Ann Arbor, MI - Tauber Institute for Global Operations faculty selected Bob Giles, owner of Giles Automotive in Lafayette, La., as the 53rd TIME Dealer of the Year. The TIME Dealer of the Year program honors new-car dealers who exhibit exceptional performance in their dealerships and perform distinguished community service.

History of the TIME Dealer of the Year Award

TIME Dealer of the Year Giles says, "I remember about 50 years ago, attending this convention with my dad and looking up on that wall and seeing all of the TIME dealer honorees and wondering what that might be like. Never imagining that I would even be nominated much less have the opportunity to be the TIME Dealer of the Year. And I would like to thank my dad who is here tonight, my dad Bob Giles, Sr. and his brother, my uncle Perry Giles and the confidence they in placed in me at the young age of 28 -  to support me in opening a dealership in Lafayette, Louisiana, 40 years ago I would not have the opportunity to be here now. And I believe it's so important to give back to the community that we raise our family and our children where they go to school.”

Giles received the prestigious award at the 2022 National Automobile Dealers Association show on March 10-13, 2022. The award is presented by TIME in partnership with Ally "to celebrate the many ways auto dealer doing it right in their industry and giving back with extraordinary contributions to their community."

Keith Grossman, President of TIME, and Doug Timmerman, president of Dealer Financial Services at Ally, announced Giles as the winner at a Las Vegas ceremony honoring all the dealer nominees. Giles was chosen from a field of nearly 16,000 franchised dealers across the country, 47 of whom made the nominee list.

A faculty panel from the Tauber Institute for Global Operations at the University of Michigan evaluated the nominees, then selected four regional finalists and the national award winner. In appreciation, TIME and Ally have established an annual scholarship for the Tauber Institute's business and engineering graduate students.

Meet the 2022 TIME Dealer of the Year Winner, Finalists, and Nominees:

2022 TIME Dealer of the Year:  

Bob Giles

Giles Automotive in Lafayette, La.

2022 TIME Dealer of the Year Regional Finalists:

• Robert Sickel, Pine Belt Chevrolet, Lakewood, N.J.
• Todd C. Ouellette Sr., Long-Lewis Ford of the Shoals, Muscle Shoals, Ala.
• Gregg Kunes, Kunes Country Ford-Lincoln, Delavan, Wisc.
• Chris H. Wilson, Wilson Motor Company, Logan, Utah

Meet all the 2022 TIME Dealer of the Year Nominees.

Learn more about the Tauber Institute's participation in selecting the award winners from Managing Director Diana Crossley.

About the Tauber Institute for Global Operations:

The Tauber Institute for Global Operations is a joint venture between the University of Michigan’s Stephen M. Ross School of Business and Michigan Engineering, working together with industry partners to facilitate cross-disciplinary education in global operations management. In addition to a broad array of core and elective courses, the innovative LeadershipAdvantage Program provides students with the tools to ascend to major operations leadership roles. Well-designed and managed team projects form the cornerstone of the Tauber Institute experience and allow students to apply their knowledge to real-world settings. The students, with faculty support, work at a sponsoring company to address substantive operations, supply chain and/or manufacturing challenges. Visit www.tauber.umich.edu to learn more.

Contact:

Theresa Ceccarelli, 734-647-0308, [email protected]