Jack Taylor, president, Jack Taylor's Alexandria Toyota Inc., was named 2003 Business Leader of the Year by the Alexandria Chamber of Commerce. The award was given at its annual Business Awards Dinner last Friday night, with more than 300 attending.
The 10th annual awards ceremony honored the business leader who has demonstrated exceptional business success and leadership, as well as community involvement. The event was established to honor both the Business Leader of the Year and Alexandria's outstanding small businesses.
The top award for Best Small Business of the Year went to Belmont Design, Inc. nancy and Dennis Belmont were on hand to accept the honors.
A Northern Virginia native, Taylor plays an active role in the automobile industry. In 1991, he was among a handful of concerned dealers who established an independent political action committee [AFIT PAC] to assure that dealers had a voice in electing free-trade-oriented members to the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate.
In accepting the award, Taylor said, "I'm very appreciative of this honor, but there are also a lot of people in this city who don't get honored who do a great deal of good. I have supported a lot of activities and will continue to do so."
TAYLOR WAS THE first chairman of The Lexus National Dealers Council and served four years on the Toyota National Dealers Council, including a term as vice chairman. He has also served as a member and chairman of the Toyota Dealer Regional Advisory Board. He currently sits on the Toyota Regional and Local Advertising Board.
According to the Chamber's selection committee, Taylor has "focused much of his considerable energies on giving back to the community." In 1997, community leaders voted him the recipient of the Heart of the Community Award, and in 1999 he won the first Alexandria Corporate Philanthropy Award, which is sponsored by the Alexandria Volunteer Bureau in conjunction with the Chamber of Commerce.
Taylor has raised more than $500,000 for Hospice of Northern Virginia and has established several scholarships for Northern Virginia students. He donates $200 per month to Generations Closet, which provides clothing to women transitioning from welfare to work.
SINCE ITS 1991 inception, Alexandria Toyota has been a primary sponsor of Art on the Avenue in Del Ray. Other involvements include Stop Child Abuse Now, Alexandria city schools, Network Preschool, Salvation Army, Special Olympics, Carpenter's Shelter, and numerous sports programs.
A 1969 graduate of Campbell University in North Carolina with a B.A. in history, Taylor served a year in Vietnam with the U.S. Army. He was awarded a Bronze Star for meritorious service.
A community and business leader for more than 25 years, Taylor began his automotive career as a salesman with Bill Page Toyota and opened Alexandria Toyota in 1973. In 1989, he opened a second dealership, Lexus of Alexandria, which he sold to his partner in 1994.
IN ADDITION TO naming the Business Leader of the Year, the event, which was sponsored this year by Central Atlantic Toyota Distributors, also recognizes outstanding Alexandria small businesses. The top award in this event is the Best Small Business of the Year, which, as mentioned, went to Belmont Design, Inc.
Best New Small Business of the Year Award went to Just-a-Click Marketing & Design.
Other winners and their categories were as follows: Professional Service Business of the Year — Mind and Media; Hospitality Business of the Year — Kingsbury Chocolates; Retail Business of the Year — Bittersweet Catering; and Community Service Award — Video Solutions.
Other nominees in the various categories were The Flower Market; Meetings & Events of Distinction; Nu Yu Salon; Tisara Inc., Photography; and Total Environmental Concepts Inc.
Previous recipients of the Business Leader of the Year were Taylor Burke Jr., 1994; Gant Redmon, 1995; WJD Associates, Donnie Wintermutte, Cindy Jackson and Becki Donatelli, 1996; Randy Kell, 1997; Jim Wilding, 1998; Mike Anderson, 1999; Lou Scanlon, 2000; Mayor Bill Euille, 2001; and Roger Machanic, 2002.