Press Release : October 2014

Joe Lamphier Receives Ted Williams Award for Philanthropic Work and Impact on the Community

Joe Lamphier, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for the Crown Automotive Group, was recently honored with the Ted Williams award from the Pediatric Cancer Foundation. The award recognizes those who make an impact on the local community.

On Friday, October 17th, Joe Lamphier, Group Vice President Sales & Marketing for Crown Automotive Group, received the prestigious Ted Williams award, an honor created to recognize individuals whose love of the great outdoors is only surpassed by their commitment to making a difference in the community. This award was given during the 17th Annual Yerrid Foundation Grand Slam Fishing Tournament presented by Bonefish Grill, a weekend-long event raising funds and awareness for the Pediatric Cancer Foundation (PCF).

In honor of the accomplishments Ted Williams made beyond the baseball diamond and in the lives of children, the Pediatric Cancer Foundation bestows this award to individuals who embody that spirit and continue to make a significant impact on the community.

Joe Lamphier encompasses what the Ted Williams award represents. Lamphier joined PCF over 20 years ago and has participated on the Grand Slam Committee since the very beginning. He currently serves on PCF’s Board of Directors and he has a passion for the outdoors and great adventures through cycling. He has a deep personal connection to pediatric cancer, which has made his commitment to the cause so enduring.

“Joe Lamphier is dedicated to finding a cure for childhood cancers. He is truly deserving of the Ted Williams Award. The Pediatric Cancer Foundation would like to recognize and thank Joe for his strong support, guidance, and vision over the last 20 years,” said Nancy Crane, Executive Director of PCF.

Lamphier is among a prestigious group of recipients over the award’s 17 year history. Past recipients include:

1998 – Curt Gowdy
1999 – Steve Yerrid
2000 – Dr. Cameron Tebbi
2001 – Frank Sargeant
2002 – Wade Boggs
2003 – Stu Apte
2004 – John Havlicek
2005 – Chuck LaMar
2006 – Brad Richards
2007 – Bill Miller
2008 – John Tortorella
2009 – Steve Stanley
2010 – Melissa Helms
2011 – Vincent Lecavalier
2012 – Wade Davis
2012 – Joe Maddon
2013 – Jeremy Persinger
2014 – Joe Lamphier

About the Pediatric Cancer Foundation:

With its national headquarters in Tampa, the Pediatric Cancer Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to funding research to eliminate childhood cancer through the Sunshine Project, the Foundation’s collaborative research initiative. By employing doctors and researchers from the country’s top institutions, the Sunshine Project is fast-tracking the development of new drugs and therapies that will ultimately lead to the cure of childhood cancers. For more information, go to http://www.fastercure.org.

Pinellas Education Foundation Named No. 1 in Country | Crown Automotive Group

The Pinellas Education Foundation was recently named the No. 1 K-12 education foundation in the U.S.. Crown Automotive Group’s President and COO Jim Myers served as the foundation’s Chairman for the 2012-2014 term.

ST. PETERSBURG, FLORIDA –- The Pinellas Education Foundation, of which Crown Automotive Group President and COO Jim Myers was Chairman, was recently named the No. 1 K-12 education foundation in the U.S. in a survey conducted by Tampa-based management and strategy consulting firm Dewey & Associates.

The survey, titled “Stepping Up: The Top Education Foundations in the Nation,” evaluated education foundations in the nation’s 100 largest school districts using a number of metrics, including annual revenues, revenues per student, total assets, assets per student, investment income, total program expenses, expenses per student and volunteers. This data was pulled from the non-profits’ 990 filings with the U.S. Internal Revenue Service. While the Pinellas Education Foundation ranked No. 1, twelve total foundations in the state of Florida made the list’s top 50, making this an impressive showing for the state.

“All of us at the Pinellas Education Foundation are incredibly proud and honored by this recognition,” said Myers. “We work hard to provide students throughout the Pinellas area with the resources and opportunities they need to succeed, and it’s gratifying to see the efforts of so many recognized in this way.”

