2026 TDOY Nominee

Mario Hernandez is one of a select group of 47 dealer nominees from across the country who will be honored at the 109^th annual National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) Show in Las Vegas, Nevada on February 5, 2026.

The TIME Dealer of the Year award is one of the automobile industry’s most prestigious and highly coveted honors. The award recognizes the nation’s most successful auto dealers who also demonstrate a long-standing commitment to community service. Hernandez was chosen to represent the Idaho Automobile Dealers Association in the national competition – one of only 47 auto dealers nominated for the 57^th annual award from more than 20,000 nationwide.

Hernandez purchased Teton Toyota in 2005 with a minority stake and a performance-based path to ownership. Backed by results, he completed a buyout in 2012 — supported by Toyota Financial Services – and today owns 95% of the business (with shared ownership held by his daughter Crystal Zmak and son-in-law Travis Zmak). The dealership employs 176 team members in Idaho Falls.

“In 2005, I bought Teton Toyota with a 15% ownership interest and the idea to take a very underperforming store to a high-performing store,” Hernandez said. “In 2012, I was able to execute that buy-sell — I became 100% owner and dealer principal of Teton Toyota.”

Hernandez has transformed Teton Toyota into a high-performing, guest-focused operation. Facilities have been continually upgraded to elevate both the customer and employee experience: a ground-up, image-compliant store opened in 2009, followed by a 2013 sales/finance/showroom expansion; a 2015 service lounge and shop expansion; added employee parking in 2023; and, in 2025, a dedicated used-car reconditioning, accessories, and detail center to improve speed-to-market and personalization.

“We constructed a brand new, state of the art, image compliant facility in 2009 … In 2013 we expanded the sales department, finance offices and the showroom … and in early 2025 we added a used car reconditioning center, accessories and detail building,” Hernandez noted. “All [were] designed to improve the customer and employee experience.”

An early digital retailing advocate, Teton Toyota was the first CDK SmartPath launch in the Northwest, and Hernandez serves on the SmartPath Advisory Council – even hosting a platform developer on-site to iterate with the team. He also built a full-service accessories program staffed by advisors and certified technicians and integrated Toyota’s Accessory Interactive Menu (AIM) into SmartPath — positioning Teton as a top AIM user nationally and making the dealership a true one-stop destination.

“We recognize that as a dealer body, we have a choice: embrace innovation or allow others to define the customer experience for us. We chose to lead,” Hernandez said. “We joined the SmartPath Advisory Council ... and hosted one of the original SmartPath developers at our dealership … Our goal was simple — make Teton the one-stop destination for everything automotive.”

Recognition includes the Toyota President’s Award (2019–2024), Toyota Financial Insignia Award (2019–2024), and Toyota Financial Circle of Excellence (2022–2023). Hernandez has represented dealers through service on the Toyota Dealer Council; as president of the Toyota Dealer Advertising Association (2020–2022); as a Toyota Government Affairs dealer advocate (2024–present); on the TLMODA board; and on the Toyota Financial Services Reinsurance Board of Directors.

A hallmark of Hernandez’s leadership is people-first culture. Teton Toyota offers an annual wellness challenge, biometric screenings, paid training, an annual Women in Automotive event (growing female representation from 5% to 23% over 13 years), HSA/benefit contributions, a 4% 401(k) match, and unique recognition like an Alaska Fishing Trip merit program (more than 110 employees have attended). Notably, after two years of service, the company pays college tuition for employees’ children at Idaho universities — 20+ students supported to date.

“We encourage wellness and growth — from biometric screenings and a wellness challenge to paid training and a 4% 401(k) match,“ Hernandez said. “Our annual Women’s Event has helped us grow from 5% to 23% women on staff, and we’ve put over 20 employees’ children through college.”

During the pandemic, Hernandez prioritized jobs and stability. “During the COVID shut down, we committed to not laying off any employees and protecting the investment we made in our people. We guaranteed 80% of employee’s wages or commission whichever is higher,” he said. “It created an immense amount of loyalty… The lasting result has been the confidence our team members have in our organization.”

Hernandez credits calculated risk-taking for Teton Toyota’s growth. “The times when I had to put every dollar I could come up with into my business — initial buy-in, building a new facility, buying my partner out,” he recalled. “Each of these times I went all-in financially … The outcome was tremendous! I have been able to repay all debts and expand as opportunities have presented themselves.”

At Teton Auto Group, customer experience isn’t a department — it’s a belief system. Hernandez recalled a moment from one of their internal training sessions that perfectly captured this philosophy:

“One of our trainers came to me feeling defeated — questioning whether all the time and effort we put into our customer service training was really making a difference. About a week later, I received a phone call from a service customer who not only praised our staff by name but said she had never experienced such genuine care and professionalism at a dealership before. Then she asked me a question that stopped me in my tracks: ‘What program do you use to train your people? I want to use it to train my own team.’”

That moment reminded everyone why Teton Auto Group invests so heavily in its people. The training program — built in-house — doesn’t just teach process; it teaches presence, empathy, and ownership. Every team member is empowered to make things right for the customer, and every interaction is viewed as an opportunity to build trust that lasts beyond the transaction.

“When a customer notices not just the service, but the way our people treat others — and wants to model it in their own business — that’s when you know the culture is working,” Hernandez said. “It’s proof that what we’re doing goes beyond selling cars. We’re shaping how people feel about this industry.”

Community impact is expansive and sustained. For 17 consecutive years, Teton Toyota has donated a new vehicle to a local school-districts raffle, allowing students to sell tickets and keep 100% of proceeds for programs like debate, robotics, arts, athletics, and more — totaling approximately $2.1 million and benefitting thousands of students. “Over the last 17 years, local students have benefited approximately $2.1 million dollars,” Hernandez said. “Thousands of students have been able to participate in activities of their choice through the car raffle program that they may not have been able to do without it.”

Asked about a particularly rewarding moment, Hernandez pointed to a call from a manufacturer.

“I received a phone call from an OEM stating they wanted me to become a dealer for them and me and my people to represent their brand in our market,” he said. “It provided additional growth opportunities throughout our organization for our people … We were able to grow and continue our promote-from-within strategy.”

Hernandez was nominated for the TIME Dealer of the Year award by the Idaho Automobile Dealers Association. Mario and his wife, Glenda, have three children: Crystal Zmak, Anthony Hernandez and Connor Hernandez.