Photos Cover: Jay at podium receiving his award, from left to right: Dirk Draper, President and CEO of the Colorado Springs Chamber & EDC, Gina Cimino, President of Mt. Carmel of Colorado, Kevin O’Neil, 2019 Award recipient, and Jay Cimino, President and CEO of Phil Long Dealerships
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo., Nov. 15, 2021 – Jay Cimino, president and CEO, Phil Long Dealerships, and founder of Mt. Carmel Veterans Center, was recognized as the Colorado Springs Chamber & EDC’s 2021 Business Citizen of the Year at the organization’s annual GALA. More than 800 community and business leaders celebrated this year’s recipient at the Chamber & EDC’s annual GALA, held Saturday, Nov. 13 at The Broadmoor.
The award recognizes a business individual who contributes to the economic growth and prosperity of the Colorado Springs area, is involved in the betterment of the community through active civic participation and demonstrates a willingness to assist in business and community projects, among other factors.
“Jay is not only an incredibly innovative and successful entrepreneur, but also one of our region’s most generous philanthropists. His passion for this community is equally as impressive as his business success, overseeing Phil Long Dealerships, Colorado’s largest privately held auto group. He employs more than a thousand people throughout Colorado, with a significant number here in the Pikes Peak region. He invests in his employees, our region’s veterans and military installations, and his community. He truly embodies Business Citizen of the Year,”
said Dirk Draper, president and CEO of the Colorado Springs Chamber & EDC.
Cimino, a Trinidad, Colorado native and Marine Corps veteran, joined Phil Long Dealerships in 1975 as general manager, ultimately leading to his current position of president and CEO. His philanthropic contributions are many: he was instrumental in helping renovate and build an addition on to the Marian House, expanding it from a soup kitchen to a self-sufficient center; he leads an organization-wide annual Pikes Peak United Way campaign, where employees have pledged over $1 million for local nonprofits and community members in need, and he helped spearhead 15 Fantasy Playgrounds throughout Colorado, including those at America the Beautiful and Memorial parks in Colorado Springs. But perhaps his proudest accomplishments are the Mt. Carmel Wellness and Community Center in Trinidad and the Mt. Carmel Veterans Center in Colorado Springs, serving Southern Colorado’s veterans, including transitioning military members. Cimino also supports the Fort Carson Resiliency Campus and Warrior Transition Battalion. He also co-founded The Home Front Cares, which merged in 2020 with Pikes Peak Care Network to form the Home Front Military Network. Since 2020, Cimino has been inducted into the Colorado Business Hall of Fame and into the inaugural 2021 Colorado Automotive Hall of Fame.
About Phil Long Dealerships
Phil Long Dealerships’ history started in 1945 with one Ford Dealership in Motor City. Today, Phil Long Dealerships is the largest privately held automotive group in the state of Colorado, consisting of 11 auto brands representing Ford, Lincoln, Chevrolet, Hyundai, Genesis, Kia, Honda, Mercedes, Audi, Toyota and Subaru, under 30 rooftops in Glenwood Springs, Denver, Colorado Springs, Trinidad, and Raton, New Mexico.
Phil Long Dealerships treats the needs of each individual customer with commitment and dedication. Our customers have high expectations, and as a premier automotive dealer, we enjoy the challenge of meeting and exceeding those standards each and every time. Phil Long Dealerships was voted #1 auto dealer in 2021 by readers of the Colorado Springs Business Journal’s Best in Business Awards and the Gazette’s Best of the Springs Awards.
For more information, visit Phil Long Dealerships, Facebook, or call us at 844.742.5565