Founded in 1986, the Pinellas Education Foundation is a coalition of local community members and businesses that works diligently to enhance and improve the educational opportunities afforded to Pinellas County Schools students. To learn more about the Pinellas Education Foundation and how it enables students in the Tampa Bay area to succeed, and to find out how you can get involved, please visit the website at http://www.pinellaseducation.org.

Crown Automotive Group CEO Dwayne Hawkins Nominated for Prestigious Dealer of the Year Award

Dwayne Hawkins, dealer principal, chairman and CEO of Crown Jaguar in St. Petersburg, Florida and CEO of Crown Automotive Group has been nominated for the 2015 TIME Dealer of the Year Awards.

ST. PETERSBURG, FLORIDA –-The Crown Automotive Group is proud to announce that Dwayne Hawkins, the dealer principal, chairman and CEO of Crown Jaguar and the CEO of Crown Automotive Group, has recently been nominated for the 2015 TIME Dealer of the Year Awards.

Hawkins has worked in the automotive industry for 52 years, and as a dealer for the past 45. In addition to serving as CEO of Crown Automotive Group, which boasts 19 dealerships in Florida, Tennessee and Ohio, he is committed to working to better the local communities in which his dealerships reside. He has supported education as an active member of the Pinellas Education Foundation, and has served as a major contributor to cancer research as a member of the Board of the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Florida. He is a supporter of the Pediatric Cancer Foundation, and currently sits on the Board of All Children’s Hospital. Hawkins was chosen to represent the Florida Automobile Dealers Association in the competition.

“It truly was an honor to receive this nomination,” said Hawkins. “I take great pride in my work within the automotive industry as well as my work within the local community, and I’m grateful and humbled to be recognized for that work by such a renowned institution.”

The TIME Dealer of the Year Awards, among the most prestigious awards in the automotive industry, are sponsored by TIME in association with Ally Financial, in cooperation with NADA.

“The dealers nominated for this award are dedicated business owners, auto lovers and, most importantly, champions for their local communities, with a willingness to give back on a grand scale,” said Tim Russi, president of Auto Finance for Ally Financial. “Ally is proud to honor and support these dealers as they work today and tomorrow to build better places to live, work and do business.”

The 55 dealers nominated for the TIME Dealer of the Year Awards will be honored at the 98th annual National Automobile Dealers Association Convention & Expo on January 23, 2015 in San Francisco. Faculty members from the Tauber Institute for Global Operations at the University of Michigan will choose one finalist from each NADA region, as well as one dealer to be named national Dealer of the Year.

Crown Automotive Group’s Jim Myers Spoke at Pinellas Education Foundation Symposium

Jim Myers, President and COO of Crown Automotive Group and immediate past Chairman of the Pinellas Education Foundation, recently spoke at the Foundation’s symposium, titled “Why Are We Losing Our Boys?”

ST. PETERSBURG, FLORIDA –-Jim Myers, President and COO of Crown Automotive Group, spoke Tuesday night at a symposium held by the Pinellas Education Foundation titled “Why Are We Losing Our Boys?” Myers is the immediate past Chairman of the Foundation.

The symposium, aimed at raising awareness about issues affecting school-aged boys, took place at St. Petersburg College’s Seminole Campus. Discussions focused on the gender achievement gap that has developed within education, which has resulted in fewer boys than girls graduating high school and attending college. It also featured a panel that included Robert Weaver, Dr. Javier Cuevas, Judy Owen and Richard Jacobs.

The group also released a white paper written by retired lawyer Jacobs about the issues affecting boys in schools, including cuts to physical education, zero tolerance discipline policies and rising standards in academics.

Myers has been involved with the Pinellas Education Foundation, a group which strives to improve educational opportunities afforded to children throughout the Tampa Bay community, for 10 years.

“It’s incredibly important that we raise awareness and discussion about the issues that affect the children in our community,” said Myers. “The gender gap is alarming, and it will have ramifications for the next several decades if we do not do something to change the way we educate and discipline boys within the system.”

Those interested in learning more about the issue at hand, or working with the Pinellas Education Foundation to build a better future for children, can visit http://www.pinellaseducation.org.