Former CATA Chairman Michael Ettleson has been nominated for 2024 TIME Dealer of the Year award. Ettleson is one of a select group of 49 dealer nominees from across the country who will be honored at the 107th annual National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) Show in Las Vegas, Nevada, on February 3, 2024.

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. Ettleson was chosen to represent the Illinois Automobile Dealers Association in the national competition – one of only 49 auto dealers nominated for the 55th annual award from more than 16,000 nationwide.

“I have been fortunate to have good people support me in business, a loving wife of 42 years, and a wonderful family,” nominee Ettleson said. “An Ettleson dealership has been in the Chicago area since 1968, and I am proud to continue our family’s legacy of employee longevity, honesty in pricing, and outstanding service to our customers.”

An active member in his state and local dealer associations, Ettleson has served on the board of the Illinois Automobile Dealers Association since 2015 and was chair of the group in 2020. He has also provided his leadership to the Chicago Automobile Trade Association (CATA) as a member of the board, chair of the board, and chair of the Chicago Auto Show.

In 2023, he partnered with the CATA to raise money for local service people and their families through the Chicago Automobile Trade Association’s USO BBQ for the Troops. The dealership joined more than 80 Chicago stores to offer hot dogs and burgers to visitors and raise funds for the USO Illinois.

Of all Ettleson’s good works, he is most proud of his time working with Helping Hand, where he served on the board of directors from 1995 to 2010 and policy board from 2010 to 2018. The organization provides services to children and adults with developmental disabilities and offers employment opportunities, community living options, and day programs.

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.

Ettleson was jointly nominated for the TIME Dealer of the Year award by the Chicago Automobile Trade Association and the Illinois Automobile Dealers Association. He and his wife, Jeri, have four children.