Two from region named to automotive hall of fame

DENVER — Two automobile dealers from Northern Colorado and the Boulder Valley, both deceased, will be inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame in April.

Nick Davidson of Loveland, who died in May 2016 at the age of 95, and Paul Gebhardt of Longmont, who died in August 2020 at age 90, are among those to be inducted.

The hall of fame is managed by the Colorado Automobile Dealers Association. The hall of fame dinner and awards ceremony will be April 11 at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver.

Davidson entered the auto industry at a family dealership in Mobridge, South Dakota. In December 1960, he bought the Knox Chevrolet, Buick and Pontiac dealership in Loveland. He was later joined in the dealership by his son-in-law, Joe Gebhardt.

Paul Gebhardt came to Colorado in 1975 when he created Boulder European Autos, which later became the Gebhardt Automotive BMW and Volkswagen dealership.

Other dealer inductees are Mike Faricy of Colorado Springs, Nancy Ariano of Durango and Brian O’Meara of Northglenn. Larry Pomarico, the late president of Southwest Dealer Services, and Tim Jackson, president of the Colorado Auto Dealers Association, also will take positions along with the inducted members. Finally, Kevin Shaughnessy, executive vice president and partner in the Phil Long dealerships, has been nominated for the 2023 Time magazine dealer of the year award.

“As a non-native to the car world, these inductees are the first stories I learned from dealers that I respect immensely,” Matthew Groves, CADA vice president, said in a written statement. “I am incredibly grateful to our sponsors and the entire hall of fame team for trying to make this honor worthy of the legacy they leave behind.”

All proceeds from the event go to the Clear The Air Foundation, a non-profit in Colorado whose mission is to remove high-polluting vehicles from Colorado roads.

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