TIME AND ALLY FINANCIAL HONOR ALLIANCE DEALER
William Lavery Wins National Recognition for Community Service and Industry Accomplishments at NADA Convention
(New York, NY, October 24, 2016) – The nomination of William Lavery, dealer at Lavery Automotive Sales & Service, a Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet and GMC dealer in Alliance, Ohio, for the 2017 TIME Dealer of the Year award was announced today by TIME.
Lavery is one of a select group of 49 dealer nominees from across the country who will be honored at the 100th annual National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) Convention & Exposition in New Orleans, Louisiana, on January 27, 2017. The announcement of this year’s nominees was made by Meredith Long, SVP : GM, News & Luxury, TIME, and Tim Russi, president of Auto Finance for Ally Financial. “We are excited about the extraordinary group of nominees that are in the running for the 2017 TIME Dealer of the Year award,” said Russi. “These dealers have been recognized for the ways that they ‘do it right’ in their communities, and we look forward to sharing their stories over the next few months and celebrating their accomplishments at the NADA convention in January.” In its sixth 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. Lavery, 63, was chosen to represent the Ohio Automobile Dealers Association in the national competition – one of only 49 auto dealers from 16,000 nationwide – nominated for the 48th 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. --more-- “I am very proud that I have been able to provide for my employees and their families, while striving to make the town a better place to live and work.” nominee Lavery said. A 1971 graduate of Alliance High School in Alliance, Lavery earned a B.S. in accounting at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, in 1975 and a J.D. from the University of Toledo in Toledo, Ohio, in 1978. He was also a member of his college golf team. Lavery was born into retail automobile business. His late father founded Lavery Chevrolet in Alliance in 1965, following a 17-year career at General Motors. Lavery worked in several of the departments after graduating in 1978, eventually rising to general manager and then dealer. Today, his store includes Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet and GMC brands, and he owns the company with his brother and sister. With a 50-year family business legacy in Alliance, Lavery is committed to giving back to the city and its people. “I have consistently given up my time and resources to make my community a better place to live,” he said. “I have been very fortunate and truly believe though we can’t do everything but we can all do something,” This year that philosophy drove him to work with other business owners and Faith Family Church in North Canton, Ohio, to give away four Chevrolet Malibus to single mothers in need this past Mother’s Day. Lavery is also currently an officer for Alliance Area Development, an engine for economic growth in the region. In addition, he has advised the boards of Alliance Community Hospital, Stark County Auto Dealers, Ohio Auto Dealers, Cleveland Auto Dealers, and Stark State College Foundation where he has endowed a scholarship for automotive students. For his dealership’s contributions, Lavery Automotive Sales & Service was named Large Business of the Year by the Alliance Area Chamber of Commerce Business Alliance in 2014. “This prestigious award recognizes dedicated service to our town and to our employees, which was a great honor” he said. Other local and national organizations and events that Lavery supports include: Greater Alliance Carnation Festival Queen’s Pageant; Toys for Tots; Alliance Hot Stove Baseball League; United Way; American Cancer Society; American Red Cross; Pancreatic Cancer Action Network; Alliance Community Hospital, Chamber of Commerce, Northern Ohio PGA and many other local school systems and universities. Lavery was nominated for the TIME Dealer of the Year award by Zach Doran, president of the Ohio Automobile Dealers Association. His wife’s name is Sally and they reside in Alliance, Ohio.
### About Time Inc. Time Inc. (NYSE:TIME) is one of the world's leading media companies, with a monthly global print audience of over 120 million and worldwide digital properties that attract more than 150 million visitors each month, including over 60 websites. Our influential brands include People, Sports Illustrated, InStyle, Time, Real Simple and Southern Living, as well as more than 50 diverse titles in the United Kingdom. About Ally Financial Inc. Ally Financial Inc. (NYSE: ALLY) is a leading digital financial services company and a top 25 U.S. financial holding company offering financial products for consumers, businesses, automotive dealers and corporate clients. Ally's legacy dates back to 1919, and the company was redesigned in 2009 with a distinctive brand, innovative approach and relentless focus on its customers. Ally has an award-winning online bank (member FDIC), one of the largest full service auto finance operations in the country, a complementary auto-focused insurance business, a growing digital wealth management and online brokerage platform, and a trusted corporate finance business offering capital for equity sponsors and middle-market companies. The company had approximately $157.9 billion in assets as of June 30, 2016. For more information, visit the Ally press room at http://media.ally.com or follow Ally on Twitter: @AllyFinancial.