TIME, Ally Financial honor Ronan dealer
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Eric Henricksen
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Eric Henricksen wins national recognition for community service and industry accomplishments at NADA show
News from Montana Automobile Dealers Association
The nomination of Eric Henricksen, general manager of Don Aadsen Ford in Ronan, Montana, for the 2020 TIME Dealer of the Year award was announced by TIME.
Henricksen is one of a select group of 49 dealer nominees from across the country who will be honored at the 103rd annual National Automobile Dealers Association show in Las Vegas on Feb. 15, 2020. The announcement of this year’s annual award was made by Susanna Schrobsdorff, chief partnerships officer, TIME, and Doug Timmerman, president of Auto Finance for Ally Financial.
The TIME Dealer of the Year award is one of the automobile industry’s most prestigious and highly coveted honors. Recipients are among the nation’s most successful auto dealers who also demonstrate a long-standing commitment to community service. Henricksen, 43, was chosen to represent the Montana Automobile Dealers Association in the national competition – one of only 49 auto dealers nominated for the 51st annual award from more than 16,000 nationwide.
“As a fourth-generation dealer, I was bound and determined not to enter the auto industry,” nominee Henricksen said. “But I had some free time during my senior year of college in Arizona and decided to take a sales position at Courtesy Chevrolet in Phoenix. I quickly found out that automotive retail and I were a pretty good fit together.”
After earning a BS at Arizona State University in Tempe in 1999, Henricksen returned home to work at the family’s dealership, Don Aadsen Ford Mercury in Ronan, which was founded by his grandfather in 1966.
“The differences and challenges that each customer presented quickly fueled a passion for the business, and I found a lot of fulfillment in the job.”
Today, Henricksen is general manager of the dealership, which he partly owns with his mother, Ann, and father, Gordon. “I was blessed to have family in the business that allowed me the freedom to grow my career quickly,” he said. “I was very fortunate to have predecessors that had established contacts throughout the industry that served as my mentors and teachers.”
Henricksen currently serves as chairman of the board of directors for the Montana Automobile Dealers Association, which he also led as president in 2018. “During my time serving the association, we have had a major impact on the state and national level with our legislative initiatives, groundbreaking data protection bills for dealers and changes to our dealer laws for warranty reimbursement, franchise protection and successorship.”
His dealership has been part of the fabric of his community for more than 50 years, and Henricksen and his family are committed to giving back. They support the Boys & Girls Club of the Flathead Reservation and Lake County, Boy Scouts of America; Girl Scouts; Ronan Bread Basket (food bank); Toys for Tots; Cantlon Family Youth Home (for at-risk youth in Montana); Future Farmers of America; Lake County 4-H; SAFE Harbor of Lake County and sponsor various fundraising events. In addition, Don Aadsen Ford provides vehicles to area high schools for driver’s education programs.
Dealers are nominated by the executives of state and metro dealer associations around the country. The award is sponsored by TIME in association with Ally Financial and in cooperation with NADA. A panel of faculty members from the Tauber Institute for Global Operations at the University of Michigan will select one finalist from each of the four NADA regions and one national Dealer of the Year. Three finalists will receive an additional $5,000 for their favorite charities and the winner will receive an additional $10,000 to give to charity.
In its ninth year as exclusive sponsor, Ally will recognize dealer nominees and their community efforts by contributing $1,000 to each nominee’s 501(c)3 charity of choice. Nominees will also be recognized on AllyDealerHeroes.com.
“The award applauds the incredible effort each of these dealers put into their businesses and their communities,” said Doug Timmerman, President of Auto Finance at Ally. “They are influential business leaders and admired ambassadors for worthy causes. It’s an honor for Ally to recognize their generosity and impact in cities and towns across America.”
Henricksen was nominated for the TIME Dealer of the Year award by Bruce Knudsen, executive vice president of the Montana Automobile Dealers Association. He and Jennifer have four children.
TIME is a global multimedia brand that reaches a combined audience of more than 100 million around the world. A trusted destination for reporting and insight on the people, places and issues that matter, TIME captures the events that shape our lives. TIME’s major franchises include the TIME 100 Most Influential People, Person of the Year, Firsts, Best Inventions, Genius Companies, World’s Greatest Places and more.
