### Succeeded by

Dennis Howard

Cecil Philips was born on July 12, 1922. He took over as owner of Coronet on January 1, 1980, at age 57. He later retired on December 25, 1982, at age 60, after a huge scandal. He reportedly said, "Merry Christmas." in the rudest way possible and then walked out, remarked a former employee in 1983.

## 5th Owner of Coronet Carriages Ltd.

### Succeeded by

Ronnie Dale

Dennis Howard was the next CEO and owner after Cecil Philips spontaneously left amidst a massive scandal. Born on February 16, 1940, he took over as owner on January 1, 1983, at age 42, and later retired on July 20, 1986, at age 46. He was known for making the Coronet Imperious, credited as one of the company's worst cars ever made in existence. His bad reputation from the Imperious led him to ultimately resign from the company. He was also, however, known for his successful revival of the Kingfisher in 1983. He later died on April 21, 2019, at age 79.

   **Known For:**

* 1983-1987 Coronet Kingfisher
* 1984-1986 Coronet Imperious

## 6th Owner of Coronet Carriages Ltd.

### Succeeded by

Artie Hank

Ronnie Dale was the next owner of Coronet. Born on September 14, 1949, he took over as owner on July 25, 1986, at age 36. He later retired on December 17, 1988 at age 39. He was best known for the second generation Imperious, attempting to revive the name and save its reputation. Unfortunately, he failed. He did, however, continue the success of the Kingfisher into a new 1988 generation and model. He later died on March 5, 2024, at age 74.

**Known For:**

* 1986-1989 Coronet Imperious
* 1988-1994 Coronet Kingfisher

## 7th Owner of Coronet Carriages Ltd.

### Succeeded by

Leslie Carlson

Artie Hank was born on June 8, 1952. He took over as owner of Coronet on January 1, 1989, at age 36. He was known for going gray at a very early age. He later retired on August 18, 1995, at age 43. He died on September 12, 2027, at age 75.

**Known For:**

* 1989 Coronet Grandeur
* 1990-1991 Coronet Cesium
* 1995-2001 Coronet Kingfisher

## 8th Owner of Coronet Carriages Ltd.

### Succeeded by

Shawn Sean

Leslie Carlson was born on October 9, 1963. He grew up loving music and did it as a hobby. He went to college learning about automobile design, becoming an engineer and entrepreneur. After recording small demos, he found success as a musician, switching over to music to help support going to college to learn automobile design. He graduated high school in 1981, and then college in 1985. He later semi-retired from music in 1990 and focused on trying to become a carmaker. He was owner of Coronet from August 26, 1995, at age 31, to November 30, 2004, at age 41. The main reason for his hiring as owner was because CM saw an opportunity to spark interest back in the company if a celebrity was the owner and endorsed the company. This scheme somewhat worked, as his popularity helped the company's public image and popularity, as well. Leslie was happy to work as owner, but later left 9 years later, citing being tired of working on cars and wanting to spend more time with his family. He later died on May 6, 2044, at age 80. Leslie was known to be a singer, releasing many albums and was popular in the 80s. He also was an excellent entrepreneur and businessman, and loved cars. He was noted for making the Coronet Key Largo.

**Known For:**

* 2000-2006 Coronet Key Largo

## 9th Owner of Coronet Carriages Ltd.

### Succeeded by

Kyle Kenneth

Shawn was born on March 24, 1970. He took over as owner of Coronet on January 8, 2005, at age 34. Sadly, he died on June 22, 2008, in a car crash, at age 38. The day is commemorated every year in his name at Coronet. Despite his short tenure as owner, Sean was able to help stabilize the company and bring in some cash flow and interest back into the business. As a younger owner, he was able to resonate with younger buyers more effectively, catering to their wants in their vehicles.

**Known For:**

* 2006-2013 Coronet Key Largo

## 10th Owner of Coronet Carriages Ltd.

### Succeeded by

Santeri Lanson

Kyle Kenneth was born on December 8, 1983. He took over as owner of Coronet on June 26, 2008, at age 24. He worked there for exactly 10 years, before retiring on June 26, 2018. at age 34. He later died on April 15, 2079, at age 95.

**Known For:**

* 2013-2017 Coronet Key Largo
* 2017-2020 Coronet Key Largo

## 11th Owner of Coronet Carriages Ltd.

### Preceded by

Kyle Kenneth

Santeri Lanson was born on January 27, 1988, in Malmö, Sweden. He moved to the US in 2006. He took over as owner of Coronet on June 30, 2018, at age 30. He later retired on April 26, 2040, at age 52. He died on November 20, 2087, at age 99.

**Known For:**

* 2020-Present Coronet Key Largo