Laine Diffee Wins National Recognition for Community Service and Industry Accomplishments
(New York, NY, October 14, 2026) – The nomination of Laine Diffee, dealer principal of Diffee Ford Lincoln in El Reno, Oklahoma, for the 2027 TIME Dealer of the Year award was announced today by TIME.
Diffee is one of a select group of 48 dealer nominees from across the country who will be honored at the 110th annual National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) Show in Orlando, Florida, on February 19, 2027.
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. Diffee was chosen to represent the Oklahoma Automobile Dealers Association in the national competition – one of only 48 auto dealers nominated for the 58th annual award from more than 20,000 nationwide.
“This nomination is an incredible honor because it represents much more than my individual career,” Diffee said. “It reflects the generations of family members and employees who have built Diffee Ford Lincoln through integrity, hard work and a commitment to treating people the right way.”
Diffee’s automotive roots extend back to 1954, when his father, Vic Diffee, and grandfather, John Diffee, founded Diffee Auto Sales in Bethany, Oklahoma. His earliest memories include spending time at the dealership with his father and brother.
When Diffee was 10 years old, his father began taking him to work during the summer. He started by washing cars before moving into the detail shop. A few years later, he worked in the service department, changing oil, mounting and balancing tires, and performing other light maintenance.
By high school, Diffee was selling vehicles and had developed a lasting passion for the automotive business.
“My father made sure I understood the business from the ground up,” Diffee said. “Starting with washing cars and working through detailing, service and sales taught me to value every department. It also showed me that no role is too small when everyone is working toward the same goal.”
Diffee earned a bachelor’s degree in business management from Southern Nazarene University in Bethany in 1986. In 1991, his family purchased its first new-vehicle franchise, Diffee Ford Lincoln Mercury in El Reno. Diffee has spent the last 35 years helping lead the dealership, now known as Diffee Ford Lincoln.
The dealership is owned by Diffee and his siblings, Court Diffee, Lori Mosshart and Cris Pitcock.
“My father taught me the importance of integrity in the workplace, while my mother taught me to live with gratitude and humility,” Diffee said. “Those lessons have guided me throughout my career and helped shape the culture of our dealership.”
Diffee also credits his brother, Court, and brother-in-law, Tod Mosshart, with helping him grow personally and professionally.
“Getting to work throughout my career with Court and Tod has been one of my greatest blessings,” Diffee said. “They have made me a better person and leader, and I would not be where I am today without their daily influence, partnership and friendship.”
Diffee Ford Lincoln completed a major renovation of its Ford showroom in 2014. In 2023, the dealership constructed a new Lincoln Vitrine showroom designed to deliver a modern, elevated experience for customers and employees.
Under Diffee’s leadership, the dealership has earned the Ford President’s Award in 2019, 2020 and 2024. It also received the Lincoln President’s Award in 2020, 2021, 2022, 2024 and 2025. “These awards belong to our employees,” Diffee said. “Their consistency, professionalism and dedication to our customers make achievements like these possible. I am proud of the way they represent our family and our dealership every day.”
Diffee considers the dealership’s employees its greatest competitive strength. Diffee Ford Lincoln employs 84 people, including 28 who have worked at the dealership for more than a decade. Twelve employees have been with the company for more than 20 years.
The dealership supports employees through health insurance, a matching 401(k), monetary bonus programs and access to company chaplain John O’Dell.
“Our employees are the lifeblood of our company,” Diffee said. “We are proud of our low turnover and the family atmosphere we have created. When people stay with an organization for 10 or 20 years, they develop trust with one another and with generations of customers.”
Diffee has also served the automotive industry through several state and regional organizations. He was a member of the Metropolitan Automobile Dealers Association’s board of directors from 2013 to 2021 and served as chairman from 2017 to 2019.
During the same period, he served on the board of the Car Dealers Care Foundation, including a term as chairman from 2017 to 2019. He has been a member of the Oklahoma Ford Dealers Advertising Board since 2012 and served as its chairman in 2020. In 2025, he joined the Oklahoma Automobile Dealers Self-Insurance Board.
“Association service gives dealers an opportunity to learn from one another and work collectively on issues affecting our employees, customers and communities,” Diffee said. “I have valued the relationships built through these organizations and the opportunity to contribute to Oklahoma’s automotive industry.”
Diffee’s leadership extends beyond the dealership. He served on the El Reno Chamber of Commerce board from 1999 to 2003 and as its president from 2000 to 2002. He also served on the board of Bethany First Church of the Nazarene from 2020 to 2023.
Diffee and the dealership provide financial support to organizations and initiatives including March of Dimes, the Swaziland project at Bethany First Church of the Nazarene, Tulakes Food Pantry and a Bethany after-school program.
“Supporting our community is one way we can express our gratitude for the trust people have placed in our family and dealership,” Diffee said. “Whether we are helping provide food, supporting children after school or contributing to a larger mission project, we want our resources to make a meaningful difference.”
For Diffee, the most rewarding aspect of his career has been the opportunity to work alongside his family. That legacy now continues through his oldest son, Gann Diffee, who works with him at the dealership.
“I have been blessed to spend my career working with my brother, Court, and my brother-in-law, Tod,” Diffee said. “Now, having the opportunity to work alongside my oldest son, Gann, makes that experience even more meaningful. My life and career have truly been blessed.”
Dealers are nominated by the executives of state and metro dealer associations around the country. A panel of faculty members from the Tauber Institute for Global Operations at the University of Michigan will select one finalist from each of the four NADA regions and one national Dealer of the Year. Three finalists will receive $5,000 for their favorite charities and the winner will receive $10,000 to give to charity, donated by Ally.
In its 16th year as exclusive sponsor, Ally also will recognize dealer nominees and their community efforts by contributing $1,000 to each nominee’s 501(c)3 charity of choice. Nominees will be recognized on AllyDealerHeroes.com, which highlights the philanthropic contributions and achievements of TIME Dealer of the Year nominees.
“The TIME Dealer of the Year program recognizes dealers who pair excellence in the automotive industry with an enduring commitment to the communities they serve,” said Jessica Sibley, CEO of TIME. “TIME is proud to partner with Ally to celebrate their achievements and spotlight the standard of leadership they set across the country.”
“Great dealerships are built by people, and the 2027 TIME Dealer of the Year nominees prove it,” said Doug Timmerman, President of Dealer Financial Services, Ally Financial. “These leaders invest in the teams who help customers through one of the biggest purchases of their lives and show up for the communities they call home. We’ve seen it firsthand at Ally, where dealers who lead this way do it not for recognition, but because it’s who they are. That’s what it means to do it right, and we’re proud to celebrate it.”
Diffee was nominated for the TIME Dealer of the Year award by a Committee of Past TDOY Nominees from Oklahoma and Peter L. Hodges Sr., president of the Oklahoma Automobile Dealers Association.
Diffee and his wife, Susan, have six children: Gann, Gray, Garis, Gage, Gibson and Glade.
