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TIME and Ally Financial Honor Bedford Dealer
August Marcellino Wins National Recognition for Community Service
and Industry Accomplishments at NADA Convention
New York, NY (November 19, 2015) – The nomination of August Marcellino, owner of Motorcars Acura in Bedford, Ohio, for the 2016 TIME Dealer of the Year award was announced this week by TIME.
Marcellino is one of a select group of 50 dealer nominees from across the country who will be honored at the 99th annual National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) Convention & Exposition in Las Vegas, Nevada, on April 1, 2016. The announcement of this year’s nominees was made by Meredith Long, publisher, TIME, and Tim Russi, president of Auto Finance for Ally Financial.
“The TIME Dealer of the Year award nominees are business leaders and pillars of their communities, who have each given generously to support important charitable causes,” said Russi. “Ally is proud to honor these dealers and to recognize their commitment to making a difference.”
In its fifth 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, which highlights the philanthropic contributions and achievements of TIME Dealer of the Year nominees.
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. Marcellino, 64, was chosen to represent the Greater Cleveland Automobile Dealers' Association in the national competition – one of only 50 auto dealers from 16,000 nationwide – nominated for the 47th annual award. 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.
“This car business is about saying 'yes you can,’” said nominee Marcellino, who faced many obstacles on his way to owning a successful dealership but never let the naysayers stop him from achieving his dream.
A 1969 graduate of Warrensville Heights High School in Warrensville Heights, Ohio, Marcellino attended Cleveland State University and started his automotive career in 1974 as a finance manager at Fairchild Chevrolet in Lakewood, Ohio, and later held the same position at Joe O’ Brien Chevrolet in Lyndhurst, Ohio. “I was in the finance position at Fairchild Chevrolet for 12 years and was told that was about as far as I would go,” he remembered. “I moved dealerships and after two years, inquired about owning one myself but was told I didn’t have the experience or the money.”
In 1991, Marcellino was hired by Lee Seidman as general manager of Motorcars Acura-Volvo and bought two percent of the franchise. “At that point, the ‘no you can't’ turned into 'yes I can' and now I am the full owner of the Acura and Volvo franchises – and I also own 100 percent of the six acres of real estate,” he said. Today, two of his sons, his daughter, his sister and his brother-in-law all work for the company.
Marcellino is an active member of the Greater Cleveland Automobile Dealers' Association, having served in leadership positions during his 25-year tenure with the organization. He also served as a National Automobile Dealers Charitable Foundation ambassador from 2012 to 2014.
A supporter of Catholic educational programs, Marcellino has given major donations to Saint Edward High School in Lakewood, Ohio, and the Benedictine High School in Cleveland, Ohio. “My association with Saint Edward High School is most rewarding to me,” he said. “To watch the development of our young Catholic men in the community has been the most enjoyable. It is fulfilling to see men that could not go to this school without financial support complete and obtain college scholarships. It is truly amazing and brings others to realize that ‘yes you can.’”
Marcellino was nominated for the TIME Dealer of the Year award by Louis Vitantonio, president of the Greater Cleveland Automobile Dealers' Association. He and his wife, Audrey, have six children and nine grandchildren.
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TIME is a global multimedia brand that reaches an audience of more than 100 million and includes the domestic and international magazine editions, TIME for Kids, TIME.com and mobile. TIME.com draws 50 million unique visitors a month and has a social reach of more than 27 million. (Omniture)
About Ally Financial Inc.
Ally Financial Inc. (NYSE: ALLY) is a leading automotive financial services company powered by a top direct banking franchise. Ally's automotive services business offers a full spectrum of financial products and services, including new and used vehicle inventory and consumer financing, leasing, vehicle service contracts, commercial loans and vehicle remarketing services, as well as a variety of insurance offerings, including inventory insurance, insurance consultative services for dealers and other ancillary products. Ally Bank, the company's direct banking subsidiary and member FDIC, offers an array of deposit products, including certificates of deposit, savings accounts, money market accounts, IRA deposit products and interest checking. Ally's Corporate Finance unit provides financing to middle-market companies across a broad range of industries.
With approximately $156.1 billion in assets as of Sept. 30, 2015, Ally operates as a financial holding company. For more information, visit the Ally media site at http://media.ally.com or follow Ally on Twitter: @Ally.
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