TIME and Ally Honor Hartford Dealer TIME announced late last year that David Moore, owner of Moore Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram in Hartford, Kentucky, was nominated for the 2026 TIME Dealer of the Year award. Moore was one of a select group of 47 dealer nominees from across the country who were 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. Moore was chosen to represent the Kentucky Automobile Dealer Association in the national competition — one of only 47 auto dealers nominated for the 57th annual award from more than 20,000 nationwide. Moore joined the family enterprise after earning a B.S. in Agricultural Economics from the University of Kentucky (1987) and became a dealer in 2000. His Hartford store of 32 employees leaned into transparency and culture — introducing Moore Value Pricing, paperless transactions and a streamlined digital delivery experience to modernize the process while preserving the personal touch Ohio County customers expect. “My career has been a family journey from day one,” Moore said. “My dad was a man of few words, but the one that stuck was: ‘You have to work for someone — it might as well be your brother.’ I didn’t realize then how much that simple advice would shape a lifetime in this business.” Looking back on a pivotal moment, Moore added, “On April 1, 2000, I took the biggest risk of my career and bought a Ford-Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep-Ram store. I wasn’t chasing a title; I wanted to build a dealership that reflected my values and served a small Kentucky community. That leap changed everything — our store became a true community cornerstone.” As chairman of the Kentucky Automobile Dealers Association (2024-2025), Moore helped lead the passage and implementation of electronic titling statewide, coordinating county clerks, sheriffs and industry partners. “Modernizing titling in Kentucky took a coalition,” he said. “We brought stakeholders to the same table to make transactions faster, cleaner and more secure for every Kentuckian.” His store also invests in workforce pipelines. Moore helped relaunch the automotive technician program at Owensboro Community & Technical College, contributing over $75,000 and partnering on interviews, placements and advocacy — work that has produced dozens of working technicians in the region. “The technician shortage won’t solve itself,” he said. “We put real dollars, real time and real opportunities into young people — and the impact is showing up in shops across the tri-state.” Moore prioritizes team well-being with local wellness center memberships, open dialogue around mental health, paid volunteer time, scholarship support, and matching employee giving. “Wellness isn’t just a gym membership,” he noted. “It’s a culture of respect, balance and listening — because the way we care for our people is the way they’ll care for our customers.” Customer care is personal at Moore Ford Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram. For example, a local family’s daughter had trouble with an “as-is” pre-owned vehicle late on a Friday. The team brought the car in, sourced parts locally, and a technician Recognized for Industry Excellence and Community Service David Moore 28 2026 KADA MEMBERSHIP DIRECTORY
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTg3NDExNQ==