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By Carey Reeder | Managing Editor

Mark McKinnon, owner of McKinnon Toyota and Nissan, was named an Alabama Retailer of the Year by the Alabama Retail Association for 2023. McKinnon was named the Alabama Retailer of the Year in the Annual Sales More than $20 Million category.

McKinnon, the over 100 McKinnon Toyota and Nissan employees, local dignitaries and representatives from the Alabama Retail Association attended a ceremony on Sept. 18 that recognized the business’ achievement.

“I’m very excited for the dealerships and the employees to be receiving this award,” McKinnon said in a press release from the ARA. “I’m sure it will be very gratifying to them after all of their efforts this past year.”

The press release read that the judges for the retailer of the year were impressed with McKinnon’s “forward thinking strategies” such as expanding its service department, increased staff for faster service and comprehensive training programs for its employees. McKinnon also began offering customers the ability to schedule service appointments online.

“One significant factor contributing to the increased profit is the company’s focus on making service and sales more convenient for its customers,” McKinnon added in the release. “By identifying and addressing pain points in the customer experience, we have streamlined our processes, ensuring a smoother and more efficient service. This has resulted in a higher level of customer satisfaction, leading to increased repeat business and word of mouth referrals.”

After 54 years of business, it became apparent to McKinnon that getting young people experience in a dealership at an early age would show them all the possibilities that line of work can have. McKinnon offers internships to local students looking to gain experience in the field, another part of the business the ARA was impressed with.

“Mark McKinnon is a retailer of the year every year to his customers, to the 100 McKinnon Toyota and Nissan employees, to the Clanton and central Alabama community,” ARA President Rick Brown said in the press release.

McKinnon was named The Clanton Advertiser’s 2023 Citizen of the Year and was presented the 2022 Clanton Lions Club Community Service Award in recent years in the Chilton County community.