Eric Williamson is a tenured professional with broad leadership experience across the automotive industry. He currently holds the positions of President and General Manager of Gulf States Toyota (GST) and Executive Vice President of Business Development at The Friedkin Group (TFG). He is also on the Friedkin Executive Board, which oversees all the Friedkin Automotive Companies, including GST, GSFSGroup, USAL, Friedkin Retail Operations, and Accelerated Solutions Group, as well as President of Friedkin Aviation.Williamson’s professional career includes more than 35 years of experience at GST, one of the world’s largest independent distributors of Toyota vehicles and parts serving more than 150 Toyota dealerships in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma and Texas, and TFG, a privately held consortium of businesses and investments in the automotive, hospitality, entertainment, sports and adventure industries. He previously served as Vice President of Human Resources for TFG. Prior to that, Williamson was the Director of Fleet Operations for GST, where his responsibilities included overseeing the sales and operational functions for delivering Toyota vehicles and services to Dealerships and Customers across the United States. He also supported the Toyota Rent-a-Car and Toyota Certified Used Vehicle Programs for Toyota dealerships. Williamson also led the Accessory Business Development group within GST, managing a multi-million dollar product portfolio, supplier development, pricing and strategy.Before his role in Accessories, Williamson was the Director of the GST Marketing Department with a strong focus on brand, public relations, corporate communications, sales promotion, corporate events, advertising, merchandising, sports marketing and product launches. He was instrumental in launching Toyota’s Truck and Scion brands and securing, negotiating and managing the naming rights for Houston’s downtown arena, now known as the Toyota Center. Williamson was also intimately involved in building the nationally televised premier Professional Anglers Association’s event known as The Toyota Texas Bass Classic. In additional to his current roles at GST and TFG, he is an acting Board Member of AS Roma Football Club, Auberge Resorts Collection and Imperative Entertainment. Williamson serves on the boards of Congaree