Omni Automotive Advertising Blog

San Francisco, CA (Feb. 11) – The American International Automobile Dealers Association (AIADA) this week honored past chairman and longtime board member, Joseph D. O’Brien, Jr. of O’Brien Automotive Team, with the first annual David F. Mungenast, Sr. Lifetime Achievement Award. The award, named after the late AIADA Chairman and legendary St. Louis-area automobile dealer, was presented Monday during AIADA’s 38^th Annual Meeting and Luncheon held at the San Francisco Marriott.

“This individual needed to really stand out. He had to be someone who claimed the respect of fellow dealers, who was an example in and outside of the dealership, a person to call in a time of need, a staunch and steady voice on behalf of the industry, and a leader in his field,” said AIADA President Cody Lusk. “Most of all, the first recipient of the David F. Mungenast, Sr. Lifetime Achievement Award had to be someone for whom we knew Dave would be proud.”

“Turns out, this year’s recipient was everything we were looking for and more,” added Lusk.

O’Brien was born into the automotive retail business the son of Joseph D. O’Brien, Sr., a Dodge/Plymouth dealer in Ottawa, IL. At a young age, O’rien started his career in the automobile industry as a salesman and quickly advanced to the position of Used Car Manager, a point which began his evolution into management. Soon, O’Brien branched out on his own and from 1971-1974 was the Vice President and General Manager of Illinois Valley VW/Audi/Mercedes Benz in Peru, IL. After 4 years away from the family business, O’Brien rejoined his father as General Manager of J.D. O’rien Old/Cadillac in Streator, IL.

In 1977, O’Brien once again branched out on his own and founded O’Brien Olds in Milwaukee, WI. Never losing his focus on family and home, O’Brien returned to Illinois in 1982 to purchase and assume ownership of his father’s dealership, J.D. O’Brien Olds/Cadillac/Pontiac/GMC of Streator, IL.

In the mid ’80′s, Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (MMC) was building a state of the art production plant in Bloomington-Normal, IL, to be known as Diamond Star Motors Corporation, a joint venture between Mitsubishi and Chrysler. Joe applied for and was awarded Mitsubishi’s first dealership in central Illinois. In 1987, Parkway Mitsubishi opened their doors in Normal, IL with O’Brien as the Dealer Principal. In that same year, the O’Brien Automotive Team was established with O’Brien heading the operation as its President and CEO.

He has been a member of AIADA for more than a decade, serving on the board and chairing the association in 1999. At the same time, O’Brien has been an active contributor to AFIT-PAC and a director on its board.

Active in his community, O’Brien has given generously to numerous local charities in the states he sells. Among them: St. Jude Children’s Hospital, Easter Seals of Central Illinois and Make-A-Wish Foundation. O’Brien Automotive Team’s LPGA Charity Classic for the Breast Center at OSF Hospital has raised over $3 million throughout the past 13 years.

In an emotional acceptance speech, O’Brien remarked, “I’m an emotional man who cries at sales meetings, so as the first recipient of the Mungenast Award, I am grateful and most appreciative of this wonderful honor! And am especially thrilled it is named after a truly remarkable man and wonderful friend.”

In a gracious accolade, O’Brien thanked his wife, children and business associates at O’Brien Automotive Team, whom he said, “Helped make me the honoree.”

About AIADA: Established in 1970, AIADA is and continues to be the only association whose sole purpose is to represent America’s 11,000 international nameplate automobile franchises that sell and service the following brands: Acura, Aston Martin, Audi, Bentley, BMW, Ferrari, Honda, Hyundai, Infiniti, Isuzu, Jaguar, Kia, Land Rover, Lexus, Maserati, Maybach, Mazda, Mercedes, MINI, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Porsche, Rolls Royce, Saab, Scion, Smart, Subaru, Suzuki, Toyota, Volkswagen and Volvo. These retailers have a positive economic impact both nationally and in the local communities they serve, providing more than 500,000 American jobs. Visit AIADA online at www.aiada.org.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 19th, 2008 at 9:45 am and is filed under Automotive. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.