Two large dealer groups and an Alabama General Motors dealership were recognized with prestigious awards this week.

Zeigler Auto Group and Hendrick Automotive Group were selected for Glassdoor’s inaugural list of Best-Led Companies, a new award that “honors employers with best-in-class leadership … based on what we know matters most to workers.”

The 50 businesses on the 2024 list were selected through Glassdoor’s ratings of CEO approval ratings, senior management ratings and senior leadership sentiment. The leadership approval ratings are determined based on the quantity, quality and consistency of reviews from March 1, 2023, to Feb. 29, 2024. Companies must have more than 1,000 employees and at least 100 ratings on CEO job performance and senior management to qualify.

Hendrick ranked 13th, while Zeigler was No. 30 on the list.

“This award to me is all about our amazing teams and leaders,” Zeigler Auto Group CEO and president Aaron Zeigler said in a news release. “We are fortunate to have a good group of strong leaders who are innovative and hard-working.”

Zeigler Auto Group has an overall 4.7-star rating among Glassdoor reviews, with a 96% “recommend to a friend” rating, based on 477 ratings at the time of publication. The Kalamazoo, Mich.-based company employs more than 2,000 and operates 35 franchise dealership locations, as well as a used-car store, three Byrider franchises, a massive powersports dealership/action park and more.

Zeigler was also among Glassdoor’s Best Places to Work for 2023 and 2024, and was cited by the Glassdoor Economic Research Center as sixth among the Top 10 U.S. Companies for Work-Life Balance.

Hendrick employs nearly 11,000 employees and operates 131 retail franchises in 13 states. It has an overall Glassdoor rating of 4.3 stars in more than 1,000 reviews, with 84% saying they’d recommend the company to a friend.

Glassdoor CEO Christian Sutherland-Wong said the new award “showcases those shining examples of companies where senior leadership is putting work-life and people first, according to the millions of ratings and insights provided by those who really know a company — employees.”

The full rankings are available here.

Howard Bentley Buick GMC earns 9th GM Dealer of the Year honor

Howard Bentley Buick GMC in Albertville, Ala., has been named a Dealer of the Year by General Motors for the ninth consecutive year.

The dealership, owned by Wayne Bentley and operated by general manager Taylor Bentley Conner, earned the award for outstanding performance in sales and providing an exceptional customer experience during 2023.

The annual award program honored just 22 of the 1,700 GMC dealers nationally.

“Our customers, employees and the local communities we serve are our biggest reward,” Wayne Bentley said. “We are proud of the recognition, and while we have evolved and grown, our unwavering commitment of providing service to exceed the customer’s expectation never goes away.

“We’ve created a dealership experience that is much more than transactional, and that has really made a difference. Thank you to my daughter, Taylor, for heading everything up at the dealership and to the entire team for such devoted work every single day.”

The third-generation family-owned and operated dealership has also been recognized for more than 20 years with the Buick and GMC Mark of Excellence awards.