RESIDENTS IN THE NEWS
Bernard F. Curry III, owner and CEO of Curry Automotive, has been nominated for the 2019 TIME Dealer of the Year award, one of the automobile industry?s most prestigious and highly coveted honors. Recipients are among the nation?s most successful auto dealers and ones who have also demonstrated a longstanding commitment to community service.
Curry, 66, is one of a select group of 51 dealers from across the country who will be honored at the 102nd annual National Automobile Dealers Association Show in San Francisco on January 25, 2019. He also owns a vintage collection of rare gas pump globes and other vintage items.
His enterprise encompasses 12 dealerships across New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Georgia, representing Acura, Chevrolet, Honda, Hyundai, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Subaru, and Toyota brands.
?There is nothing more rewarding then owning your own business,? said Curry. ?I think of it as an opportunity to enhance the lives of the more than 1,000 Curry team members and their families.?
Curry credits his hiring practices and business model for his longstanding success. ?We hire the best qualified general management from a performance, character, and ethical standpoint,? he explained. ?Then we let them loose to run the respective dealership within the bounds of our guidelines.?
He has also applied his management expertise to community causes, helping to transform a small regional hospital into a thriving hospital center. ?Our community hospital was run down, provided poor medical care with zero compassion for its patients,? Curry said. ?I once sent a mechanic to a hospital twice as far away to ensure better care.?
So, when he was recruited to serve on the hospital?s board of directors after they hired a new CEO, he jumped at the chance to make changes. Today, it has been transformed into the NewYork-Presbyterian Hudson Valley Hospital, a highly rated institution that brings first-rate medical care to his region. ?I am proud to have played a small part in what was the most dramatic ?turnaround? that I have ever witnessed,? he said, noting that now the hospital?s campus includes a new cancer center, emergency room, digestive health center, and rehabilitation center. And he continues to help raise funds for the hospital.
Curry was also instrumental in the creation of the Westchester Children?s Museum, located in the landmark boathouses at Playland Amusement Park in Rye, as a founding board member and museum benefactor. He currently sponsors an exhibit called Toddler Beach, which challenges a child?s motor skills through climbing and movement.
A recipient of numerous honors for his generosity and philanthropic activities, Curry donates to charities large and small. He is equally committed to bettering the lives of his employees.
?By creating a nurturing environment of long-tenured senior staff and general managers, we feel we can improve the outlook, aspirations and quality of life for each of our team members one at a time,? he said. ?There is no greater reward than to have people come up the ladder behind you and be better than you.?
