North Carolina TIME Dealer of the Year

Brian Pecheles, president of Pecheles Automotive Group, has been selected to represent the North Carolina Automobile Dealers Association (NCADA) as North Carolina’s nominee for the 2027 TIME Dealer of the Year award.

The award, presented in partnership with Ally, recognizes automotive dealers who demonstrate outstanding business performance and a longstanding commitment to community service. Pecheles is among a select group of 47 dealers from across the country nominated for the national honor.

Pecheles’ connection to the automotive industry spans more than four decades. His parents founded Joe Pecheles Volkswagen in 1965, and he began learning the business at age six, washing cars at the dealership. After graduating from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1981, he joined the family business full time and became president and general manager in 1983. Under his leadership, Pecheles Automotive Group has grown from 13 employees to more than 200.

Beyond the dealership, Pecheles has built a longstanding tradition of community involvement throughout Eastern North Carolina. Through its Pecheles Gives Back initiative, the company contributes more than $500,000 annually to local charities supporting youth, education, health care, workforce development and other community needs.

Since 1999, Pecheles Automotive Group has donated more than $1 million to the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Coastal Plain, including a $500,000 pledge in 2025 toward the organization’s new facility in New Bern. The company has also provided significant support to the ECU Health Foundation, Greenville Community Shelter and Pitt Community College Foundation.

Pecheles joined NCADA’s Board of Directors in 2025 and has been a member of the National Automobile Dealers Association since 1981. He was nominated for the award by John Policastro, NCADA’s president and CEO.

“This nomination is an incredible honor, and I am proud to represent our employees, customers, family and North Carolina’s automotive community,” Pecheles said.

The 2027 nominees will be recognized at the National Automobile Dealers Association Show in Orlando, Florida, on February 19, 2027.

NCADA congratulates Brian Pecheles on this recognition and thanks him for representing North Carolina’s franchised automobile industry.

Read the full profile: Brian Pecheles, 2027 TIME Dealer of the Year nominee