Robert “Bob” Giles, chairman and CEO of Giles Automotive in Lafayette, La., was named the 2022 TIME Dealer of the Year during an awards ceremony hosted at NADA Show 2022 in Las Vegas. The award, sponsored by Ally Financial, celebrates franchised new-car dealers for exceptional business performance and outstanding community service. Giles was chosen among a field of 47 dealer nominees from across the country.
“I find it rewarding to make an impact in the community and inspire groups or individuals to give back,” said Giles.
Dealers are nominated by members of the Automotive Trade Association Executives. A panel composed of faculty from the Tauber Institute for Global Operations at the University of Michigan chooses TIME Dealer of the Year finalists and winner.
Regional finalists were:
- Robert Sickel, President of Pine Belt Chevrolet (Lakewood, N.J.)
- Todd C. Ouellette Sr., Dealer/Owner of Long-Lewis Ford of the Shoals (Muscle Shoals, Ala.)
- Gregg Kunes, Dealer/President/Owner of Kunes Country Ford-Lincoln (Delavan, Wis.)
- Chris H. Wilson, Dealer of Wilson Motor Company (Logan, Utah)
Giles was nominated by Will Green, president of the Louisiana Automobile Dealers Association.
Giles is a community leader who has initiated campaigns to help local organizations grow and expand. He partnered with KLFY-TV 10 to create the Acadiana Community Heroes campaign, which recognized deserving individuals or nonprofit organizations that have made a difference in his area. The recipients received a monetary prize and exposure for their cause.
At a critical time during the pandemic, Giles galvanized his team and launched the Giles Essential Errand Running Service. This program invited senior citizens and individuals with compromised immune systems who needed help with grocery or pharmacy pickups to contact his dealerships and his staff would deliver those essential items to them.
He also has been active in the Outreach Center, which provides shelter and services to the homeless in the Acadiana region for many years, increasing their annual fundraiser from around $100,000 annually to more than $500,000.
Other organizations he supports include Dreams Come True of Louisiana (grants wishes to children with life-threatening illnesses); Acadiana Animal Aid (a no-kill animal shelter in Carencro, Louisiana); Hunters for the Hungry (local sportsmen provide fish and game for meals at homeless shelters); Love Our Schools; and many more.
As the award’s exclusive sponsor, Ally will give $10,000 to the charity of Giles’s choice. Additionally, Ally will contribute $5,000 to each of the four regional finalists’ charities of choice, as well as $1,000 to the charities of choice for each of the 47 nominees.
To learn more about each of the 2022 TIME Dealer of the Year nominees, their philanthropic contributions and achievements, visit TIMEdealeroftheyear.com.
