David McNeill

Year Inducted: 2022

David’s roots in Wilkes County goes back many generations with his family being in the car business since 1939. Between 1939 and 2022, the McNeill family has at one time or another owned over 18 different automobile franchises. David began his automotive career at the age of nine, sweeping floors in his Dad’s Pontiac dealership. In 1978, he graduated from UNC Chapel Hill with a BS in business, married Connie Reynolds and again joined his father at Midway Pontiac.

Growing up in a town known for Nascar, moonshine and the birthplace of Lowe’s Home Improvement, opened David’s eyes to endless possibilities. He proceeded to purchase his first dealership, Northwest Toyota in Wilkesboro in 1983, becoming one of the youngest automobile dealers in the country. David built this dealership into a successful business with a strong belief in treating customers with respect and like family. Northwest Toyota received numerous awards for excellence in service, sales performance, and customer satisfaction. Northwest Toyota was rated as one of the top dealerships in the Southeast.

After selling the dealership in 2002, David formed Carolina Automotive Group. A Kia franchise was purchased in 2003 located in High Point, NC and renamed Carolina Kia of High Point. In 2004, he added Hyundai to the High Point operation and later Genesis which became Carolina Hyundai Genesis of High Point. The dealerships in High Point have also received numerous awards for their performance. David became a dealer in Wilkes County again in 2015 with the purchase of McNeill Nissan followed by Chevrolet Buick in 2019. These dealerships are named McNeill Nissan of Wilkesboro and McNeill Chevrolet Buick of Wilkesboro. McNeill Nissan has been awarded the Nissan Excellence Award 3 times, which is the highest award Nissan gives their dealers. Carolina Automotive Group now consists of 6 franchises with over 120 employees.

Taking care of our community and helping those in need became important for David and his family early in his career. He and Connie have been involved with St. Paul’s Episcopal Church’s Crisis Assistance for many years. This weekly ministry aids our neighbors in dire need with utilities, rent, food and housing.

David has been on the board of the Wilkes Education Foundation (WEF) for over 20 years. He has chaired the WEF golf tournament for over 15 years which raises money for Mini- Grants for our teachers and high school students. The Education Foundation has awarded over $500,000.00 in grants and scholarships to this date.

David has also been a benefactor to Wilkes Community College. A donation to build a new automotive technology facility filled a need to train and educate students locally. He made the donation in honor of his dad and grandfather. McNeill stated, “we wanted to give back to the industry that has always been a part of our family”.

He has served on several community board of directors over the years with the latest being a founding director of our local bank, Great State Bank and now serves as a director with Skyline National Bank. He also serves on the board for the North Carolina Automobile Dealers Association and the Dealer Council Representative board for Hyundai Motor Corporation.

An event that David is most proud and passionate about is the annual Hometown Hero Day that is held at McNeill Chevrolet Buick Nissan. Our First Responders, Law Enforcement, Health Care workers and others that go above and beyond to keep our communities and families safe are celebrated with a special presentation, awards and lunch.

David was recently honored with being awarded the Time/Ally North Carolina Dealer of the Year and nominated for the National Dealer of the Year in 2022. He was selected by a group of his peers in the Auto industry.

Although, it appears David works all of the time, he does find time to enjoy traveling, hiking and playing golf.

David’s pursuit of excellence continues with his sons, Scott and Matt. They have become a vital part of the family company. They are the fourth generation in the McNeill family to become a part of the automotive business. Maybe the fifth generation, their four grandchildren will take the family business to even greater and more meaningful places!