One nominee has a knack for making Hyundai stores successful. Another one served in the U.S. Air Force before beginning a long dealership career. Still another, the car business was love at first sight.

In the next group of profiles of nominees for TIME Dealer of the Year Award, these store executives all share what’s important to them — in and out of the showroom.

The awards program, which is produced in cooperation with the National Automobile Dealers Association and sponsored by Ally Financial, aims to  recognize the nation’s most successful auto dealers who also demonstrate a long-standing commitment to community service.

Auto Remarketing plans to publish these nominee profiles between now and when the winner is announced during the NADA Convention and Expo that runs Feb. 3 to 6 in Las Vegas.

Brian Ewald, dealer, Ewald Chevrolet Buick, Oconomowoc, Wis.

“The automobile business has provided me with an opportunity to teach my two children my passion and conviction for nurturing the human spirit and how that translates to enjoying my career, building a successful legacy and hoping they achieve the same in their futures,” Ewald said.

And that legacy began when Ewald worked for his father’s car dealership in Milwaukee at the age of 12.

Ewald continued with, “The privilege to work at an early age was a gift from my father because it taught me a strong work ethic and a discipline of how to earn money and keep it. The varied jobs I did at this time in my young career served as a foundation for other roles that I would tackle in learning how to eventually run a store of my own.”

Today, the Ewald Automotive Group has six dealerships, plus Mayfair Rent-A-Car and Mayfair Leasing, and is owned by Ewald and his three brothers. Ewald’s father, Emil, and brother, Craig, were also chosen to represent the Wisconsin Auto & Truck Dealers Association in the national competition in 1998 and 2001, respectively. His two children and two nephews also work for the business. “My father’s philosophy, which I have adopted, is to earn each stripe, one at a time, until you earn them all,” Ewald shared.

And Ewald sets a great example, giving back to his community as a member/contributor of the American Legion, Oconomowoc Chamber of Commerce, Oconomowoc Rotary and Oconomowoc Lions. He has been a consistent contributor to the YMCA Strong Kids Program and Century Club, and an auxiliary sponsor/contributor for Oconomowoc Memorial Hospital Foundation.

Ewald’s membership with Rotary International has been one of his most meaningful and impactful civic achievements. “Rotary’s example of honesty, integrity giving back, service above self and philanthropic support is evident in how I have grown as a person within my community,” he said. “The membership of Rotary believes this concept and executes it in all aspects of life. It is extremely rewarding and stimulating to be surrounded with an organization that professes this credo.”

Scott Fink, president and CEO, Hyundai of New Port Richey, New Port Richey, Fla.

Timing is everything, and in the case of Scott Fink, his timing has been perfect. Multiple times, as president and CEO of three different dealerships in Florida, he has developed one of the most successful Hyundai stores in the country.

Armed with a degree in accounting, Fink started out working for a gas company in Brooklyn, New York. A few years later, he had an opportunity to join Ford Motor Co. in the New York area. A few years into his role at Ford, he learned about a Mitsubishi store in Tampa, Fla., that was facing hard times. He and a partner purchased the franchise, turned it around then purchased a Toyota store. A few years later, they sold the operations to Sonic Automotive.

That was in 2001. Today, three Hyundai stores and a Mazda franchise later, Fink is CEO of the country’s second-largest volume dealership for Hyundai. It has been an amazing ride and he now serves as chairman of the Hyundai National Dealership Council.

Fink’s passion for excellence extends to his charitable endeavors as well. He is past chairman of the YMCA of the Suncoast, where he has been a board member for 13 years. He also serves on the Board of St. Joseph Hospital and is a member of the chambers of commerce in each community where he does business.

Fink has also established the Hyundai of New Port Richey Foundation, where he gives his employees the opportunity to make a difference and choose which charities receive donations.  Fink says he feels fortunate to have such loyal customers and is proud to give to so many local charities and causes.

Vann Gannaway, president, Vann Gannaway Chevrolet Inc., Eustis, Fla.

Vann Gannaway took a job in a Birmingham, Ala., dealership as a young man and came to the quick conclusion that he had found a career for life.

Once Gannaway found his calling, he and his wife wrote down some goals. His main goal was to own his own dealership by age 35. He may have missed the mark by only three years, but at 38, Vann converted an open point from Chevrolet into a dealership in central Florida that has been the center of his business life since 1986.

Under the supervision of Jim Limbaugh, Gannaway’s partner and previous employer, Gannaway developed the business and was the sole owner by 1989. The dealership has grown and thrived over the years, as has Vann’s relationship with his adopted home.

Gannaway’s community involvement includes six years on the board of the Hospice of Sumter and Lake Counties. He is past president of the Mt. Dora Rotary Club and serves on the Board of Lake County Boys Ranch. Gannaway also supports fundraisers for area schools and donates to the CFADA Professional Automotive Training Center located on the Sanford/Lake Mary campus of Seminole State College of Florida.

