A pioneer in the salvage vehicle market, Alpine Motor Cars was one of the first repairable salvage vehicle dealers in the Northeast. Alpine quickly became a well-known large volume late model luxury and exotic repairable vehicle dealer. Strategically located in the Bronx, NY, its proximity to New Jersey ports made this location a hot spot for vehicle exporters. Alpine boasted over 1000 vehicles in inventory at all times and over 25,000 vehicles sold worldwide between 1998 and 2001. Mario sold Alpine Motors in 2001 before forming KAJ Inc. in 2003.
Mario began to monitor the consolidation trend of the salvage auction industry by large publicly traded companies like Copart Inc. and Insurance Auto Auctions (IAA). Mario saw that with Copart Inc. and IAA’s global audience, superior funding, and streamlined processes, it was impossible for the independent salvage auction owner to compete. He began to divert his focus from retail sales to wholesale sales. Copart and IAA through their marketing strategies were able to reach a global audience. Instead of buying vehicles at auction, he decided to go directly to the source. Forming multiple relationships with other large volume dealers and insurance companies, Mario acquired large packages of vehicles from dealerships that were devastated as a result of natural disasters. KAJ Inc. is now one of Copart Inc. and Insurance Auto Auctions Inc.’s largest vehicle suppliers in the North East.
Hammer Group Holdings, LLC was founded in 2016 when it became clear that consolidation of the industry with in the NY Metropolitan area was inevitable. As a direct response to the increasing consolidation of Multi-Shop Operators, John and Mario set out to unite the most desirable body shops in the Northeast under a single portfolio.