Brett Russell of Russell Chevrolet in Sherwood was recently nominated for the 2016 TIME Dealer of the Year Award.
He and the 49 other nominees chosen from 16,000 dealers nationwide will be honored Friday for their success and long-standing commitment to community service at the 99th annual National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) Convention in Las Vegas.
Ally Financial, the exclusive sponsor, will recognize nominees and their community efforts by contributing $1,000 to each nominee’s charity of choice.
“I find it very rewarding to carry on the family tradition of civic and charitable involvement,” Russell said. “Examples of professionalism and ethics were instilled in me by my grandfather and father, both of whom were recognized by the TIME Dealer of the Year awards for their community contributions.”
After graduating from Northeast High School in North Little Rock and the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, he joined the family’s dealership in 1991. But Russell started working in the service department there at age 14.
The dealer recently donated a portion of each vehicle sold — a total of $32,000 — to the Humane Society of Pulaski County, a no-kill animal shelter.
Russell provides funds annually for his employees and friends to walk in the local Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure.
He also supports CARTI Cancer Center in Little Rock, Boys and Girls Clubs of Central Arkansas and the Sherwood Fire Department. He provides vehicles for the North Little Rock School District’s driver’s education program and the University of Arkansas athletic department and funds a scholarship for a North Little Rock High School senior.
While Russell has received various recognitions for service, he says the greatest reward is knowing that he’s made a difference.
“I’m just very satisfied that we are giving back to the community,” the dealer said.
He has also been involved with the Boy Scouts of America Quapaw Area Council, North Little Rock Police Department’s Citizen Police Academy, North Little Rock Chamber of Commerce, Little Rock Regional Chamber of Commerce, Leadership Greater Little Rock, Little Rock Executives’ Association and North Little Rock Housing Authority.
