16th Annual Urban Wheel Awards Announces Dealer Of The Year Finalists

Nov. 1, 2011 - PRLog -- DETROIT, MICH., Tues., Nov. 1, 2011 - The 16th Annual Urban Wheel Awards, hosted by the Emerging Diversity Education Fund and Decisive Media, announced the finalists of the 2012  Dealer of the Year Awards who will be honored on Sunday January 8, 2012 at the Sound Board Theater, MotorCity Casino Hotel in Detroit, Mich.  The Annual Urban Wheel Awards is the nation’s only award show bringing together celebrities, automotive executives, international media, government representatives, and the multicultural community to celebrate inclusion in the automotive industry.  The Urban Wheel Awardswas named the Official Multicultural Event of the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) by the 2012 NAIAS Executive Committee.

The finalist of the 2012 Dealer of the Year awards are being honored for demonstrating a unprecedented record of exceptional sales, exemplary service, strong customer relations and an overall commitment to excellence in the automobile industry.  Nominees were selected by ethnic minority business and trade organizations and will be honored in each of the following award categories:

African-American Dealer of the Year
Thomas Moorehead– Chairman and CEO, BMW of Sterlingand MINI of Sterling

Asian Dealer of the Year
Dzung Nguyen- President, Goshen Buick GMC Hyundai

Hispanic Dealer of the Year
Bob Zamoza – President and CEO, Zamora Automotive Group

Moorehead is the Chairman and CEO of BMW of Sterling and MINI of Sterling in Virginia, which was one of the 70 BMW dealerships in the United States selected to sell the revitalized MINI Cooper brand.  BMW of Sterling is among a select group of BMW Centers that has earned the coveted Quality Management Systems Award and Center of Excellence Award. The dealership’s sales production ranks it among the top five dealerships in the Commonwealth of Virginia, and among the top 10% of all BMW Centers in the nation; besides becoming the largest BMW Center in the state of Virginia.  Moorehead’s dedication to creating his successful automotive franchises has yielded numerous awards recognizing statistical achievement, including the Black Enterprise magazine Automobile Dealer of the Year. Under Moorehead’s guidance, Sterling Automotive Group has become one of BMW of USA’s top performing franchises in unit sales and customer satisfaction nationwide.

Nguyen, owner of Goshen Buick GMC Hyundai in Goshen, Indiana, has focused from the beginning on employing the best people, developing their skills as sales and service professionals, and ensuring that superior customer service and a strong commitment to support  the local community was the cornerstone of the company’s operating philosophy. His business strategy quickly reaped dividends.  Nguyen received back to back honors as one of GM’s Mark of Excellence Dealers, one of the “Buick Select” Dealers and the GMC “Leaders of Distinction” for customer satisfaction and sales performance.  Goshen Hyundai has been recognized as the best in Customer Satisfaction in Midwest region 6 times since 2006.  In July 2011, Goshen Buick GMC Hyundai received the Small Business of the Month Award from the Goshen Chamber of Commerce for their contribution to the Goshen Community.

Zamora, President and CEO of Zamora Automotive Group, has grown his dealership portfolio from a small Honda dealership in 1981 to one of the largest and fastest growing privately owned automotive dealer groups in Northern California.  The Zamora Automotive Group includes Honda, Toyota, Nissan, Acura, Volkswagen, Kia and Mazda dealerships.  He has successfully undertaken dealership formations from the ground up as well as purchased underperforming dealerships and turned them into successful operations. The success of the Zamora Automotive Group is rooted in the core values that Zamora brings from his hard working Mexican American roots.    His consistency, steadfast commitment and dedication to excellence continue to drive the organization.  Zamora believes strongly that his success is a direct result of the efforts of his team members.  The Zamora Automotive Group continues to grow because of its long-term quality employees and now has dealerships in Nevada and Arizona.    

"Representing the automobile industry through reputable, successful and consumer driven businesses is extremely important to the multicultural market," said Randi Payton, president and CEO of Decisive Media. "As the global attention continues to shift toward meeting the needs of consumers of color, Decisive Media is focused on celebrating inclusion in the automotive industry by spotlighting these individuals and their businesses that help buyers capitalize on these new market realities.  We are honored to recognize Thomas Moorehead, Dzung Nguyen, Bob Zamora and their respective dealership teams for setting ahigh standard of excellence in serving the automotive industry and the multicultural market.”

The 16th Annual Urban Wheels Awards is a daylong event expected to attract nearly 2,500 movers and shakers in the automobile industry as well as auto enthusiasts from across the country.  The festivities begin at 2:00 p.m. with a vehicle exhibit, followed by a reception at 4:00 p.m. in honor of William “Bill” Perkins, the first African-American chairman of the NAIAS. The celebrity Green Carpet and VIP reception will be held at 5:30 p.m., followed by the awards show from 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. and the evening will conclude with an afterglow reception from 9:00 – 11:00 p.m.   In addition to the Supplier of the Year award category, the Dealer of the Year, Executive of the Year, Company of the Year, Car/Truck and Green Vehicle of the Year, and a Lifetime Achievement award to Warren Brown, an auto writer for the Washington Post, will be among those presented.

According to R.L. Polk & Co.—the recognized expert for automotive intelligence and marketing solutions—consumers in the multicultural market purchase one-quarter of new vehicles annually. The 16th Annual Urban Wheel Awards also promotes awareness of their inclusion and honors the companies and individuals who have made progress toward embracing this reality.

For media information, please contact pr@decisivemag.com or call (301) 390-1823. For event and sponsorship information, please e-mail us at events@decisivemag.com or log on to www.urbanwheelawards.com for more details.

ABOUT THE URBAN WHEEL AWARDS

The 16th Annual Urban Wheel Awards is a world-class awards show, held during the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS). The only Official Multicultural Event held in conjunction with the NAIAS, the awards promote diversity inclusion in the nation’s largest auto show and brings together celebrities, automotive executives, international media, government representatives and the multicultural community to celebrate diversity accomplishment in the automotive industry. The festivities begin at 2:00 p.m. with a vehicle exhibit, followed by a reception at 4:00 p.m. to honor William “Bill” Perkins, the first African-American Chairman of the NAIAS. The celebrity Green Carpet and VIP reception follows at 5:30 p.m. and the awards show will take place from 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. An afterglow networking reception will conclude the evening. Proceeds from the event support the Emerging Diversity Education Fund, which provides internships, scholarship and mentoring to students pursuing careers in the auto industry, communications, and Green jobs. For more information, please contact Marjorie Staten at events@decisivemag.com or (248) 866-8837 or visit www.urbanwheelawards.com