About Us

Joe Girardot is the founder and principal of Automotive Due Diligence Services, LLC. A native of Detroit—the global hub of the automotive industry—Joe has a deep, lifelong connection to franchised dealerships.

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Before founding ADDS, Joe worked as General Counsel for Prime Automotive Group, one of the largest privately owned dealer groups in the U.S., with annual revenues over $3 billion and more than 60 locations across the country. At Prime, he managed the manufacturer approval process for numerous acquisitions and, together with the CFO, supervised the sale of over 60 dealerships—including the landmark November 2021 sale of 30 rooftops to Group 1 Automotive, which was then the biggest deal ever in U.S. automotive history. Joe handled hundreds of manufacturer-dealer interactions and application processes, giving him unmatched insight into the OEM approval process.

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Before joining Prime, Joe spent many years as Eastern Regional Manager for General Motors Real Estate (Retail), overseeing a substantial portfolio of GM-owned dealership properties and working closely with dealers on site development, facility upgrades, and strategic planning. At GM, he led a $100 million capital improvement program across metro New York, launched the first Harlem dealership in 65 years, and achieved the highest real estate cost savings and property sale rates across GM’s U.S. regions for multiple years.

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Joe earned his J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School in 1989, where he served as Managing Editor of the Michigan Journal of Law Reform. He holds a B.A. in Economics from the University of Detroit (1986, summa cum laude). He is licensed to practice law in both Michigan and Connecticut.