St. Pete tag and title firm expands to 15 more states with acquisition

Tag Agency Professionals Inc., a St. Petersburg firm that handles tag and title work for vehicle dealers, has added 15 states to its customer list with the acquisition of a Virginia company. 

Tag Agency acquired Moneta, Virginia-based Express Tag and Title, according to a statement. Financial terms for the acquisition weren’t disclosed, and Express Tag and Title will operate under its brand name as part of the TAP family.

TAP’s acquisition of Express Tag and Title adds 15 states to TAP’s coverage area: Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Vermont, Virginia and West Virginia, plus Washington, D.C. 

“We’re excited to expand our services up and down the East Coast, another major step in what we plan to be a national expansion,” Ron Moore, CEO of TAP, says in the statement. “TAP’s values match well with Express Tag and Title’s approach. We’ve both had success because of the quality of our customer service, thanks to our excellent employees.”

Valerie Sell, owner of Express Tag and Title, first met the team at TAP four years ago through one of her customers, the release states. She developed a vendor relationship with TAP, as the firm was responsible for processing Florida DMV requests for Express Tag and Title’s customers. Sell will stay on as TAP Express Tag and Title’s president. The firm’s existing management team will remain in place as well.

“As we worked together, it became clear to me that we would be a good fit,” Sell says in the statement. “We have grown organically over the past 13 years due to our stellar customer service, expedient response times and the strong relationships that we have built with our customers, vendors and partners. TAP’s leaders share this same people-first mindset.

This transaction marks TAP’s second significant acquisition in the past year. In July 2023, TAP acquired Orange Auto Tag Agency, which offers vehicle title and registration services for commercial customers and to the public at two Central Florida offices. TAP has previously handled work in four states: Florida, Georgia, Louisiana and Texas. 

TAP was founded in 2010 by owner Gary Connors and has seen exponential growth in the past seven years under the leadership of CEO Ron Moore and COO Rick Becker. The combined companies now have 150 employees. TAP supports its customers in processing the necessary paperwork for obtaining titles and registrations for vehicles its customers have acquired. TAP also supports financial institutions, auto auctions and fleet companies.