🚗 Rick & Sara Yemm: TIME Nominee + Dick’s Legendary Memory

🎙️ “He could tell you every car your parents ever bought—make, model, year, and color.”
That’s Dick Yemm—the Galesburg icon who started it all in 1961.

Now, his son Rick Yemm, dealer principal of Yemm Automotive, is one of just 47 dealers nationwide nominated for the 2026 TIME Dealer of the Year Award—the auto industry’s highest honor, co-sponsored by Ally Financial and judged by the University of Michigan’s Tauber Institute. One winner will be crowned in Las Vegas at the NADA Show in February, with $10,000 to their chosen charity.

He’s joined by his daughter, Sara Yemm Witherell (General Manager), who’s now running 75% of the show, on Galesburg’s Morning News (WGIL) with Jay Redfern and Tyler Gumm.

In this full interview (recorded11/6/25):
The Dick Yemm legend — weekly lunches with Sara, unmatched kindness, and a memory that still inspires
How honesty + hard work keeps Yemm independent after 64 years
Sara’s rise from switchboard kid to decision-maker
Community heartbeat: Galesburg Community Foundation, GAVC internships, Carl Sandburg College
The future: online starts, transparent pricing, but trust is still face-to-face
Rick’s 1969 green Camaro — 53 years owned, 40K miles, on the showroom floor right now

"If you're honest and you work hard, I guarantee you success here." – Rick Yemm
"He was the example of how to treat people." – Sara on her grandpa Dick

🚗 Yemm Automotive – Third generation. Galesburg proud.
📍 Galesburg, IL | https://www.yemmauto.com

👇 Drop a comment: What’s YOUR Yemm memory?
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#YemmAutomotive #GalesburgIL #TIMEDealerOfTheYear #FamilyBusiness #DickYemm