SAN FRANCISCO (Jan. 25, 2019) – John Alfirevich, from Apple Chevrolet in Tinley Park, Ill., was named 2019 TIME Dealer of the Year during an awards ceremony held during the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) Show in San Francisco. He was selected from a field of 51 dealer nominees throughout the country.
“I’m very honored and blessed to win this award. I’m having a hard time to find the right words. I’m humbled by it,” said Alfirevich. “It’s not one person who wins this award. My family, employees at the dealership, the strong relationship ties within the industry and community have all contributed to my success.”
The Chicago-area dealer contributed to nearly 100 local charities in 2018 alone — and his commitment to do right by his customers, employees and community earned him the prestigious award, which is presented by TIME Magazine and sponsored by Ally Financial.
Regional finalists were John Kendall Garff, of Ken Garff Honda Downtown in Salt Lake City; Frank Hug Jr., of Hug Chevrolet Buick GMC in Charleston, Ark.; Ryan LaFontaine, of LaFontaine Cadillac Buick GMC in Highland, Mich.; and Eric Nielsen, of Nielsen Dodge Chrysler Jeep Ram in East Hanover, N.J.
Ally will give $10,000 to the charity of Alfirevich’s choice. In addition, $5,000 will be donated to the nonprofit organizations selected by the four finalists and the state Automotive Trade Association Executives who nominated him. Ally will also provide $1,000 to the charities of choice for all 51 nominees.
Alfirevich was nominated for the award by Pete Sander, president of the Illinois Automobile Dealers Association, and David Sloan, president of the Chicago Automobile Trade Association (CATA). The winner and finalists were chosen by a faculty panel from the Tauber Institute for Global Operations at the University of Michigan.
Alfirevich is active in CATA and has served on many of the group’s advisory boards and committees. In 2015, he was chairman of First Look for Charity, a fundraising event and celebration held the evening before the Chicago Auto Show, which raised $3 million to benefit Chicago-area charities.
Alfirevich, a 1981 graduate of St. Francis de Sales High School in Chicago, earned a business/marketing degree from Benedictine College in Atchison, Kan., where he received an athletic scholarship to play football. He furthered his training by attending the NADA Academy in 1990.
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