The National Independent Automobile Dealers Association announced Thursday that ReCARnation and its owner, Marc Powell, have been recognized for business excellence with the Jack and Donna Rust Award for Excellence in Ethical Business Practice.

The Albuquerque, N.M.-based dealer, who was also recognized as the NIADA National Dealer of the Year, was presented the award at a banquet attended by more than 600 at the Hotel Albuquerque at the end of April.

ReCARnation and Powell were among five recipients out of 26 nominees selected by the University of New Mexico’s Anderson School of Management. The teams of students scrutinizes the employees, vendors, clients and corporate decision-making process as part of a semester-long course in business ethics. An independent volunteer committee consisting of state and community leaders made final decisions.

Tom Antram, the committee’s chairman, said that those who received the award demonstrated a consistent commitment to making tough choices, facing dilemmas and gray areas that might not present a clear-cut alternative between right and wrong but could affect the quality and integrity of how business is conducted on a daily basis.

“To me, that’s the core of the thrust of what ethical practice has to be — not a one-time instance but repeated practice, over and over again,” Antram said.

Powell said that “creating success for clients is core to ReCARnation’s value system and business model.”

“We want our clients to have safe, reliable and beautiful transportation without outrageous interest rate charges and the ever-present risk of repossession,” Powell concluded.

More information about Powell’s company can be found here.