Sarah and Damian Taranto (centre) among the staff at Griffith City Volkswagen. Photos: Supplied.
Owen Motor Group has sold one of its businesses, Griffith City Volkswagen, to its employees Damian and Sarah Taranto, who take ownership of the brand after a year-long process.
Damian, 35, and Sarah, 34, are among 10 staff who have met and married while working at the company known around town as ‘’Love Island’’.
“I’ve always been passionate about cars,” Sarah said. “But I never imagined that my career would lead to dealership ownership.”
Twin brothers Mark and Dean Owen have run Owen Toyota, Leeton Toyota, and Griffith City Volkswagen for several years. In April 2024, Dean announced that the latter brand would be changing hands.
Over the past year, Damian and Sarah completed an intensive training program led by Volkswagen Australia and the parent company in Germany. The process included rigorous assessments across dealership management, sales, after-sales, finance, and more.
“We are so grateful that Dean and Mark Owen trusted us with major business decisions during the transition,” Sarah said. ”It gave us the opportunity to grow and truly prepare for this responsibility.
“All the planets aligned; we each have different skill sets and our combined expertise allowed us to do this.”
Sarah Taranto was Employee of the Year in 2023.
Damian said he and Sarah were among the youngest people to become franchisees of a major car brand.
“We pushed hard for this, and it wouldn’t have been possible without the incredible support of our staff, customers, family, and the wider community,” he said.
Damian got his start in the industry as an apprentice mechanic before progressing through roles in parts interpretation, service consulting, and eventually after-sales manager – overseeing parts, service, and warranty operations.
Sarah has worked in marketing and public relations for the past 15 years. In 2023, she won the Outstanding Employee gong at the annual 2023 Griffith Business Chamber Awards.
On 8 April, 2025, Griffith City Volkswagen was named a 2024 Volkswagen Australia Dealer of the Year – which goes to the top 10 dealerships across Australia for achievement in sales, service, marketing, and customer satisfaction. The award was accepted by Dean Owen and Damian Taranto.
Volkswagen is the largest automotive group in the world and includes brands such as Audi, Porsche, Lamborghini, Bugatti and Bentley.
“We look forward to growing our business and seeing what other brands might be on the horizon down the track,” Sarah said.
