TIME and Ally Financial Honor Texas Dealer Ben Keating Wins National Recognition for Community Service and Industry Accomplishments The nomination of Ben Keating, president and dealer operator at Toyota of Victoria in Victoria, Texas, for the 2024 TIME Dealer of the Year award was announced by TIME. Keating is one of a select group of 49 dealer nominees from across the country who was honored at the 107th annual National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) Show in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Feb. 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 longstanding commitment to community service. Keating was chosen to represent the Texas 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 view the retail auto business as a calling,” nominee Keating said. “I find it rewarding to help committed and talented people become more successful in our industry. And I am passionate about representing car dealers in a positive light while attracting younger people to our profession.” Although Keating was born into a dealership family — his father and grandfather both ran Texas stores — he studied industrial engineering and earned a B.S. from Texas A&M University in College Station in 1994. After an internship in an insurance company that worked with car dealerships, he found a renewed passion for his family’s business. “I was so motivated with what I saw at many of the dealerships we serviced that I decided I could make an impact in this business and be very successful,” he said. “I began selling cars in Austin, Texas, after college and due to my work ethic, I was named salesperson of the month during my first month of employment.” Keating returned to his father’s dealership, Tomball Ford, in 1996 and began to study all aspects of the operation. With big dreams and big ideas, he left there after purchasing his first store. He acquired more and more dealerships, turning underperforming stores into successful businesses. Today, the Keating Auto Group encompasses 28 dealerships throughout Texas representing multiple brands. “I am now lucky enough to call myself a third-generation dealer,” Keating said. “Even though I didn’t recognize it at the time, my family being in the car business had a dramatic effect on me. It gave me a head start mostly because of the mindset — I could envision the visible path to achieving my goals.” And those ambitions also reach outside of the dealership walls as Keating is an accomplished racing driver who won the 2022 and 2023 GT-AM class in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, among other prestigious races. “I have represented the retail automotive industry both on the track and off,” he said. “Racing provides a positive platform for our business, and it has proven to be a great way to attract people.” In the area of community service, Keating is most proud of bringing Young Life, a faith-based organization for teens, to Victoria. He sponsors the Chick-fil-A 5K/10K & Kids Fun Run, benefitting Young Life Victoria. “My wife and I are on the founding committee and continue to be involved,” he said. “We started small with a few volunteers in one high school, and today, Young Life Victoria is in three high schools.” continued on page 16 DEALERS’ CHOICE 14
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