Fox Lake auto dealer Ray Scarpelli nominated for Dealer of the Year award

Ray Scarpelli of Ray Chevrolet and Ray Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram in Fox Lake has been nominated for the 2023 TIME Dealer of the Year award.

Scarpelli is one of 48 dealer nominees from across the country who will be recognized at the 106th annual National Automobile Dealers Association Show on Jan. 27, 2023, in Dallas, Texas.

The TIME Dealer of the Year award is one of the industry’s most prestigious and highly coveted honors, according to a news release from the Chicago Automobile Trade Association. The award recognizes the nation’s most successful auto dealers who also demonstrate a long-standing commitment to community service.

Scarpelli was chosen to represent the Chicago Automobile Trade Association in the national competition.

A 1984 graduate of Northwood University in Midland, Michigan, where he studied automotive marketing and management, Scarpelli followed in his father’s footsteps. Raymond Scarpelli Sr. owned a Chevrolet and Oldsmobile store.

“From an early age, my dad set an example that you should treat your customers the way you would want to be treated,” Scarpelli said in a news release. “Of course, it made all the sense in the world.”

After college, Scarpelli worked in sales at his family’s Raymond Chevrolet Oldsmobile and eventually became dealer principal of Ray Chevrolet and Ray Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram in Fox Lake.

Scarpelli and his wife, Lisa, have two children who are now part of the dealership operation and the next generation to join the family business.

Scarpelli has held leadership positions for the CATA and served as chair of the Chicago Auto Show in 2019, overseeing the First Look for Charity black-tie gala, which raised money for the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, Boys & Girls Clubs of Chicago, Special Olympics Illinois and Turning Pointe Autism Foundation, among others.

Scarpelli also is proud of the partnerships he has created to support community nonprofit groups, organizations and schools. One of his favorites is the Big Play Program, which rewards four local high schools by donating $25 for each “big play” achieved, including home runs, touchdowns, soccer goals and others.

“Our greatest strength is our relationship with the community,” Scarpelli said. “And our friends, customers and neighbors are an extension of our family.”