WARRENVILLE, Ill. (April 29, 2010) – John “Jack” Saum, dealer principal and chairman of the board of International® Truck dealership, Beltway International, LLC, in Baltimore, Md., was named the American Truck Dealers/Heavy Duty Trucking 2010 Truck Dealer of the Year during the annual American Truck Dealers (ATD) annual convention in Orlando.

“Winning ATD Truck Dealer of the Year is very exciting and unexpected,” said Saum. “This recognition is really a tribute to my dealership, family and employees. Without the employees we have, we would not have even been considered for this award.”

Saum was one of six dealers nominated for this prestigious award which recognizes excellence in commercial truck dealership performance, industry leadership, civic contributions and community service. The ATD Truck Dealer of the Year was chosen by a panel of professors from Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business.

“ATD Truck Dealer of the Year is the highest honor in the industry and we’re excited for Jack Saum to receive the recognition he deserves,” said Jack Allen, Navistar president, North American truck group. “Throughout his career, Jack has been an innovative leader committed to delivering to his customers the highest levels of excellence in the industry. We’re proud that he’s been named Dealer of the Year and proud that he’s an International dealer.”

Saum began his career with International Harvester as a sales trainee in 1969. Saum held a series of management positions with International Harvester in the Northeast region of the country before joining Beltway International in 1984. Saum initially served as general manager at the Beltway dealership and assumed the role of dealer principal in 1997 when he purchased the dealership.

“Jack has proven to be a visionary leader and has played an important role in implementing our distribution strategy,” said John Whitnell, Navistar vice president, distribution. “Under Jack’s direction, Beltway has experienced impressive growth, expanding from a single location dealership to six fully capable facilities. He has served his community, his industry and his fellow dealers with distinction. We are pleased that Jack and his organization are receiving the recognition from ATD that they have earned.”

“A New Truck is a Green Truck”
Saum demonstrated his innovative business approach through his leadership of the “A New Truck is a Green Truck” initiative which focuses on environmentally friendly truck technologies. With support from the National Automotive Dealers Association (NADA) and Navistar, Saum led efforts to educate representatives at the state, federal and industry level about the environmental and fuel efficiency advantages of new truck design improvements with a focus on new diesel-powered trucks, diesel-electric hybrid trucks, auxiliary power units (APUs) and retrofit programs.

Industry Leadership
Over the years, Saum has earned several prestigious awards, including the International Circle of Excellence Award for dealership performance 15 times and the Navistar Financial Corporation (NFC) President’s Award for financing excellence 10 times. In addition, Saum’s dealership is a 9-time Diamond Certified dealer for operations excellence and 11-time winner of the Idealease IdealGold award for lease and rental operating excellence. Saum was also International Truck Dealer of the Year in 2004.

Community Involvement
Saum and his wife, Helen, live in Shepherdstown, W. Va. and are active in community, civic and religious organizations. Saum served as coach and leader of several youth sports teams and organizations, and president of the PTA of Sykesville Middle School. Throughout the years, Saum also has held several positions at St. Barnabus Episcopal Church. He and his wife support the Shepherd University music program through the “Friends of Music” organization, are founding members of the local symphony and currently fund the first-chair violin. They are also involved in a Rotary project to beautify Shepherdstown.

About ATD
Founded in 1970, the ATD (American Truck Dealers) division of the National Automobile Dealers Association is the only organization representing dealers selling new medium- and heavy-duty trucks in the United States. More than 2,200 members of ATD receive full association services from NADA.