DETROIT -

William Cole, Bill Cole Automall, Bluefield, W. Va.

“The most rewarding aspect of my automotive career has been the opportunity to continue my family’s legacy of business in an area that my family has called home for generations,” nominee Cole said.

And that legacy began at his family’s heavy-duty truck dealership, where at the age of 13, Cole washed vehicles. He graduated from Bluefield High School in 1974 and the Northwood Institute (now Northwood University) in 1978, earning a degree in business administration with a minor in accounting and an associate’s degree in automotive marketing. Armed with the knowledge he gained at school and the customer-service experience he acquired working at his family’s business, Cole founded Truck City Parts and later DS Parts, which were eventually bought by a group of venture capitalists. “That sale paved the way for my automotive dealership adventure,” he added.

In 2000, he purchased a Nissan store in Bluefield and eventually added Honda, Kia and Subaru franchises to create Bill Cole Automall. Cole also owns a Honda and Nissan dealership in Ashland, Kentucky, and the acquisition of a Hyundai store in Princeton, West Virginia, is also in the works. His two sons work for the company and his father and two brothers also have longstanding successful careers in the automotive industry. “I am blessed to have my two sons in business with me, which gives me great hope regarding the continuation of our family’s legacy,” he said.

Cole’s goal-oriented personality was forged at an early age, as he achieved Eagle Scout, the highest rank in Boy Scouting, at age 13. In business or in the community, he remains purpose driven and contributes his talents to many civic and charitable causes. He was elected to the West Virginia Senate in November 2012 and served as a member of the Senate’s Committee on Education, which modified and passed needed reforms to the state’s public education system to improve efficiency and student achievement.

Cole supports many local programs, including the Children’s Home Society, a child welfare organization; Wreaths Across America, which honors the nation’s veterans; The First Tee, which teaches life skills and values to youth; local cancer societies; and the W. Paul Cole, Jr. School of Business, which was named after his father at Bluefield State College. He is also a member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and has received an Outstanding Alumni award from Northwood University.

“Being in business has given my family countless opportunities to support many worthy causes in our community,” Cole said.

Cole was nominated for the TIME Dealer of the Year award by Ruth R. Lemmon, president of the West Virginia Automobile & Truck Dealers Association. He and his wife, Brownie, have four children.
 

Tim Dahle, Tim Dahle Nissan, Salt Lake City

“With the support of so many wonderful customers and dedicated hard-working employees whom I consider to be my personal friends, we have managed to thrive,” nominee Dahle said. “As we look forward, I’m optimistic and enthusiastic about the opportunities and prospects evolving in the car industry.”

A Utah native, Dahle graduated from Skyline High School in Salt Lake City in 1978 and attended Utah State University in Logan. He spent many hours at his family’s dealership, which his parents founded in 1967, gaining valuable experience. “I learned the business from the bottom up,” Dahle said, “which included washing cars, sweeping the lot and picking up cigarette butts until age 16. At age 18, I sold my first car; it was a purple Datsun F-10, which was Datsun’s first front-wheel drive car.”

Between 1981 and 1989, he honed his skills in sales, management, cash management and forecasting at the family store before striking out on his own with a Nissan dealership in Murray, Utah. “I became the newest and probably one of the youngest Nissan dealers in the country at age 29,” Dahle remembered. “The Dahle family has sold more Datsuns and Nissans in the past 46 years than any dealer in Utah.” Today, he also owns an Infiniti dealership in Salt Lake City and another Nissan dealership in Sandy, Utah.

“As we have prospered, we understand and believe it is vital for the growth and well-being of our community to give back and share our good fortune,” Dahle said. To that end, Dahle’s company has participated in numerous fundraisers and has donated to Shriners Hospitals for Children, Multiple Sclerosis Foundation, American Heart Association, Arthritis Foundation (currently on the board of directors for Utah and Idaho), Utah Food Bank, Boy Scouts of America and local high school and higher education institutions in his state.

