The nomination of Marshall Jespersen, owner of Dover Honda (Dover, New Hampshire), for the 2026 TIME Dealer of the Year award was announced this past October by TIME. Jespersen is one of a select group of 47 dealer nominees from across the country who will be honored at the 109th annual National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) Show in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Feb. 5, 2026. 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. Jespersen was chosen to represent the New Hampshire Automobile Dealers Association in the national competition — one of only 47 auto dealers nominated for the 57th annual award from more than 20,000 nationwide. Jespersen took the helm of a struggling Dover Honda in 1988 and rebuilt it with an owner-operator’s heart and an engineer’s discipline — earning an MBA from the University of New Hampshire (1991) and joining a NADA 20 Group to modernize operations. “I took over a failing store with zero automotive experience — and my first smart move was to admit what I didn’t know,” Jespersen said. “I joined a 20 Group, enrolled in an MBA and listened to mentors. That humility and willingness to learn saved the business and shaped our culture.” Believing great companies are built by great people, Jespersen transitioned Dover Honda to an employee-owned enterprise — now 43% ESOP-owned — and implemented open-book management so every employee understands how the business performs and shares in its success. “Open-book management was the biggest risk of my career — full transparency, equal profit sharing from CEO to porter,” he said. “The payoff has been TIME AND ALLY FINANCIAL HONOR DOVER DEALER MARSHALL JESPERSEN Winning National Recognition for Community Service and Industry Accomplishments 8
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