Undoubtedly though, the most rewarding accolade Gannaway has received was an exemplary citizen award from the Orange County Sheriff. Gannaway received the award for providing a vehicle to a deputy who was shot in the line of duty. The truck made it possible for the deputy’s brother in law to travel long distance to equip the injured officer’s home for handicap access. Clearly, this was never a goal of Gannaway when he and his wife sat down years ago, but the car business has made it possible for him to make a big difference.

Tom Griffin, president, Honolulu Ford-Lincoln, Honolulu

A U.S. Air Force veteran, a business graduate of the University of Maryland and a top of the class graduate of the General Motors Institute, Griffin was well schooled in the elements of leadership when he came to his first automotive job. He started as a salesman in 1964 at the Cobb-Kirkland Motor Company in Montgomery, Ala.

But he gives his experience there and the friendship of his first mentor, Pat Kirkland, much credit for his professional success. “I often find myself silently thanking him for teaching me the right way to become a good car man,” Griffin said of Kirkland.

Griffin was offered the opportunity to partner in Honolulu Ford-Lincoln in 2007 by Andy Breech, a longtime and respected friend, whose father founded the dealership in 1954. Breech is his current partner in this successful enterprise, which was named Retail Business of the Year by the Kalihi Business Association and received the Employer of Choice Award from the service technicians at Honolulu Ford.

For Griffin, “the right way” has led to some of his most meaningful experiences during years of service on the boards of the Special Olympics, the YMCA, and the Palama Settlement for Children. “Seeing a child being offered, accept, and embrace the loving help of others is the most heartwarming and rewarding experience one could receive,” Griffin shared.

Mike Hanigan, president, Hanigan Chevrolet Inc., Payette, Idaho

Like so many of the great dealers in our country, Hanigan has built his business on a strong foundation of family and community. Recently celebrating their 86th year in business, Hanigan Chevrolet in Payette, Idaho, was started in 1925 by his grandfather, Jack Hanigan. Today, according to Automotive News, they are one of the 25 longest-operating, same-family Chevrolet dealers in the United States.

Hanigan grew up detailing cars and working in the lube bay for his dad. But after graduating on the Dean’s List with a business management degree from the University of Idaho, Hanigan went to work with EDS as a Senior System Engineer in New Jersey. But when his dad turned 65, he asked Mike if he wanted to come back home and help run the business.

Hanigan answered the call and moved back to Idaho, eventually purchasing the business from his father, along with three additional dealerships in neighboring towns.

Today the operation has been consolidated into two new car stores: one GM and one Chrysler store. As president, Hanigan stresses the importance of training and professionalism. “I’m passionate about creating careers for my employees, not just jobs. “I want each person to stretch and grow, and have that opportunity to achieve their dreams,” Hanigan stressed. Despite the challenging economy of the past three years, the company received the 2010 Payette Chamber Business of the Year Award.

Hanigan describes himself as a “people person … with a passion and desire to provide a service to others.”  A past President of the Kiwanis, he is deeply involved in promoting the regional economy and is a spokesperson for the public/private Snake River Economic Development Alliance. Hanigan has also served on many other boards, including nine years as a member of the Holy Rosary Medical Center (regional hospital). Hanigan currently co-chairs the Treasure Valley Community College Capital Campaign to raise $3 million in 18 months to build a new science building.  And he works annually with Help Them to Hope, a local charitable organization that provides food and presents to needy families as Christmastime.

Dick Heaton, owner and vice president, Conway-Heaton Inc., Bardstown, Ky.

Founded by his grandfather in 1919, Conway Heaton’s legacy serving the Bardstown, Ky., community goes back some 92 years, making it the oldest Ford dealer in Kentucky, and one of the 100 oldest Ford dealerships in the world.

Growing up in the third generation of a distinguished family of Ford dealers, Heaton knew what he wanted to do in life. After graduating Centre College 1976 with a degree in economics and management, he went to work learning the dealer business from every angle he could.

Heaton believes strongly in the certification and training programs of both Ford and Chrysler, and requires all managers to achieve certification in their respective roles.

They also use outside training consultants and send staffers to the local Chamber of Commerce leadership seminars. The result has been the creation of strong professional team that has won numerous awards for the Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, and Ford operations. With Heaton as its owner and vice president, Conway Heaton has earned Blue Oval Certification every year since the program’s inception.

Heaton’s boundless passion for serving the Bardstown community led to 34 years as an active Kiwanis member, including a stint as President. He served as a board member of St. Catherine’s College, the Stephen Foster Drama Association, and Kentucky Athletic Hall of Fame. Heaton also oversaw the opening of the Guthrie Opportunity Center for developmentally handicapped adults for which he chaired the fundraising committee and helped raise $1.7 million.

Not surprisingly, in 2010 he was named Man of the Year by the Bardstown Nelson County Chamber of Commerce. It was the second time he received the same honor, an accomplishment held by only Heaton.

As if all of this weren’t enough for a lifetime of service, Heaton was elected to three consecutive terms on the Bardstown city council (2000-2006) and served as mayor from 2007-2010. During his mayoral term, he spearheaded the total renovation of downtown Bardstown and Main Street.

More nominee profiles can be found at allybizhero.com.