Larry Pickett

Larry Pickett has been credited with helping dealerships achieve record profits and units sold. He has been featured in national and international magazines. Larry was named to Automotive News magazine’s prestigious “40 Under 40,” He was recognized as one of the top 40 automotive professionals in the entire United States and Canada across all retail dealerships and automotive corporations. Automotive News is the definitive journal of record for the worldwide automotive industry. Earning a spot on that national roster is one of the highest individual honors in the automotive business, awarded only to those who demonstrate the absolute pinnacle of operational excellence, ethical deal structuring, and leadership.

Along with that national honor, his professional success was spotlighted in Toyota Today, the official publication of Toyota Motor North America, and he earned the distinction of being recognized as a PROS Sales Manager while helping lead and manage the number one volume Toyota dealership in the entire state of North Carolina.

Larry has had the opportunity to meet and work with some of the most influential people in the auto industry and was even asked to serve on the National Dealer Council for TrueCar.

He has been married to his wife Shawnonne since 2002 and the couple has 3 children.

Larry and his wife have served as Elders and Youth Pastors at Word of God Fellowship Church in Raleigh, NC where they have been members since 1999.

Larry retired from the auto industry at the age of 42, but before his retirement, he earned the respect of many influential people because he specialized in, led and managed several critical departments and key areas that make dealerships thrive. Including Sales and Finance, Fixed Operations, marketing and advertising. He even developed and managed BDCs as well as inbound and outbound service department call centers.

As a salesperson, Larry broke records for units sold, gross profit and CSI. As an F&I Manager, he was the only person in the history of the company to consistently run 70-80 deals per month and still have over 80% vehicle service contract penetration. And he was the only Finance Manager with back to back 100% government compliance scores as well as having the top rated CSI in the region.

When Larry retired, he held the record with 354 reviews with a PERFECT 5.0 rating on Dealer Rater.

As a Sales Manager, Larry was recognized by Toyota as being one of the top Sales Managers in the country by helping to lead a team that achieved one of the highest percentages of objective in Southeast Toyota history!

As the Director of Business Development, he was responsible for managing a team of over 40 Sales Associates. He designed procedures and schedules to ensure that all customers were tracked and followed-up. He also helped the sales staff research, identify, and develop new clients and sales opportunities.

Larry was also responsible for ensuring that the Sales Associates achieved and maintained company benchmarks with regard to setting appointments and show rate as well as monthly certification tests required by Southeast Toyota Distributors.

Larry designed and implemented digital marketing campaigns, e-blasts and produced as well as edited dealership videos to increase sales. Then he prepared custom made reports showing the effectiveness of his Sales Associates and coached any Sales Associate that may have needed assistance.

Larry was responsible for interviewing, hiring, and training each Sales Associate through processes that he designed to build a productive and profitable sales staff.

Larry is proficient with CDK, Dealer Track, Reynolds and Reynolds, eLeads, Vauto, Xtime and many other dealership based software that he has used throughout his career. Larry also trained all of the Sales Associates on eLeads, the company’s customer relationship management system.

Larry developed employee motivational programs/bonuses designed to reinforce high shown appointment percentages, high volume vehicle sales and retention of employees.

While Larry was the Fixed Operations Marketing Director, he partnered with designated Anderson Automotive Group vendors and advertising consultants to ensure fixed operations marketing activities and projects are accurately tracked, hit critical due dates and are within predetermined advertising budgets.

Larry determined and documented each project’s scope, goals and deliverables.

Larry was also tasked with managing the fixed operations database marketing and segmentation strategies including, but not limited to conquest and retention programs.

He has had to develop a full understanding of each of the Anderson Automotive Group’s dealerships fixed operations competitive landscape, challenges and opportunities and maximize all available opportunities.

Larry and his team provide Net Promoter Score reporting and stats about the dealership and personnel.

He was also responsible for fixed operations digital marketing and served as the Director of Call Center Operations for all of the Anderson Automotive Group’s dealerships.

Larry oversaw the entire operation of the organization’s call center facility. He implemented and reviewed policies and operating structure of the call center. He set standards and guidelines for interaction with customers. He was responsible for monitoring the calls to ensure that the expectations of the customers were met.

Part of Larry’s responsibilities while overseeing the Call Center included scheduling, hiring, training, oversight and improvement of key performance indicators, management of call center software, performance monitoring/quality assurance, and employee development /mentoring.

He ensured that the revenue, profitability, and productivity goals established for the call center based products and services are met daily, monthly, quarterly, and annually. Now, with his vast knowledge of various departments of a dealership, he has developed Dealer Training Source!

Beyond his automotive and business career, Larry’s life has been defined by a deep commitment to service and his fellow man. In August 2025, Larry and his son, Larry Jr., took immediate action when they witnessed a horrific car crash, rescuing a trapped driver from an overturned, burning vehicle surrounded by live power lines. The rescue drew national and international attention and resulted in several of the country’s highest honors for civilian heroism.

Following the rescue, the Mayor of Raleigh officially proclaimed December 10, 2025, as “Larry Pickett Day” in recognition of their bravery. In February 2026, Larry was honored at the Chapel of Four Chaplains in Philadelphia with the Charles W. David Jr. Legion of Honor Gold Life Saver Medallion, an elite national distinction recognized across the armed forces. In September 2026, Larry was awarded the Carnegie Medal—North America’s highest honor for civilian heroism—bestowed by the Carnegie Hero Fund Commission following a rigorous investigation of acts where civilians enter mortal danger to save others. Additionally, Larry was selected for induction into the historic Legion of Valor of the United States of America on October 24, 2026, receiving the Silver Cross for Valor, the nation’s highest award for civilian heroism presented by the country’s oldest veterans organization.

Witnessing firsthand the extreme hazards, staffing shortages, and resource constraints facing rural emergency personnel during that rescue inspired Larry to take lasting action. He founded the Larry Pickett Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to equipping volunteer fire departments and rural first responders with life-saving equipment—such as automated chest compression devices and critical gear—ensuring that the men and women who risk their lives to protect underfunded communities have the essential tools they need to save lives and return home safely.