The nomination of John Napoleon, dealer principal of Carson City Hyundai in Carson City for the 2027 TIME Dealer of the Year award was announced today by TIME.
Napoleon is one of a select group of 48 dealer nominees from across the country who will be honored at the 110th annual National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) Show in Orlando, Florida, on February 19, 2027.
The TIME Dealer of the Year award is one of the automobile industry’s most prestigious and highly coveted honors. The award recognizes the nation’s most successful auto dealers who also demonstrate a long-standing commitment to community service. Napoleon was chosen to represent the Nevada Franchised Auto Dealers Association in the national competition – one of only 48 auto dealers nominated for the 58th annual award from more than 20,000 nationwide.
“This nomination is an incredible honor and represents one of the most meaningful milestones of my career,” Napoleon said. “I am proud to represent our employees, customers, community and Nevada’s franchised auto dealers on the national stage.”
Napoleon earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of San
Diego in 1985 and became a certified public accountant in Illinois that same year. He began his professional career as a staff accountant with Peat, Marwick & Mitchell in Chicago before entering automotive retail in 1987 as controller of Patrick Cadillac Co. in Schaumburg, Illinois.
Napoleon’s accounting background became the foundation of a career that eventually
encompassed every major area of dealership operations. An early mentor, dealer Hanley Dawson III, taught him how reliable financial information could guide a management team and strengthen an automotive organization.
“As a young accountant, I learned that accurate and trusted financial reporting is about much more than numbers,” Napoleon said. “It gives leaders the information they need to make sound decisions, build credibility and create a stronger business.”
In 1991, Napoleon became chief financial officer of Lynch Auto Group in Chicago. During his 17-year tenure, he helped rebuild the struggling organization and gained experience in sales, marketing, fixed operations, finance and insurance, dealership acquisitions and factory relations.
“Helping turn around that organization opened the door for me to learn every part of the dealership,” Napoleon said. “Once the team trusted the financial information and trusted me, I was able to expand my knowledge far beyond accounting.”
Napoleon later served as vice president of Marino Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram in Chicago, where he helped build a new dealership operation from the ground up. In 2012, he moved to Nevada to become general manager of Towbin Dodge in Henderson.
Within 15 months, Napoleon helped lead Towbin Dodge to become the nation’s highest-volume Dodge dealership while earning a top-five national ranking for customer satisfaction. Those accomplishments culminated in the Walter P. Chrysler Award in February 2014.
“Moving across the country to take on that role was a major risk, but it became a defining chapter in my career,” Napoleon said. “Reaching the top of the country in sales while maintaining a high standard of customer satisfaction showed what a focused and committed team could accomplish.”
Seeking a new challenge, Napoleon founded The JNAP Group in 2015 to train automotive general managers and controllers and provide consulting services within and beyond the automotive industry.
One consulting engagement brought him to a small Hyundai dealership in Carson City. When its owner decided to leave the industry, Napoleon was offered an opportunity to purchase the store. At age 55, he became a dealer and acquired his first dealership in 2018.
“I had spent decades helping other organizations improve, and the opportunity to become a dealer allowed me to put those experiences into practice within a business of my own,” Napoleon said. “It was the right challenge at the right time.”
Carson City Hyundai is owned in partnership with Lott Auto Land LLC, an investment group led by Pro Football Hall of Famer Ronnie Lott. Napoleon’s son, Dan, is also involved in the automotive industry.
Since acquiring the dealership, Napoleon has transformed its facilities, operations and customer experience. In 2020, Carson City Hyundai completed a comprehensive remodeling of its sales and service departments. The redesigned facility created a shared customer waiting area with direct access to the showroom and helped foster a more integrated, customer-focused culture.
The dealership reported that the improvements contributed to a 4.7-star Google rating, a 90 percent service-retention rate and an 800 percent increase in fixed-operations revenue since 2018.
“Our facility transformation was about creating a dealership centered on the customer,” Napoleon said. “By connecting our sales and service environments, we improved communication, strengthened retention and made every visit more convenient.”
Carson City Hyundai employs 39 people and offers comprehensive medical, dental, vision and supplemental insurance, a 401(k) matching program and paid vacation. Employees also have access to a private break room stocked with complimentary snacks and beverages, free car washes and monthly dealership lunches recognizing employee birthdays.
The dealership’s infant-at-work program helps new parents transition back to work while balancing their careers and growing families.
“Our operating principle is simple: I take care of my employees, and my employees take care of our customers,” Napoleon said. “When we both do our jobs, everyone succeeds.”
Carson City Hyundai extends that philosophy to the customer experience by offering complimentary vehicle washes and vacuuming with every service, free Level 3 electric-vehicle charging during business hours, and a customer lounge stocked with coffee, tea and snacks.
The dealership has earned significant recognition for customer satisfaction, including the highest ranking among Hyundai sales departments in J.D. Power customer satisfaction measurements in January 2026. Its service department achieved the highest ranking among Hyundai dealers for customer satisfaction in March 2025 and May 2023.
In response to high vehicle prices, elevated interest rates and changing consumer demand, Napoleon rebalanced Carson City Hyundai’s inventory by reducing its supply of new vehicles and expanding its pre-owned offerings. The dealership also increased its emphasis on service and parts to create more predictable revenue and improve expense absorption.
