Ally Supplement - December 14, 2020 - S10

rick desilva jr.

kathleen gaddie.

Owner
Liberty Subaru; Emerson, NJ

Dealer Principal
Jim Ryan Chevrolet; Minot, ND

Nominated by Jim Appleton, New Jersey
Coalition of Automotive Retailers

Nominated by Matthew Larsgaard, Automobile
Dealers Association of North Dakota

When Rick DeSilva Jr.'s first-grade teacher asked him to draw a
picture of what he wanted to be when he grew up, DeSilva drew a
picture of a car dealer-which is now framed and hanging in his
office. DeSilva grew up working in the family Subaru dealership.
After interning and working in corporate jobs for Subaru and
Toyota, he returned to the family business in 2003. DeSilva chaired
the New Jersey Coalition of Automotive Retailers in 2017 and
founded the group's NextGen Committee for younger dealers.
He was elected to the Board of Education in his hometown of
Mahwah Township in 2012 and currently is first vice president.

jim fisher.
Owner and General Manager
Jim Fisher Volvo; Portland, OR
Nominated by Greg Remensperger, Oregon Auto
Dealers Association

Jim Fisher and his sister run the dealership their father established
in 1957, when Volvo was just being introduced to the U.S. He has
been a member of the board of the Metro Portland New Car
Dealers Association since 1995, including two years as president.
Fisher Volvo is involved with the Portland International Auto Show's
charitable efforts and is the lead auto sponsor of the Portland
Marathon. The company has sponsored the Oregon Health &
Science University's annual fundraiser for Doernbecher Children's
Hospital since the event's inception in 2004. The program gives
young patients the chance to work with Nike designers to create
shoes and apparel sold online.

omnia fowler.
Dealer Principal
Modern Toyota; Winston-Salem, NC
Nominated by Robert Glaser, North Carolina
Automobile Dealers Association

After graduating from college, Omnia Fowler came home to work
at the dealership founded by his grandfather in 1933. Today,
Modern Automotive Group encompasses 15 North Carolina stores.
Fowler has worked on ad and advisory boards for Toyota and is on
the board of the North Carolina Automobile Dealers Association,
which he chaired in 2013. For 20 years, Fowler has hosted the
Modern Toyota Golf Classic to benefit local charities-notably
ABC of NC, a school for autistic children including his son, Wyatt.
He also worked with Forsyth Tech Community College to create a
Toyota/Lexus program that provides state-of-the-art diagnostic
and repair training.

10 | ally | DECEMBER 2020

After graduating from college, Kathleen Gaddie worked as a
teacher. But not long after her husband, Michael, joined her father's
dealership, Gaddie followed. Initially working in customer service and
marketing, she transitioned into sales management and was named
dealer operator in 1996. She and her husband have expanded the
Ryan Family of Dealerships to five stores; their three children work
in the company as well. Gaddie chaired the Automobile Dealers
Association of North Dakota in 2018-19. For 28 years, she has been
on the board of Kalix, a Minot organization supporting people with
special needs, and also is a trustee for the Bishop Ryan Catholic
School Foundation and the University of Mary in Bismarck.

steve gates.
Dealer Principal
Toyota South; Richmond, KY
Nominated by Gay Williams, Kentucky
Automobile Dealers Association

Steve Gates followed the path into auto retailing that was carved
by his father and grandfather, the latter of whom launched a
DeSoto store in 1915. After college graduation, Gates worked in
several auto jobs before partnering with Bob McKamey in Toyota
South. Today the Gates Auto Family encompasses 10 dealerships
in three states. Gates serves on the Toyota National Dealer Council
and the Toyota National Product Advisory Council and is the
incoming chair of the American International Automobile Dealers
Association. His philanthropic focus is improving the lives of
children in central Kentucky by supporting organizations including
Secret Families Christmas Charities, the Lexington Dream Factory
and Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Bluegrass.

chris hemmersmeier.
President and CEO
Jerry Seiner Chevrolet; Salt Lake City, UT
Nominated by Craig A. Bickmore, New Car
Dealers of Utah

Chris Hemmersmeier was waiting to enter law school when he started
selling cars at his father-in-law's dealership in Utah. He never left.
Hemmersmeier was named general manager in 1997 and by 2012
was majority owner of the dealership group, which today comprises
eight stores in Utah and Arizona. He has served as president and vice
president of the New Car Dealers of Utah and currently chairs the
group's legislative committee. Hemmersmeier says he feels fortunate
to have received an excellent education. As a consequence, his
philanthropic emphasis is causes that support educational initiatives.
He's on the board of the Madeleine Choir School and the advisory
board of the College of Fine Arts at the University of Utah.
Ally Supplement - December 14, 2020

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