2025 TDOY Nominee
Colin MacLean
President of Crown Acura
Brook Park, Ohio
"I enjoy running a single-store platform where I can personally talk to my team and customers daily while representing a brand I greatly respect. Helping employees grow in their careers — some have gone on to become general managers and dealers — and having very low or no turnover tells me we are doing the right thing for our staff and clients alike.”
Colin MacLean is one of a select group of 49 dealer nominees from across the country who will be honored at the 108th annual National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) Show in New Orleans, Louisiana, on January 25, 2025.
The TIME Dealer of the Year award is one of the automobile industry’s most prestigious and highly coveted honors. The award recognizes the nation’s most successful auto dealers who also demonstrate a long-standing commitment to community service. MacLean was chosen to represent the Greater Cleveland Automobile Dealers’ Association in the national competition — one of only 49 auto dealers nominated for the 56th annual award from more than 20,000 nationwide.
“As the owner and operator of a small family-run dealership, I owe my success to all of the great people — employees and customers — who have followed me for decades,” nominee MacLean said.
MacLean, a 1981 graduate of Padua Franciscan High School in Parma, Ohio, credits some tough love from his mother for launching his retail automotive career.
“I began washing cars at a local Oldsmobile dealership during the summer after high school because my mother kicked me out of the backyard pool, handed me the help wanted ads, and told me to get a job,” he said. MacLean landed a position as a porter at Earl Oldsmobile in Brooklyn, Ohio, where he later moved into fixed operations and then sales, a position that would prove to be a pivotal turning point in his career.
“I helped make our store the number four volume dealer in the country,” he said. “After reaching that milestone, I sold my tools and never looked back.”
MacLean went on to hold sales management positions and was named general manager of Norris Auto Mall in Medina, Ohio, before attending the NADA Academy and partnering in a dealership outside of Cleveland.
“I grew from there, adding stores and eventually selling out to open a new Hyundai dealership that I kept for 10 years,” he said. MacLean sold that enterprise in 2014 and opened Crown Acura in 2016.
“I enjoy running a single-store platform where I can personally talk to my team and customers daily while representing a brand I greatly respect,” he said. “Helping employees grow in their careers — some have gone on to become general managers and dealers — and having very low or no turnover tells me we are doing the right thing for our staff and clients alike.”
MacLean has been a member of the Greater Cleveland Automobile Dealers’ Association for 17 years, serving as chair of the group in 2014. He is currently serving as a trustee for the Automobile Dealers’ Educational Assistance Foundation and is on the board of trustees for the Ohio Automobile Dealers Association.
“As an advocate for the auto industry, I believe it is important to put forth policies for the betterment of brands and dealers, while building productive relationships with manufacturers and legislators,” he said.
MacLean is also a supporter of innovation in healthcare and participated in the process as a member of Cleveland’s Council for Advancement of Human Health for two years.
“While serving this world-class medical collaborative, I helped make decisions on the purchase of new experimental equipment that enhances the life-saving care provided at renowned local hospitals like the Cleveland Clinic,” he said.
Other groups he champions include Prayers From Maria Children’s Cancer Foundation, Arthritis Foundation, Adoption Network Cleveland, HMC Hospice of Medina County, West Side Catholic Center, American Red Cross, American Cancer Society, Cleveland Christian Home, Magnificat High School in Rocky River, Ohio, area Catholic schools and parishes, and youth sports programs and civic organizations.
Dealers are nominated by the executives of state and metro dealer associations around the country. 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. Three finalists will receive $5,000 for their favorite charities and the winner will receive $10,000 to give to charity, donated by Ally.
In its 14th year as exclusive sponsor, Ally also will recognize dealer nominees and their community efforts by contributing $1,000 to each nominee’s 501(c)3 charity of choice. Nominees will be recognized on ally.com/go/tdoy , which highlights the philanthropic contributions and achievements of TIME Dealer of the Year nominees.
“At TIME, our commitment to recognizing the exceptional contributions of automotive dealers remains as strong as ever,” said Jessica Sibley, CEO of TIME. “The TIME Dealer of the Year award continues to celebrate those who not only excel in their profession but also make a meaningful impact in their communities. We are thrilled to continue this legacy in partnership with Ally.”
Doug Timmerman, Ally president of Dealer Financial Services, said, “Auto dealers are the backbones of their communities, providing civic support and significant business leadership. Ally is proud to recognize the unwavering commitment these TIME Dealer of the Year nominees are living every day through their volunteerism, sponsorships, and support of charitable causes. They are the epitome of community heroes, making important and positive impacts in the lives of the people they serve.”
MacLean was nominated for the TIME Dealer of the Year award by Lou Vitantonio, president of the Greater Cleveland Automobile Dealers’ Association. MacLean and his wife, Sally, have two children.
