Diane Sauer Named as Finalist for 2016 TIME Dealer of the Year Award

Each year the National Automobile Dealers Association, TIME, and Ally team up to celebrate the extraordinary contribution of auto dealers within their communities. TIME Dealer of the Year is an annual celebration of the finest representatives of our industry – those who continuously embody a steadfast charitable spirit. Out a total of 50 nominees for this year’s award, 4 finalists were selected. One of those finalists was Ohio’s very own Diane Sauer of Diane Sauer Chevrolet, Inc. in Warren, Ohio. 

“The retail automobile business has given me the opportunity to be of service to others,” Sauer said. “When our customers need assistance, and when my staff is courteous, prompt and efficient, the customers are so very grateful. My employees and their families are also appreciative of the jobs we provide.”

Sauer graduated from Coldwater High School in Coldwater, Ohio, in 1972. She earned a B.S. in business administration in 1975 from The Ohio State University in Columbus, where she majored in accounting and was a member of Phi Beta Chi, an honorary fraternity for women in business.

Upon graduation, Sauer took a job as an accounting clerk at Martin Chevrolet in Warren, Ohio, a move that would set her on a successful career path in the retail automotive business. “My starting wage was $2.25 an hour, a nickel over minimum wage,” Sauer remembered. She rose to office manager in 1977 and general manager in 1983, giving her experience in different areas of the dealership. In 1994, Sauer became the dealer and by 2004, she owned the dealership, renaming it Sauer Chevrolet. Today, her son, Matthew, works for the business and daughter, Gretchen, is employed by the Ford Motor Company.

Inspired by her own non-traditional choice of careers, Sauer is committed to helping women succeed in out-of-the-box professions. Working with Ohio’s Kent State University at Trumbull (a branch campus), she participates in “The Road Not Taken” program, which allows high school female sophomores who excel in math and science to interact with women trailblazers in the community. Sauer has also established the Diane R. Sauer Undergraduate Scholarship at The Ohio State University Fisher College of Business which supports students from Trumbull and Mercer counties (her current home and childhood home, respectively) who are pursuing degrees in non-traditional fields.

Sauer has been an active member of the Rotary Club of Warren since 1988. Her most important civic achievement is the creation of the Warren Community Amphitheatre, which was launched while she was the first female president of the Rotary Club from 1997 to 1998. Sauer is also a charter member of the Trumbull 100, a group of community philanthropists who contribute $1,500 annually and earmark the funds for local projects that beautify the region, improve facilities and stimulate economic development. A recipient of numerous awards and civic honors, Sauer is most proud of earning the Pace Setters Executive Award from The Ohio State University Fisher College of Business in 1997. 

Sauer was nominated for the TIME Dealer of the Year award by Stephen J. Chos, executive vice president of the Automobile Dealers Association of Eastern Ohio. She and her husband, Kurt, have two children. OADA wishes to congratulate Diane on this outstanding achievement!  She is an exemplary model of dealers doing good for their customers, employees, and communities.

To read more about Dianne Sauer, TIME Dealer of the Year Mary Catherine Van Bortel, and the other nominees, CLICK HERE.