Valentines Visit
Our Brand Development Executive, Tom McQueen, was recruited to help out at a special Valentine’s Day celebration at a local pre-school in the Clearwater area. Everyone at the Dimmitt Automotive Group has a special place in our hearts for the children in our community. They are our hope and our future. Tom had a great time and particularly enjoyed the 4 year old who asked him, “What ever happened to your hair?”
DAG Encourages Volunteering in the Community
Volunteers are an essential part of our community, and that is why we at Dimmitt have begun the Value Days Volunteer program. This program encourages our associates to seek out charitable organizations within the community and devote an open day to charitable service. Associates who seek out these opportunities to help those in need in a professional manner are able to receive a day’s pay for their efforts. We hope this program takes off, and we look forward to seeing our associates volunteering throughout their communities!
For more information about the opportunities for community improvement that you can find through the Dimmitt Automotive Group, please reach out to us!!
We understand that bad things can unexpectedly happen to good people. Whether there is a medical emergency, a spouse who temporarily loses employment or a child with immediate special needs, we want to be able to help our associates with these financial burdens. To do this, we here at Dimmitt have proudly opened up a “Sunshine Fund”. This fund is supported entirely by the donations of our caring associates on a completely voluntary basis, and is used to support fellow employees through financial hardships brought on by unanticipated events. We believe that our Sunshine Fund is just another step we have taken to support our mission which states, in part, that we will “improve the quality of life of our associates”. We thank everyone who has taken the first step and offered to donate to such a compassionate cause.
So far, the support for The Sunshine Fund within DAG has been phenomenal. Seeing our employees take the extra step to help one another is something we believe reflects our identity as a business. We’re proud of our team!
The Beach Branch of All Children’s Hospital Guild, Inc. presented the 49th Annual Mrs. Santa Luncheon on Wednesday, December 5th. Kathleen Gibson and Tracey Ringstaff (pictured below) attended this joyous occasion and presented the organization with a $2,500.00 check. Over 300 ladies enjoyed lunch and a fashion show at the St. Petersburg Yacht Club, where Kathleen’s mother has been a member for over 20 years! Her father has played Santa in past holiday seasons.
It was nice to see clients and friends of the Dimmitt Automotive Group actively present at this event- a great experience for a great cause!
Dimmitt Automotive Group was proud to help with the “Brittany & Friends Celebrity Pro-Am”, hosted by LPGA golfer Brittany Lincicome, benefiting the First Tee of St. Petersburg Organization!
The First Tee specializes in “Providing a learning environment and educational programs that promote character development and life-enhancing values through the game of golf, while ensuring fair access for all children.” http://www.thefirstteestpetersburg.org/club/scripts/public/public.asp
Seen Below (top to bottom):
The groups of Boxing Champion Winky Wright, LPGA golfer Moira Dunn, former MLB player John Kruk, LPGA golfer Val Skinner, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers player Cody Grimm.
DAG Gives Back This Christmas
We here at Dimmitt Automotive Group are PROUD of our team members for giving back this Christmas! Members of the DAG team helped to serve in excess of 350 men, women and children with the Homeless Emergency Project (HEP) in Clearwater.Team members assisted in providing and serving lunch for those in need- a rewarding and meaningful activity for all employees involved! Many thanks to all who volunteered and helped to make it a special day, and to the HEP for providing us with this opportunity.
For any wishing to get involved, the HEP offers an excellent local volunteer opportunity! http://www.ethep.org/?page=volunteer
The Mission of the Homeless Emergency Project: “Since 1986, our mission has been to provide homeless and very low-income individuals and families with housing, food, clothing and support services necessary to obtain self-sufficiency and improved quality of life.
10th Annual Charity Works Cup Challenge
Dimmitt was proud to be a sponsor for the 10th annual Charity Works Cup Challenge held on Thursday November 15th. Charity Works is a non profit intermediary that aims to promote and enhance charitable giving. This event was one way they helped raise funds for a host of charities, and we at Dimmitt did our part to help. It was a great event with a great cause, and we had a blast!
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Dimmitt Welcomes Back One of Our Own
Dimmitt Automotive Group is proud to welcome back a key member of our Internet Sales Team, Rick Alonzo! Rick has overcome some trying health issues in recent months, and we could not be prouder of him and his full recovery. All of us here at Dimmitt Automotive Group would like to acknowledge his dedication and hard work.
Rick- you are an inspiration to all of us, sir!
