The award recognizes commercial truck dealers for business performance, industry leadership and community service. Nominees were selected by state, metro and national dealer association leaders and fellow ATD members. Six commercial truck dealers were nominated this year.
A panel of judges from Indiana University's Kelley School of Business will select a winner. The winner will serve as a guest lecturer at the university to share their story with students interested in entrepreneurship and will serve on the ATD Board of Line Representatives for a one-year term in a non-voting role.
ATD says the nominees are:
- Mark Bergey, CEO of the Bergey Family Corporation of Souderton, Penn. Bergey has worked for the business founded by his great-grandfather for more than 30 years, holding roles ranging from truck leasing to human resources. He's now CEO and leads more than 1,800 team members in 50 locations. Bergey is passionate about protecting the company's culture, which is rooted in its mission statement: We are driven to serve by treating others the way we want to be treated, so that we may positively impact our team members, customers and communities.
- Will Bruser is owner and CEO of Truckworx Kenworth in Birmingham, Ala. He started working at Truckworx in 2004 and became president in 2013 before buying the business outright in 2021. Under his leadership, the company has grown to 21 locations with more than 600 employees across Alabama, Mississippi and the Florida panhandle. Bruser believes the company's culture is critical to its success, and that culture hinges on the Truckworx mission statement, do what's right for the right reasons all day, every day. Truckworx was recently named North America's 2024 Dealer of the Year and received the Gold Award for Overall Dealer Excellence from the Kenworth Truck Company.
- Michael Burroughs is president of Burroughs Diesel Inc. in Laurel, Miss. He began his career at his uncle's Western Star dealership when he was a teenager and returned after collage, working his way up through sales and into the general manager's role. Under his leadership, Burroughs Diesel expanded services and products, including a commercial tire division, Blue Bird bus dealership, commercial towing and, more recently, a Dennis Eagle franchise. Burroughs serves on the St. John's Day School Board and is a member of the Jones County Economic Development Authority. He has served on the Goodyear Dealer Advisory Board on as chairman of the Western Star Truck Dealers Council.
- Mike Clark is CEO of Dobbs Peterbilt in Memphis. He has nearly 35 years of experience in trucking, including at Fenco Truck Accessories, Paccar and CSM Companies. Under his leadership, Dobbs Peterbilt has grown sales, market share, capacity and returns. The company has been recognized as a Peterbilt Best in Class dealer group three times. Clark serves on Peterbilt's Dealer Council and Paccar's Information Technology Council.
- Shawn Trimble Craig is CEO and dealer successor of Southwest International Trucks in Dallas. Previously an executive in the communication industry, Craig excels at building teams and launching new markets. Her philosophy is to hire, retain and train the best people in the business. Five of Craig's senior leaders at Southwest have gone through the ATD Academy. Craig was named the Dallas Business Journal's top woman CEO in 2024 and Southwest was named a Women in Trucking best places for women to work in 2023 and 2024.
- Jeff Speno, president and dealer principal at Mission Valley Ford in San Jose, Calif., started working in his father's dealership in college, eventually becoming the majority owner in 2015. He is a graduate of the ATD Academy who is passionate about his community, with more than 20 years in the San Jose Rotary and service as past president of the Gilroy Garlic Festival.
The winner, who will succeed 2024 Truck Dealer of the Year Katie Hopkins from Truck Centers Inc., will be announced during the ATD general session on Jan. 24. The ATD Show runs Jan. 23-25 at the Hilton New Orleans Riverside in conjunction with the NADA Show 2025.
