Business

Greer man named Dealer of the Year

By CHRISTINA WILSON
Published: Friday, May 2, 2008

A local automobile dealer, known as much for his philanthropy as his business success, was named 2008 Dealer of the Year by The American International Automobile Dealers Association.

Bradshaw Automotive Group owner William Bradshaw received the award Wednesday during the organization's two-day auto industry summit in Washington.

"The Dealer of the Year award pays tribute to some of America's hardest-working small-business owners," AIADA President Cody Lusk said during the summit's opening banquet.

"Their dedication to the auto industry, their families and their communities is truly remarkable and is a powerful reminder of the vital role international nameplate dealers play in our economy."

Bradshaw, en route back to his Greer home Thursday, attributed the award to hard work by more than 400 employees, 50 of whom have been working for the automotive group more than 15 years.

"Without the employees' dedication and hard work, we wouldn't be recognized like we have been," said Bradshaw, who also credited a strong local market with keeping auto sales higher than in other areas of the state and nation during what President Bush earlier this week called an "economic slowdown."

"We're in an area that's still seeing growth," Bradshaw said. "The BMW plant just announced an addition, and our housing market has not suffered foreclosures like others have. We've got a lot of positive things going on in the Upstate and are not feeling the downturn as much as some other areas."

Noting a slight decrease in sales during the past 60 days, Bradshaw said he's confident the next six months will show positive growth in all but possibly SUV and truck sales. "This year will be a little tougher than last year," he said.

Presented by Newsweek, AIADA's Dealer of the Year award is given annually for outstanding contributions to the community and international automobile industry.

The honor is accompanied by a profile in the national news magazine and is meant to "highlight the tremendous civic spirit and business acuity that characterizes all of America's international auto dealers," according to a statement issued Thursday by Bradshaw's publicity agency.

A longtime industry activist and political fundraiser, the dealer spent day two of the conference in back-to-back meetings with legislators before heading home to Greer, where he opened his first dealership in 1979.

Since then, he's opened seven additional lots in Asheville, N.C., Greenville and Spartanburg, selling vehicles by Acura, Infinity, Honda, Chevrolet, Buick, Pontiac, GMC, Cadillac, Hummer and Saturn.

The multiple dealerships boast evening and Saturday service hours, kids' playrooms, manicures, massages, Starbucks coffee, catered new car clinics and 1,000-mile inspections - all free. "We're pretty proud of what we offer and that we've had so many employees with us so long," Bradshaw said.