Plymouth Man in Line for TIME Dealer of the Year Award

PLYMOUTH, MI – A Plymouth car dealer is a contender for the 2016 TIME Dealer of the Year award, the magazine announced.

Scott LaRiche, president of Lou LaRiche Chevrolet in Plymouth, is one of 50 dealers from across the country who will be honored at the 99th annual National Automobile Dealers Association Convention & Exposition in Las Vegas, Nevada, on April 1.

The announcement of this year’s nominees was made by TIME publisher Meredith Long and Tim Russi, president of Auto Finance for Ally Financial.

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“The TIME Dealer of the Year award nominees are business leaders and pillars of their communities, who have each given generously to support important charitable causes,” Russi said in a news release. “Ally is proud to honor these dealersand to recognize their commitment to making a difference.”

In its fifth 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.

TIME Dealer of the Year recipients are among the nation’s most successful auto dealers who also demonstrate a long-standing commitment to community service.

LaRiche, 57, was chosen to represent the Detroit Auto Dealers Association in the national competition — one of only 50 auto dealers from 16,000 nationwide – nominated for the 47th annual award. 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.

“As a community-oriented dealership, we have become more than just a local business, we’re part of the fabric of the community,” LaRiche said. “And as such, we feel it’s important to give back in as many ways as possible.”

A 1977 graduate of Plymouth Salem High School in Canton, Michigan, LaRiche studied communications and business at Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti, where he was a member of the 1978 national championship forensic speech team. His first job in the retail automotive business was at LaRiche Chevrolet, founded by his father in 1970.

“I was 14 years old, and my job was cleaning out the collection sewer beside the wash rack by crawling in and shoveling out sludge,” he said. “After that, there was literally nowhere to go but up.”

And he did, progressing from cleaning floors to working as a car porter and service porter, moving from one department to the next.

That know-how came to good use when he opened a Subaru dealership with his brother in Findlay, Ohio, in 1981, eventually adding a Subaru franchise in Plymouth and a Toyota dealership in Findlay. In 1996, LaRiche returned to Plymouth to buy into his father’s dealership.

“I am extremely proud to say that we are in the process of transitioning to the next generation,” he said. “I’ve had the benefit of helping to move this business forward with the guidance of a great auto dealer, my father Lou, and I hope to fill that same role with my son, Steven, who will carry on a proud family and community tradition.”

That community has benefitted greatly from LaRiche’s involvement.

He supports youth baseball, the community theater, life-saving blood drives, literacy campaigns and the Thin Blue Line of Michigan (a police support organization) among other worthy efforts.

His association with the Miracle League of Plymouth, a charitable organization that gives children with mental and physical disabilities an opportunity to play baseball as a team member in an organized league, is particularly meaningful.

“I was personally involved in fundraising for the construction of the specially designed baseball diamond in Plymouth,” he said. “It is dedicated to helping these young people actively enjoy America’s pastime, and it shows these children, their parents and the community, that they are kids just like everyone else. It breaks down barriers, bridging cultural and social gaps to create friendships that otherwise may not have been.”

While president of the Detroit Auto Dealers Association, LaRiche was proud to be involved with the Courageous Persuaders program, a scholarship competition that challenges high school students to make a short public service video on the dangers of underage drinking geared to middle school students.

“The program aims to reduce the statistics related to underage drinking and the tragic accidents they cause,” LaRiche said. “My retail automotive career has been exceptionally satisfying, and it’s an honor to be able to help in so many ways.”

LaRiche was nominated for the TIME Dealer of the Year award by Rod Alberts, executive director of the Detroit Auto Dealers Association. He and his wife, Dawn, have three children.

» Photo via North American International Auto Show media room