California
| Henry Hansel | State/Metro Winners | |
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ORLANDO, Fla., Feb. 13, 2010 – Henry Hansel, President of Hansel Ford Lincoln-Mercury, a Ford, Lincoln and Mercury dealership in Santa Rosa, Calif., was named the TIME Magazine Dealer of the Year from California.
Hansel was chosen to represent the California New Car Dealers Association in the national competition. The award is sponsored by TIME Magazine in association with Goodyear, and in cooperation with NADA. A panel of faculty members from the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan selects one finalist from each of the four NADA regions and one national Dealer of the Year.
“I must say that I am really not motivated by awards,” says Hansel, “Seeing that my actions or my financial support is actually improving someone's life or having a positive impact in the community is my reward.”
Hansel graduated from Bellarmine College Prepatory High School in San Jose, CA, in 1966, and then earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics at the University of Santa Clara in 1970. He spent four years as a computer hardware sales representative for Memorex in Santa Clara, before switching to the family business. “In October 1974, I began working at Bishop-Hansel Ford in Santa Rosa at the request of my father, Walter Hansel, the Dealer Principal,” explains Hansel. “The dealership was struggling both financially and in market share; I was asked to join the family business with the hope that we could turn things around.”
By visiting and studying many successful dealerships, Hansel and his late father developed a game plan that returned Bishop-Hansel Ford to profitability and market leadership. “I have been involved in dealership management since that time,” says Hansel, “and continue today to be actively involved in the management and direction of all of the dealerships in the Hansel Auto Group.” Hansel’s brothers, Chuck and Stephen, have retired from the family operation, but Hansel’s son, Justin, is now an active partner too. In 2008, Hansel was voted “The Best of the Best” in the Auto Dealer category (the first year for the category) by the readers of The Bohemian Newspaper.
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ALABAMA - G. Wayne Gargus |
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