| Congratulations to Johnny Wayne Farris for being Tennessee’s nominee for Time Dealer of the Year |
| TAA congratulates Johnny Wayne Farris, president of Farris Motor Company in Jefferson City for being Tennessee’s nominee for the 2026 TIME Dealer of the Year national award. He is a recognized leader in our industry here in Tennessee and we congratulate him for this great accomplishment! Johnny Wayne is one of a select group of 47 dealer nominees from across the country who will be honored at the 109th annual National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) Show in Las Vegas, Nevada, on February 5, 2026. Johnny Wayne literally grew up in the business founded by his grandfather in 1929. After earning a B.S. from Tennessee Technological University, he joined Farris Motor Company full time in 1972 and has led Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep-Ram dealerships through multiple industry cycles, centering the operation on the Golden Rule, transparency, and long-term relationships. Johnny Wayne has served the TAA on the Board of Directors since 2000, including Secretary/Treasurer (2010–2011) and Chairman (2011–2012), In 2025, he received the Roberts V. Weaver Award, the highest honor a Tennessee dealer can receive. His community work includes long-standing support of God’s Warehouse, which has shipped 140+ forty-foot containers of humanitarian aid over the last twelve years—supporting East Tennessee families, Israel (via the Joseph Project), and Ukrainian refugees. 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. Farris was chosen to represent Tennessee in the national competition – one of only 47 auto dealers nominated for the 57th annual award from more than 20,000 nationwide. To read the press release from Time, please click here. |