Limelight Awards, achievements

Alan Spitzer, chairman and CEO of Spitzer Management, an Elyria-based company that represents 24 auto-dealership franchises in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Florida, was nominated for the 2011 TIME Dealer of the Year award. Spitzer was honored for his achievement at the National Automobile Dealers Association Convention and Exposition in San Francisco. He was one of 52 auto dealers nominated out of 17,000.

Spitzer, 64, is a third-generation auto dealer. His grandfather started the company with a hardware store in Grafton, Ohio, in 1904. His grandfather began selling automobiles about a decade later. Spitzer has been selling cars since he was 15. After moving through various management positions within the company, he became chairman of Spitzer Management in 1992.