Jimmy Pattison honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award for his 50-year presence and contributions to the car dealer industry.
Legendary dealer Jimmy Pattison honoured at gala event in B.C.
It was all about horn blowing at the Jimmy Pattison night hosted by the New Car Dealers Association of B.C. where 300 of the province’s leading dealers turned up to honour the man who is CEO and president of the largest auto group in B.C. as well as others that had made industry contributions.
The highlight at the September 19 dinner held at the Vancouver Fairmont Hotel was when jazz band leader Dal Richardson convinced the iconic Pattison to grab his trumpet and join him on his saxophone in a number during the dinner event. “It was a lot of fun,” said Blair Qualey, President of the New Car Dealers Association of B.C., seeing the two long-time friends horn blow together.
The dinner was followed by a ceremony where Pattison was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award for his 50-year presence and contributions to the car dealer industry. “This is the first award given out and will be part of our Dealers of Excellence Awards, where we will be asking members to tell us about members whom they believe are deserving,” said Qualey, adding that the board of directors are currently finalizing the various categories. However, it seemed fitting that Pattison should be the first recipient of this new series of awards, he said.
Qualey said the evening was also to honour Pattison and three other members who came forward five years ago to establish a foundation that provided scholarships to young individuals and employees who wanted to pursue their education in the automotive industry. “When I came here,” said Qualey, “I realized that these individuals had never been recognized for their contributions.”
The event recognized the financial contributions made by Pattison of the Pattison Auto Group, Manse Binkley of Harmony Honda in Kelowna, Marnie Carter of the Carter Auto Group in the Lower Mainland, and Christian Chia of OpenRoad Auto Group in the Lower Mainland. Each of the four were given a Chairman’s Award with the presentation made by NCDABC chairman Jim Inkster.
The recipient of this year’s endowment (The Car Career BC Scholarship Award) is Dylan Martyn, a second time recipient, and student who is pursuing a career in the automotive industry. Foundation chair Marnie Carter made the presentation.
In a recent article that celebrates Canada’s best and brightest, Canadian Business magazine ranked Pattison as the fifth richest man in Canada, with a net worth of approximately $5.73 billion. He built the Jim Pattison Group from a small GM dealership on Main Street in Vancouver in 1961 and this year celebrated its 50th year in business. The group is now British Columbia’s #1 automotive retailer, representing nine brands and 18 locations.
