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Texas Auto Dealer Mike Shaw Named2012 NationalAuto Dealer of the YearMike Shaw, dealer principal ofFernandez Honda in San Antonio,Mike Shaw Toyota and MikeShaw Kia in Corpus Christi, hasbeen named the 2012 NationalTIME Dealer of the Year.Shaw received this honor out of aselect group of dealers from acrossthe country recognized at the 95thannual NADA Convention & Expositionin Las Vegas on Saturday, February 4.The TIME Dealer of the Year awardis one of the automobile industry’s mostprestigious and highly coveted honors.Recipients are among the nation’s mostsuccessful auto dealers who must alsodemonstrate a long-standing commitmentto community service.Shaw, 65, was chosen to represent theColorado Automobile Dealers Associationin the national competition – one of only50 auto dealers, from 17,000 nationwide,nominated for the 43rd annual award.A panel of faculty members from theRoss School of Business at the Universityof Michigan selects one finalist fromeach of the four NADA regions and onenational Dealer of the Year.“My mantra in business is that qualitycomes first, customers are always the focusand integrity is never compromised,”Shaw said. A 1964 graduate of WeslacoHigh School in Weslaco, Texas, Shawearned a degree in business managementat Texas A&M University, where he was adistinguished military student and graduate.He later served as an officer in the U.S.Army and spent one year in Vietnam beforereturning home to refocus his career inthe automotive industry, where he workedbefore leaving for service. “I fell in lovewith the car business and knew instantlythat was where I belonged,” he says.After managing and owning a string ofdealerships, he launched the “Mike Shaw”branded stores in 1994 with Mike ShawChevrolet Saab in Denver. Today, he hassix other dealerships in Colorado, Louisianaand Texas. “My actions and ethicsas a dealer have helped me become one ofthe largest minority-owned car dealers inthe nation,” Shaw explains. His two sonsalso work for the business.In the area of community service,Shaw incorporates his business expertiseto advance his philanthropic causes.“Family, ethical behavior and educationare values that have guided me to success,”he says. “I am in the business of selling,and I bring those same skills to the communityorganizations I serve.” In fact, hehelped the Boy Scouts turn their popcornfundraiser from a $200,000 program intoa $3 million bonanza. “I set it up as if itwas one of my dealerships and the Scoutswere salesmen,” Shaw says.For the past 17 years, he’s been involvedwith numerous projects and organizations,including Boys & Girls Clubsof America, Urban League of Denver,Make-A-Wish Foundation, ColoradoAids Walk, Food Bank of the Rockies,American Cancer Society (golf classic),Crime Stoppers, Executive Women Internationaland Seniors Inc., to name afew. His efforts have garnered numerousawards, but the one that means the mostto him is the Scouting…Vale La Pena!award, a national Boy Scout award givenfor service to Hispanic-American/Latinoyouth. “I am honored and humbled asthe first recipient,” Shaw said. “Sincefrom an early age the Boy Scouts wereinstrumental in molding me and instillingmy ethical and core values, it is such anhonor to be recognized for giving backand impacting the lives of our futureleaders in this way.”He has also been an advisor andserved on the boards of the NationalWestern Stock Show, St. Joseph HospitalFoundation, Denver Zoological Foundation,Texas State Aquarium, KempeFoundation and many others, as wellas spearheading numerous fundraisingevents. Shaw says, “I am a person whodeeply cares about kids and their education,especially kids who come fromlow-income backgrounds. I am convincedthe key to success is education, and thus,my commitment to kids and education isa driving force. I also believe that whatyou give, you get back tenfold.”Shaw and his wife, Nancy, have threechildren and three grandchildren. He wasnominated for the TIME Dealer of theYear Award by Tim Jackson, presidentof the Colorado Automobile Dealers Association.2012 SPRING 27