NEW YORK, N.Y. --- The nomination of Bob Boyte, president/owner of Bob Boyte Honda in Brandon, Mississippi, for the 2015 TIME Dealer of the Year award was announced on October 23rd by TIME.
 
Boyte is one of a select group of 55 dealer nominees from across the country who will be honored at the 98th annual National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) Convention & Exposition in San Francisco, California, onJanuary 23, 2015. The announcement of this year's nominees was made by Jed Hartman, group publisher, worldwide, TIME, and Tim Russi, president of Auto Finance for Ally Financial.
 
"The dealers nominated for this award are dedicated business owners, auto lovers and, most importantly, champions for their local communities, with a willingness to give back on a grand scale," said Russi. "Ally is proud to honor and support these dealers as they work today and tomorrow to build better places to live, work and do business."
 
In its fourth 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 onAllyDealerHeroes.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. Boyte, 56, was chosen to represent the National Association of Minority Automobile Dealers in the national competition – one of only 55 auto dealers from 17,000 nationwide – nominated for the 46th 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.

"When I was awarded the open point by American Honda in Brandon, MS, it was the most rewarding aspect of my career," nominee Boyte said. "It shows that if you work hard and stay focused on your goal, that dreams are still possible – that even a person without means can still achieve his or her goals."

Boyte, a 1976 graduate of Provine High School in Jackson, Mississippi, earned a B.S. in biology at Mississippi College in Clinton in 1981. He received numerous academic and athletic awards throughout his schooling and was inducted into the Mississippi College Sports Hall of Fame in 2012 for baseball. In high school, he received the Purina – William H. Danforth "I Dare You" Leadership Award, a recognition that would have a lifelong impact. "It really changed me as a person and challenged my thinking about my future," Boyte said. "It made an impression on me concerning the responsibility of being a leader and the consequences of each and every decision we make in our lives."
 
Boyte started in the car business in 1983 after eloping to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, with his wife, Tandy. After several missteps working at area dealerships, he did not have a very good impression of the industry. "I thought it was full of dishonest and manipulating people and I wanted nothing to do with it," he said. "I later figured out that the car business, and the hard working people in it, was definitely not the problem, – the situations that I had put myself into and my attitude were the problems. So I set out to correct both." He began to study the industry and worked his way up from salesman to general manager to vice president of variable operations and eventually to owning his own business.
 
When he was awarded an open point in 2005, Bob Boyte Honda was born, and now his wife and two daughters work with him. "We are the only Honda dealership that has been awarded Honda's most prestigious award, the Honda President's Award, eight years in a row, every year since our opening," he said. Boyte also takes pride in giving back to the
area that his dealership serves, adding, "We are charitable with our time and money, it's our responsibility. We do it because it builds our community; our community supports us and it is my job to support them."
 
Boyte is very involved with the Special Olympics, having served as a member since 1999 and as board member and treasurer for his state chapter of the organization. "My daughter Heather has special needs," he said. "Special Olympics offers special needs kids the opportunity to compete and build self-worth but, more importantly, it provides medical screening and treatment for vision, dental and hearing at no cost to the families."
 
He also supports the Association of People Supporting Employment First, which works to advance employment and self-sufficiency for individuals with disabilities, as well as Mississippi March of Dimes, the Salvation Army, academic and athletic programs for area high schools and colleges and various fundraisers throughout the region.
 
"It is my philosophy that we should support our community in a way that makes a difference in our community," Boyte said. "We support schools, teachers, sports programs, firemen, police officers, local chambers of commerce and programs that help these people, to help other people in the community."
 
Boyte was nominated for the TIME Dealer of the Year award by Damon Lester, president of the National Association of Minority Automobile Dealers. He and his wife, Tandy, have two daughters, Heather and Tiffany.


TIME is a global multimedia brand that reaches more than 60 million people and includes the domestic and international magazine editions, Time.com, tablet versions, mobile, social and TIME for Kids. Time.com's network of sites draws more than 35 million unique visitors per month (August 2014 comScore). 
 
About Ally Financial Inc.
Ally Financial Inc. is a leading automotive financial services company powered by a top direct banking franchise. Ally's automotive services business offers a full suite of financing products and services, including new and used vehicle inventory and consumer financing, leasing, inventory insurance, commercial loans and vehicle remarketing services. 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 $149.9 billion in assets as of June 30, 2014, 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