To support that strategy, Carson City Hyundai introduced artificial intelligence tools to automate service scheduling and market pre-owned inventory around the clock. It also launched a mobileservice fleet to serve customers at their homes and workplaces.
“We recognized that relying solely on new-vehicle sales created too much risk in the current market,” Napoleon said. “Expanding pre-owned inventory, strengthening fixed operations and bringing service directly to customers have allowed us to diversify revenue while meeting customers where they are.”
In 2025, Carson City Hyundai sold 357 new vehicles and 385 used vehicles. Through July 2026, the dealership sold 160 new vehicles and 253 used vehicles.
Napoleon has been a member of NADA and the Nevada Franchised Auto Dealers Association since 2018. He joined the NADA PAC Presidents Club in 2020 and has participated in an NADA 20 Group since that year, serving as its chairperson in 2025.
Through interviews with NADA’s executive team, Napoleon has shared firsthand insight into the challenges facing Hyundai dealers. He has also worked with fellow dealers in his 20 Group to address industry challenges, exchange effective strategies and support continued financial growth.
“The most valuable industry organizations give dealers an opportunity to learn from one another and advocate with a stronger collective voice,” Napoleon said. “Sharing our experiences helps us find practical solutions that benefit dealers, employees and customers.”
Napoleon’s commitment to community service began early in his automotive career. Shortly after he entered the industry, his newborn son spent two weeks in a neonatal intensive care unit. The dedication of the nursing staff reshaped his understanding of service and inspired him to contribute both financial resources and his personal time to organizations helping others.
“That experience showed me who the true heroes in our communities are,” Napoleon said. “I realized that making a meaningful difference requires more than writing a check. Time is often the most valuable gift we can give.”
Once his children reached school age, Napoleon founded and served as president of their elementary school’s parent-teacher organization and joined his church’s finance committee. He later served on the board of All-Star Special Olympians, an organization that taught gymnastics to children with special needs.
The organization coached athletes who competed internationally, including a gymnast who earned a silver medal in China. Its annual weeklong overnight camp also provided parents and caregivers with respite while offering athletes an empowering experience.
Today, Napoleon serves as treasurer and a school board member for Bailey Charter Elementary School, a Title I school in Reno. The school works with the Katie Grace Foundation to operate a food bank that provides essential resources to students and their families.
“Bailey Charter Elementary is far more than a school,” Napoleon said. “It is a community resource that provides education, nourishment, stability and hope to families who may be struggling to meet their most basic needs.”
Every Friday, the food bank distributes its available inventory to local families. Napoleon considers the weekly demand both a reminder of the challenges facing the community and evidence of the trust families place in the school.
“Watching the food bank shelves empty each week is humbling,” Napoleon said. “It demonstrates the scale of the need, but it also shows what can happen when a school and its community come together to support their neighbors.”
Napoleon has served as an ambassador for Advocates to End Domestic Violence since 2019.
Carson City Hyundai provides financial support and volunteers for the organization’s Taste of Downtown Carson City fundraiser, with approximately one-third of the dealership’s staff typically participating.
Employees are encouraged to support local charities, schools and churches. When scheduling allows, the dealership permits employees to volunteer with organizations important to them without losing pay.
“Our employees are encouraged to remain connected to the causes that matter to them,” Napoleon said. “Community service enriches their lives, strengthens our culture and reminds us that professional success should be balanced with service to others.”
Napoleon has also served as an ambassador for the Brewery Arts Center since 2021. Carson City Hyundai is a primary sponsor of the center’s free summer concert series, which brings residents together each Saturday night while providing artists with a platform to showcase their work. “Arts, education and community organizations make Carson City a stronger place to live and work,” Napoleon said. “Supporting those organizations gives us a chance to connect with our neighbors and contribute to the community that supports our dealership.”
Dealers are nominated by the executives of state and metro dealer associations around the country. 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. Three finalists will receive $5,000 for their favorite charities and the winner will receive $10,000 to give to charity, donated by Ally.
In its 16th year as exclusive sponsor, Ally also will recognize dealer nominees and their community efforts by contributing $1,000 to each nominee’s 501(c)3 charity of choice. Nominees will be recognized on AllyDealerHeroes.com, which highlights the philanthropic contributions and achievements of TIME Dealer of the Year nominees.
“The TIME Dealer of the Year program recognizes dealers who pair excellence in the automotive industry with an enduring commitment to the communities they serve,” said Jessica Sibley, CEO of TIME. “TIME is proud to partner with Ally to celebrate their achievements and spotlight the standard of leadership they set across the country.”
“Great dealerships are built by people, and the 2027 TIME Dealer of the Year nominees prove it,” said Doug Timmerman, President of Dealer Financial Services, Ally Financial. “These leaders invest in the teams who help customers through one of the biggest purchases of their lives and show up for the communities they call home. We’ve seen it firsthand at Ally, where dealers who lead this way do it not for recognition, but because it’s who they are. That’s what it means to do it right, and we’re proud to celebrate it.”
Napoleon was nominated for the TIME Dealer of the Year award by Andrew MacKay, Executive Director of the Nevada Franchised Auto Dealers Association. He and his wife, Donna, have three children: Joe, Jaime and Dan.