 

Each year, his dealerships hold a Toys for Tots drive funded by the employees with their contributions matched by the company. According to Dahle, “We have provided thousands of dollars in toys for children, which is a tribute to all the employees and their generosity.”

He has also given his time to other youth causes, serving as a baseball coach, volunteering with the Boy Scouts and working with troubled youth at a correctional facility. “I feel the most important civic duty I’ve ever participated in is to work with young people to promote good behavior, convey a positive influence and strengthen their ability to bring about change and realize their potential for success,” he added.

Dahle was nominated for the TIME Dealer of the Year award by Craig Bickmore, executive director of the New Car Dealers of Utah. He and his wife, MaryLynn, have three children and four grandchildren.

R. Bruce Deardoff, Island Lincoln Jaguar Land Rover, Merritt Island, Fla.

“The ability to take care of the needs of our family of employees and to support the needs of our communities has to be the most rewarding thing any automotive dealer can hope to enjoy,” nominee Deardoff said.

The Florida dealer’s road to success began at Don Bosco Prep, a private Catholic preparatory high school in Ramsey, N.J., where Deardoff graduated in 1966. He went on to receive a B.S. in marketing from New York’s Fordham University in 1970. After graduation, he worked as an automobile technician for Hackensack Ford in New Jersey, and then held several jobs within the Ford Motor Company before purchasing Island Lincoln Mercury in Merritt Island in 1985 through Ford’s Dealer Development Program.

“Since then, the dealership has become one of the top Lincoln Mercury dealerships in the nation,” Deardoff said. He went on to add Jaguar and Land Rover to the mix while opening a Lincoln store in Orlando and Ford stores in Clermont, Ocala and Belleview, some of which were failing or underperforming before Deardoff turned the businesses around.

In 2003, he completed a $7 million renovation of the Merritt Island store, creating a unique buying experience. Customers who purchase a vehicle become members of the dealership’s Island Club, which features a coffee bar, salon, business center with internet access, health club, movie theater, library, video arcade, and a full service restaurant on-site. “The new facility is perhaps one of the finest in the country, with many consumer innovations,” Deardoff added. The dealership also acquired an adjacent gas station and sells deeply discounted fuel to its customers.

He is also committed to the communities that his dealerships serve. When Florida Governor Charlie Crist asked him to fill a vacancy on the Canaveral Port Authority Commission in 2010, Deardoff was honored to help — and then he went on to win the general election for the post, was reelected in 2012, and served as chairman of the Commission. Deardoff said, “I believe my willingness to accept the governor’s request will be my most important civic achievement. The loss of our manned space program has had a devastating effect on the local economy. Port Canaveral is now the dominant economic engine in the County, and I am very proud to be a part of its growth.”

In addition, he is a member of the Propeller Club of Port Canaveral, the Brevard County Civilian/Military Council and the Economic Development Commission of Florida’s Space Coast. Deardoff was named Entrepreneur of the Year in 2001 by the Founders Forum, an honor he holds dear. “It recognized the contribution my investments have made in the economic development of the area and the employment opportunities those investments created for the area’s residents,” he said.

According to Deardoff, “All dealerships in the Deardoff Automotive Group provide community service and contribute tens of thousands of dollars to local charities every year.” A partial list of charities supported by his company include: Wuesthoff Health System Foundation, Brevard Library Foundation, Health First Foundation, United Way, Indiafest, Easter Seals, American Cancer Society, Brevard Symphony Orchestra, Pink Ribbon Walk, Lead Brevard, and The Cocoa Village Playhouse.

Deardoff was nominated for the TIME Dealer of the Year award by Barbara Miller, executive vice president of the Central Florida Auto Dealers Association. He and his wife, Sandy, have one son.
 

Editor’s Note: The original versions of these features as well as a list of all nominees and past winners can be found at www.allydealerheroes.com.

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