SOUTHFIELD, Mich. – Bill Perkins received the General Motors Minority Dealers Association (GMMDA) Trailblazer Award at the 15th Annual GMMDA Scholarship & Awards Banquet in Las Vegas on Jan. 31.

Perkins is a past president of the GMMDA as well as a member of National Dealer Advisory Council, the GM Minority Dealer Advisory Council, and an executive board member of the National Association of Minority Automobile Dealers. He was honored for his commitment to both minority dealers and the industry overall.

“Bill is very deserving of this award,” says GMMDA President Gregory Jackson. “Over the years, he has served his fellow minority dealers in countless ways, both seen and unseen. As a GMMDA past president, past treasurer and board member emeritus, Bill has and continues to play an instrumental role in leading the association in pursuing our mission of protecting the viability and profitability of GM minority dealers.”

In a career that began in GM’s Pontiac Motors Division in 1972, Perkins held several corporate positions and became a dealer in Kansas City, Mo. in 1988. He now owns two dealerships in the Detroit area, Merollis Chevrolet and Taylor Chevrolet, and received the GM Dealer Development Profit Enhance Program Award in 1995, 1996 and 1997.

Lloyd Waterhouse, CEO, chairman, and president of the Reynolds and Reynolds Co., which sponsored the award, congratulated both Perkins and the organization.

“The long-standing vision of GMMDA continues to reinforce leadership and integrity as a standard among automotive retailers," Waterhouse says. "Our company strongly supports and applauds GMMDA’s efforts and is proud to present Bill Perkins with this honorable award.”