-DAG
G
Dimmitt Works to Brighten The Holiday Season
Dimmitt is proudly partnering with the Salvation Army and Toys For Tots to make this holiday season memorable for children in need. We began collecting donations on October 15th, and will continue to do so through December 1st at our Clearwater and Pinellas Park locations. Help us as we help those less fortunate and be sure to drop off donations today!
The Dimmitt Family – Pinellas pioneers
The Dimmitt Family – Pinellas pioneers
TBNWeekly.com, 10/23/12
By BRIAN GOFF
DUNEDIN – In many places in Pinellas County are signs identifying Dimmitt family automobile dealerships. Look beyond the signs however and you will find a family whose history in Pinellas County is as rooted and embedded as any other. In fact the family, going back five generations, has been in the county almost as long as the county itself.
It is difficult to tell the story of the Dimmitt family without including its involvement in the automobile industry. Almost from the moment Larry Dimmitt Sr. arrived in Clearwater in 1924, cars have been part of the family.
Larry Sr. and his wife Hebe arrived in Clearwater from Port St. Joe, where he actually owned a section of railroad. It was common back then to freight supplies down the Atlantic Coast and then send the goods on to New Orleans by railroad. Larry owned part of that railroad.
Before moving to Port St. Joe, Larry lived in Savannah, Ga., and had a Buick distributorship. It wasn’t long after he arrived in Clearwater he got back into the car business. He bought the local Ford Dealership and never looked back.
Richard Dimmitt, 60, and his brother Larry III are the third generation of Dimmitts to continue what their grandfather began.
“We and everyone else called him Potsie,” said Richard. “Back then Clearwater was small, maybe 5,000 people. There wasn’t even a bridge over to the barrier islands. He would stand on the bluff and look over and he thought he was looking at the next West Palm Beach.”
Eventually Larry Sr. began buying land and at one point it was said that next to the county itself, he owned more land in Pinellas than anybody.
Over the years “Potsie” continued to enlarge his automobile business.
“He sold Rio, White, LaSalle and finally got Cadillac and Chevy in the mid-’30s,” said Richard. “He did that when there was nothing east of Clearwater except trees and dirt tracks. Dad tells me downtown Clearwater was two blocks long and two blocks wide.”
Larry Jr., Richard’s father, already involved in the car business, had to go to war. He fought in World War II under General Patton. He met his wife-to-be Betty Jane Roth as he was recovering from a war wound in New York City. They moved back to Florida and went right back into the business.
“My dad used to tell me stories of how he would go door to door trying to convince people to buy cars during the Depression,” said Richard. “Life was a lot slower then. People came for three and four weeks at a time to visit and as the area grew, he grew with it.”
In the meantime Larry Sr. was turning his attention to charitable causes.
“He built gyms for schools, additions to hospitals and helped churches,” said Richard. “Then he retired in the early ’70s.”
Larry Sr. died at the age of 96.
“Potsie was a strong guy,” said Richard of his grandfather. “At 84 he was still painting his own house. They had to get him down off the ladder and convince him to stop.”
Eventually the Caddy and Chevy dealerships were split into two separate businesses. Richard, his older brother Larry III and their sister Eileen were involved in the businesses. Another brother, Ben, wasn’t interested and moved to New York City where he became a photographer.
Their father, Larry Jr., died in 2011 at the age of 97. It is his name that graces the Dimmitt Community Center in his hometown of Belleair.
Richard Dimmitt is semi-retired now.
“I’m slowing down and spending most of my time on boards and helping charities,” he said. His brother Larry III and his sister Eileen are both retired.
Now the mantle is being passed to yet another generation of Dimmitt’s. Larry III’s son Larry IV is running the Dimmitt Chevrolet franchise in Clearwater. Larry III’s daughters Mallory, Elizabeth and Genevieve are not involved in the business.
Richard’s sons Richard Jr. and Peter are running the Dimmitt Cadillac franchises in Clearwater and Pinellas Park.
None of Eileen’s children, Michael, Betty Jane, Andrew or Timothy are involved in the businesses, although Michael has two children Daniel and Abigail, the 5th generation of Dimmitt’s in Pinellas County and the great-great grandchildren of Larry Dimmitt Sr. It is too early to tell if one or both might follow the family tradition of selling cars.
Richard Dimmitt says he and his family are proud to be counted among the pioneering families of Pinellas County, and for good reason.
“Pinellas is a fabulous place to live,” he said. “There are still places where it is quiet, where you can glimpse at the way things used to be. You can still be connected to the big life, yet you can step away from the very intense type of activity. This area offers the perfect blend of life.”
Check out this great article detailing the origins of the Dimmitt Automotive Group from the TBNweekly.com!
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