John Riley

In 1998, I began my career with Chevrolet in Columbus, Ohio. At the time, I was six months removed from graduating from Otterbein College, where I majored in graphic design. I was actively searching for a job in my field, but it wasn’t going as smoothly as I had hoped. To pay my student loans and rent, I took a job selling cars. Little did I know, I would enjoy it so much.

When I finally landed my dream job in graphic design, I made it only until lunchtime before I called the dealership and asked to have my job back. The manager told me I could come back, but it had to be that same day—and that’s exactly what I did. I never imagined I would love a job as much as this, but I truly love what I do. After 27 years with Chevrolet, my passion for the work hasn’t wavered. Along the way, I met my wife Michelle there and grew into the man and father I am today.

In 2005, I joined Coughlin as the Chevrolet Sales Manager in Newark, Ohio. It was a big change from working in the city, where I had worked at the same location under three different owners. At Coughlin, I had the privilege of working for two of the best men in the business, Al and Mike Coughlin, who embody what it means to be upright and humble. It was a time when we were still relatively small, before our major expansions.

The first big project of my career was opening a new Chevrolet store in Pataskala, Ohio. I was offered the position of Chevrolet Manager before the store’s construction was even completed. I got to witness my future office being built from the ground up. We truly built the business from scratch, and we proudly opened the new location in July of 2006.

In 2007, we decided to sponsor a Corvette club. I had experience with a club at the Columbus dealership, so I approached that group to offer them a sponsorship. The president informed me the club was disbanding, but he gave me the name of someone who had a club without a sponsor. That person was Royce Martin.

Later that year, I met with Royce and Clarence Jeter, and they decided we would be a good fit as a sponsor. That meeting marked the beginning of what would become a great friendship. Over the past 18 years, we’ve shared countless experiences together. Today, we sponsor 11 Corvette clubs, and I always consult Royce before offering sponsorships to new clubs.

A few years ago, Royce shared his vision for the Cultural Awareness Corvette Weekend (CACW). I thought it was a brilliant idea—something that had never been done before. His passion for the project was contagious, and I became equally excited about the event. After meeting with some of the board members and learning more, I knew I wanted to be involved.

I’m so grateful Royce reached out to us all those years ago and gave us the opportunity to sponsor such a meaningful event. I look forward to seeing CACW grow and flourish in the years to come.