Page 50 - BusinessWest February 20, 2023

Leah Martin Photography
50 FEBRUARY 20, 2023
BusinessWest
Gary Rome,
President,
Gary Rome
Auto Group
When It Comes to Community Involvement, He Puts the Pedal to the Metal
BY GEORGE O’BRIEN
[email protected]
ary Rome says it was like the Oscars — or at least what he’s seen of the Oscars on TV.
He was referring to the recent ceremonies at which he was named TIME magazine Dealer of
the Year.
The Oscars reference was a nod to everything
from the size of the crowd gathered for the National Automotive Dealers Assoc. Show at the Kay Bailey Hutchinson Convention Center in Dallas — roughly 3,000 — to the butterflies that were in his stomach when,
as one of four finalists for the coveted award (from among 48 nominees), he stood on stage awaiting the announcement of the winner.
“If it were up to me, I’d give the money to an organization focused on animals, in honor of Jack. But ... it’s not up to me. It’s not about me; it’s about my team — that’s who I attribute our success to.”
“It was very nerve-wracking,” recalled Rome, who can now add being on the cover of TIME (not to mention BusinessWest) and the back of Automotive News to his long list of accomplishments. “My heart rate was like 100; I was really nervous, and then they pulled out that envelope and said, ‘from Holyoke, Massachusetts, our award winner is Gary Rome.’”
With the Dealer of the Year Award now on prominent display at his Hyundai store, Rome now has an even more crowded calendar for the months ahead. Indeed, representatives of TIME and Ally Financal, sponsor of the program, will be coming to Holyoke to celebrate the award, and officials from Hyundai corporate will be coming in from California to mark the occasion as well.
And he also has a big decision to make — only, he’s