2025 TDOY Nominee

Neill Nelson is one of a select group of 49 dealer nominees from across the country who will be honored at the 108^th 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. Nelson was chosen to represent the North Carolina Automobile Dealers Association in the national competition — one of only 49 auto dealers nominated for the 56^th annual award from more than 20,000 nationwide.

“The most rewarding impact of my career came after I recognized our business as fulfilling a greater purpose,” nominee Nelson said. “That’s when profit goals became generosity goals. And this led to our investing more in our employees and their health — physically, financially, emotionally and spiritually — and finding more generous and creative ways to support the community.”

Nelson earned a B.S. in business administration from Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina, in 1976. From the minute he saw the “muscle cars” of the late 1960s in the showroom of his father’s dealership, he knew he wanted to pursue a career in the auto industry.

“I vividly remember drooling over the GTOs and Firebirds at age 13, thinking about one day owning those ‘dream machines,’” he said. “My father knew I was enamored, and it wasn’t long before I was washing and detailing cars, stocking and selling parts, and doing other odd jobs around the store.”

The dealership was originally founded by Nelson’s maternal grandfather, David W. Davenport, in 1929. His father, Joseph H. Nelson, joined his father-in-law and helped build the business over the years.

A week after Nelson graduated from college, he joined his father and got to work selling cars. He immersed himself in all aspects of dealership operations and attended a management development program through General Motors to hone his leadership skills. In 2015, he was named president and dealer operator; today, he owns the dealership with his father. His son, Graham, has also joined the business and is the next generation to carry on the family legacy.

“I have been blessed along the way by mentors all around me who went out of their way to support me, coach me, teach me — and when I needed it, correct me,” he said.

In 2017, Nelson joined an organization called C12, which shows leaders how to build great businesses for a greater purpose.

“My involvement in this organization has played a tremendous role in the impact we are having in the community and in the lives of our employees,” he said.

Nelson currently serves on the executive committee of the North Carolina Automobile Dealers Association and participates in the group’s Hometown Heroes Program by hosting an annual event at the dealership honoring local first responders. He’s also proud to contribute to the strategic direction of the association and advocate for dealers statewide.

An active member of the Rotary Club of Rocky Mount, Nelson has led the group as president and supports many of the club’s initiatives, including the Sleep in Heavenly Peace program that buys, builds and delivers beds to children in need. He also sponsors Tackle the Tar, a 5K obstacle course race that raises funds for Rotary Club scholarships awarded to local students.

Nelson created Davenport Autopark’s Community for Life program to give back to local charities on a regular basis. For every new or pre-owned vehicle sold, a portion of the sale is set aside and donated to a different worthy organization each month. A few that have benefitted include Harrison Family YMCA, Christian Fellowship Home of Nash-Edgecomb Counties, Meals on Wheels of Rocky Mount, Down East Partnership for Children, and the Salvation Army.

An advocate for education and local students, Nelson supports the Nash County Public Schools by providing a car for a year to an outstanding teacher during the annual Educator of the Year Awards program. He’s also a board member for the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Tar River Region.

Nelson was nominated for the TIME Dealer of the Year award by T. John Policastro, president of the North Carolina Automobile Dealers Association. Nelson and his wife Stella have a blended family consisting of 4 children and 8 grandchildren.