Tracy Myers Receives CIADA Servant’s Heart Award for the Second Time

Tracy Myers wins Servants Heart Award From CIADA and Greenville Auto Auction

I’ve been fortunate to receive a lot of awards and recognition during my 35 years in the car business, but some mean more than others. This is one of them.

At the 2026 Carolinas Independent Automobile Dealers Association (CIADA) Convention & Expo in South Carolina, I was honored to receive the CIADA Servant’s Heart Award for the second time. The award recognizes independent automobile dealers who believe that serving people extends beyond the walls of their dealerships and into the communities that have supported them.

At 55 years old, that means more to me today than it probably would have 20 or even 10 years ago. I’ve spent most of my adult life trying to build something. I wanted to build a great dealership, a strong team and businesses my family could be proud of. I wanted to create opportunities for the people around me and, like most entrepreneurs, I was always thinking about the next idea, the next goal or the next mountain to climb.

I still am. I don’t see that changing anytime soon.

What has changed is how I define success and what I want to do with whatever success I’ve been blessed to have.

Lessons From My Mom and Dad

My parents taught me a lot about the car business, but the lessons that have stayed with me the longest really weren’t about cars at all. They taught me to work hard, keep my word, treat people right and help somebody when I had the opportunity to do it. Most importantly, they taught me not to become so consumed with my own success that I forgot about the people who helped me get there.

Like most kids, I heard those lessons long before I completely understood them. The funny thing about getting older is that you start hearing your parents’ voices a little louder. Things they said 30 or 40 years ago suddenly make perfect sense.

My mom and dad weren’t impressed by people who talked about all the great things they were going to do. They respected the people who showed up, rolled up their sleeves and did something. The older I get, the more I appreciate that example and the more I hope some of it has rubbed off on me.

This Award Belongs To More Than Me

My name may be on the Servant’s Heart Award, but there should be a lot of other names beside mine, starting with the team at Frank Myers Auto Maxx in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

I’m surrounded every day by people who take care of our customers, protect our reputation and allow me the freedom to be involved with causes and organizations that matter to me. More importantly, they understand that Frank Myers Auto Maxx should be more than a place where people come to buy a used car. We have a responsibility to the community that has supported our family and our business for generations.

That relationship works both ways. The people of Winston-Salem and the surrounding Piedmont Triad have allowed my family, my team and me to serve them for a lot of years. We don’t exist without them. When we have an opportunity to return some of that support, I believe we have an obligation to do it.

That’s one of the reasons this particular award means so much.

Why I Chose Cases For A Cause

Greenville Auto Auction sponsors the CIADA Servant’s Heart Award and makes a $10,000 donation to a charity selected by the recipient. Being recognized is certainly an honor, but knowing that the award is going to put $10,000 into the hands of people doing important work makes it something much bigger than another trophy to put on a shelf.

When I learned I could choose the organization receiving the donation, my decision was easy. I chose Cases For A Cause.

I’ve been working with and supporting my friend Alex Hiatt and Cases For A Cause for more than four years, so I haven’t just read about what they do or seen pictures on social media. I’ve had the privilege of seeing their work and the impact they have on children in foster care.

One of the things Cases For A Cause does is provide personalized suitcases filled with essential items to foster children. They also provide new shoes, help meet needs for foster families, provide Christmas assistance and create experiences that give these kids an opportunity to do something every child deserves the chance to do: simply be a kid.

The suitcase part has always stuck with me. Most of us don’t give a suitcase much thought. We pull it out of the closet when we’re going somewhere, pack it, come home and shove it back into the closet until the next trip. Now imagine being a child moving from one home to another and carrying everything you own in a trash bag.

When you look at it through those eyes, a suitcase isn’t just luggage. It gives that child something of their own. It gives them dignity and, maybe most importantly, sends a message that somebody sees them and somebody cares about what they’re going through.

After more than four years of supporting Alex and Cases For A Cause, I’ve seen how much their work means to these children. That’s why there really wasn’t much of a decision to make when I was asked where I wanted Greenville Auto Auction’s $10,000 donation to go.

What I Want The Second Half To Look Like

Turning 55 this year has caused me to think more about time. I’ve now worked full-time in the automotive industry for 35 years, and when I look back, I’ve been blessed far beyond anything that young guy starting out in the car business could have imagined.

I’ve built businesses that I love. I’ve had opportunities to travel around the country speaking and teaching. I’ve met some incredible people, received recognition I never expected and somehow managed to make a living doing something that I still genuinely enjoy after all these years.

I’ve had a pretty darn good first half.

The question I find myself asking now is what I want the second half to look like. The answer is becoming clearer all the time.

If the first half of my life was spent building businesses, I want to spend more of the second half building people. I want to encourage more people, open more doors, share what I’ve learned, give more than I take and support organizations in Winston-Salem and throughout our community that are doing important work without worrying about who gets the credit.

Don’t misunderstand me. I’m nowhere near finished building businesses. I know myself well enough to know there will always be another idea scribbled on a piece of paper somewhere and another mountain I convince myself needs climbing.

The difference is that my scoreboard has changed.

A Heartfelt Thank You

I’m incredibly grateful to the Carolinas Independent Automobile Dealers Association for honoring me with the Servant’s Heart Award for a second time. I’m equally grateful to Greenville Auto Auction for sponsoring an award that doesn’t stop with recognizing someone, but puts real resources behind the idea of serving others. Because of their generosity, Cases For A Cause will receive $10,000 that can be put to work helping children who deserve every bit of love and support we can give them.

I’m thankful for Alex Hiatt and everyone involved with Cases For A Cause. I’ve watched Alex do this work for more than four years, and I’m proud to support what he and his team are building.

I’m also thankful for every member of my Frank Myers Auto Maxx family. You take care of our customers and our business every day, and you make it possible for us to do things outside the dealership that make a difference. My name may be on this award, but you own a piece of it too.

Finally, I’m thankful for my mom and dad. It may have taken me a few years, but I think I’m finally starting to understand everything they were trying to teach me.

Thirty-five years into the car business, I still love what I do. I love the people, the competition and the challenge of figuring out how we can be a little better tomorrow than we were today. I hope I get to keep doing it for a very long time.

I also understand something today that I probably didn’t understand when I started.

Someday, nobody is going to care how many cars I sold. They won’t remember whether we hit our sales goal during some random month or how many awards ended up sitting on a shelf in my office. Those things seem important in the moment, but time has a funny way of putting them into perspective.

What people may remember is whether we helped when they needed us. They may remember that we showed up. They may remember how we treated them and how we made them feel.

After 55 years of living and 35 years in the automotive industry, I can’t think of a better definition of success than that.