An Iowa auto dealer was named Time Dealer of the Year at the annual NADA Show, picked from a field of 47 nominees.
David Wright, president of David Wright Nissan Subaru in Hiawatha, accepted the award at the event in Las Vegas wearing a signature checked sport coat.
The prestigious industry honor, now in its 57th year, is sponsored by Ally Financial. A panel of judges from the University of Michigan’s Tauber Institute for Global Operations faculty selected five finalists before settling on Wright.
The other finalists were Buick GMC dealer Jamie Cobb of Arkansas, Toyota retailer Mario Hernandez of Idaho, Honda franchisee David Kull of New Jersey, and Bert Lindsay, also a Honda dealer, of Ohio.
The award is intended to honor auto dealers at the top of their industry in terms of business success but who also benefit their surrounding communities.
Wright, a military veteran, entered the industry on the advice of a banker, he said in remarks Ally distributed after he won the award. He later bought half of a dealership that had seen better years.
“Thanks to family support, a hunger to learn and mentors along the way, those risks proved worth it,” Wright said.
His dealership is in the greater Cedar Rapids metropolitan area, where he supports nonprofits, such as Goodwill and To The Rescue, to employ people with disabilities, among many other causes.
