Dennis Ellmer '11 HA
Dennis Ellmer '11 HA, was appointed to the Board of 访问ors July 1, 2022, by Governor Glenn Youngkin. He currently serves on the Board's Athletics, Student Enhancement & 订婚 and Digital 学习, and University Advancement and University Communications Committees.
As a young boy in Norfolk 维吉尼亚州's Oceanview neighborhood, Dennis Ellmer learned business basics and how to work with people. Like many enterprising youth of that era he started with a paper route, delivering the 维吉尼亚州n-Pilot in the morning before school and the Ledger-Star in the evening after school. He also worked in a deli and spent weekends shining shoes. As the son of a member of the military he learned self discipline and respect.
From those humble beginnings Ellmer began 他的 career by selling motorcycles at Cycle World in 维吉尼亚州 Beach, and soon after moved to Colonial Chevrolet selling cars for the late Josh Darden, one of 维吉尼亚州's premier businessmen and philanthropists. He credits Darden with providing 他的 first opportunity in the car business and setting an example that emphasized the importance of integrity, 服务, community participation and personal commitment.
After several years with Colonial Chevrolet Ellmer assumed responsibilities of Sales Manager for what was then Kline Chevrolet in Chesapeake. Later he relocated to the Washington, DC area with the Kline organization, where he managed Kline Tysons Toyota, one of the largest Toyota dealerships in America. He was named President of the Kline business which operated several dealerships in the metropolitan Washington, DC market and 汉普顿 Roads.
In 1999 Ellmer was presented with an opportunity to return to 他的 roots by acquiring Kline Chevrolet and Kline Toyota in the Greenbrier area of Chesapeake, 维吉尼亚州. He rebranded the dealerships as Priority Chevrolet and Priority Toyota, where he emphasized unparalleled customer 服务, 他的 we put you first philosophy. That philosophy led to Priorities For Life, the value-added feature that upended the retail automotive business and catapulted Priority to the leadership position that continues today.
Following closely on the success of those first two dealerships, Ellmer began seeking other opportunities. Soon the Priority brand rose in front of Acura, 本田, 现代, and 英菲尼迪 dealerships in Chesapeake, where he also built one of the largest Toyota dealerships in America.
Priority continued to expand across the state of 维吉尼亚州 adding dealerships in 维吉尼亚州 Beach, 汉普顿, Newport News, Roanoke and the DC metropolitan area with new brands including Nissan, 马自达, 英菲尼迪, Ford and Lexus. Today, Priority employs more than 2000 people and is ranked among the top dealer groups in the U.S.
Ellmer and 他的 Priority team have achieved local, regional and national recognition for their business performance and community contributions. In 2019 Toyota President Akio Toyoda presented him with the Best in Town award, an honor bestowed on only one Toyota dealership out of the more than 2500 nationwide, for 他的 groundbreaking Priority Inmate Training Program, which gives convicted non-felons a second chance in life with a good job and benefits. He was named the 2016 Time Magazine Dealer of the Year for 维吉尼亚州 and First Citizen of Norfolk in 2019. The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference named him Corporate Partner of the Year. He has also received the Martin Luther King 领导 Award, the Norfolk 体育 Club President's Award, the Steve Guback Distinguished 维吉尼亚州n Award, Northwood University's Dealer Education Award, Toyota Financial Ambassador Award, and the Chesapeake 体育 Club 体育man of the Year award in 2013.
Ellmer has also been recognized multiple times for personal and business achievements including the 汉普顿 Roads Business Hall of Fame; Inside Business Power List in multiple years; many years named to Top 100 Dealership Groups in the U.S. where Priority ranks #42. He serves as President of the 维吉尼亚州 Automobile Dealers Association and sits on the ODU Board of 访问ors.
Just as he never forgot 他的 early business lessons, Ellmer also remembered the lessons he learned about the importance of community. From the earliest days of Priority, he encouraged 他的 employees to give back to the community as he set the example himself. He is credited with rescuing the 50 year old Charity Bowl Football Game, raising more than $3 million in the past 5 years for children's charities. Under 他的 Priority Automotive Charities he also helped fund the Priority Toyota Cancer Center, part of the Chesapeake Regional 健康 System. Priority is also responsible for the popular 首页 For The Holidays partnership with local SPCA and animal shelter organizations which has found homes of thousands of abandoned pets. Priority is a primary sponsor of the Old Dominion University Athletic Foundation. He is active in numerous professional and civic organizations on local, state and national levels.
Ellmer is very much a son of the 汉普顿 Roads region of 维吉尼亚州. He attended Holy Trinity School and graduated from Norview High School. He has been married to Jan Ellmer for more than 40 years and they have 3 children and 2 grandchildren. The Ellmers live in 维吉尼亚州 Beach.