Jack Fitzgerald named Catholic Business Person of the Year

Jack Fitzgerald named Catholic Business Person of the Year

Kudos to longstanding WANADA dealer member and industry leader, Jack Fitzgerald for being honored last week by the Catholic Business Network of Montgomery County in recognition of his innumerable business accomplishments and a lifetime of leadership on a host of community and educational programs that have benefitted the needy and deserving across the years. Head of the eminently successful Fitzgerald Auto Malls, the multi-franchised, mega dealership, interstate organization which he founded years ago and grew exponentially later, Jack received one of CBNês highest honors being named Catholic Business Person of the Year.

Recognized before the extensive membership of CBM Montgomery at its 22nd Annual Gala on November 20, Jack was commended for his leadership of WANADA as its chairman in 2006-07; his longtime position on the board of AIADA; and his many public policy advocacies with MADA in Annapolis and NADA on Capitol Hill, where, in particular, he was recognized for successfully leading the effort to restore dealer rights in Congress in the unprecedented bankruptcy reorganizations of GM and Chrysler in 2009.

Fitzgerald Auto Mallsê full throttle promotion of child passenger safety was spotlighted, too, the other evening, too, for the extraordinary high regard it has gained regionally, no less than nationally for the tens of thousands of child safety seat demonstrations the Fitz Malls dealer network has conducted over the years. In the career education realm, Fitzgerald executives have lead the Montgomery Students Automotive Trades Foundation in its award winning Mini-Dealership training of aspiring auto technicians, which later blossomed into WANADAês Auto Dealer Education Instituteês Auto Technician Development Program at Montgomery College in Rockville and at Marshall Academy in Falls Church. CBN took special notice of Jackês leadership in career development given its principal charge to gain support for Catholic school education from its business membership, numbering about 250, spread over 48 professional and entrepreneurial categories. And it didnêt hurt that Jack, a native Washingtonian, and his sister and partner at Fitz Malls, Dottie Fitzgerald, were both themselves products of DC Catholic schools, as Dottie pointed out in her introduction of Jack, herself being an earlier recipient of the award.

Any number of notable elected leaders took the time to praise Jack for his goodness and success as Catholic Business Person of the Year, including Gov. Larry Hogan (R-Md); Montgomery Co. Executive Ike Leggett (D-Md); Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md); Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md); Rep. John Delaney (D-Md); and Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md).

Jack was also spotlighted on The Washington Post Business page, Nov. 15, in an article by Tom Heath, entitled –Fitzgerald Auto Mallês owner has formula for success: Hustle.” Click here to read the full article.