Hugh “Jack” Weidinger IV, dealer principal at North Bay Cadillac Co. Inc. and community activist throughout the North Shore community, was nominated for a prestigious award by TIME earlier this month.
Weidinger, a third-generation car dealer, was one of 48 individuals nominated for the 54th annual Dealer of the Year award out of an initial group of more than 16,000 throughout the country. Being immersed in the automotive industry from a young age, he said, sparked his passion to follow in the family business at Weidinger Automotive Group.
“My father and grandfather worked hard to establish our reputation in our market, and I am committed to carrying on that legacy by investing in our employees, our facilities and our communities,” Weidinger said in a statement
Trips to the family’s Jaguar dealership starting around eight years old and working in the parts and service departments during the summers, he said, provided him with an insight into how the business ran.
Weidinger attended Lehigh University in 1994, earning a bachelor’s degree in finance heading to Manhattan and getting a job on Wall Street.
After a year of working in the financial sector, he joined the family business in 1996, with rapid changes ahead.
The business sold Infiniti in 2002 to take on Hummer to construct a new Cadillac Hummer store in Great Neck. As dealer principal, Weidinger also added Buick and GMC in 2010 before the appointment of a Land Rover franchise in Freeport five years ago.
“While growing up in the dealership I worked hard to earn the respect of my coworkers, some of whom are still working for us today,” Weidinger said. “As the strongest guide in my life, my father taught me the value of caring deeply for the well-being and success of our dealership employees.”
Weidinger said the role has also underscored the value of a loyal community that surrounds businesses. Aside from distributing cars to the Great Neck peninsula and beyond, Weidinger also aids in the distribution of winter coats to those who are in need.
Working with the Greater New York Automobile Dealers Association and Operation Warm, a nonprofit organization that manufactures new, high-quality coats and shoes for children in need, has helped provide the charity with thousands of dollars to help with their manufacturing costs.
“Giving back to our Great Neck community is a fundamental part of the Weidinger Auto Group philosophy and we are pleased to help whenever we can,” he said. “This year we will again be working with Operation Warm to provide brand-new warm winter coats to those who need them most. COVID has presented many challenges for families and if we can help make a difference in a child’s life by giving them a warm coat we will.”
“We commend Jack and his staff for their incredible collective effort to provide hundreds of new warm coats to children in need,” Operation Warm Executive Director Grace Sica said in a statement. “They have gone above and beyond to help those less fortunate in Great Neck and the surrounding area.”
Weidinger has also served on the board of the Glen Cove Boys & Girls Club at Lincoln House, which provides safe and essential after-school services for children ages 6-18. Understanding the community a business serves and helping whenever possible, he said, is something that has been a family tradition.
“As a third-generation dealer, the keys to running a successful business and continuing our family tradition have been ingrained in me. Our team prides itself on being honest, respectful and attentive to the needs of everyone who comes through our dealerships and we treat everyone the way we want to be treated.”
