Don Hicks

Don Hicks began his career in 1972 as a salesperson at Courtesy Ford. He left 14 years later as the General
Manager. From August 1986 to August 1987, Don was the General Manager of Leo Payne Imports in Lakewood, where he was responsible for the Mercedes-Benz, Volvo and Subaru franchises.

In September 1987, Don established Shortline Auto Group in Aurora, which operated several automotive franchises including Subaru, Mazda, Suzuki, Volkswagen, Kia, Hyundai and Porsche. Don has served as the President and CEO of Shortline Auto Group since its inception. The Shortline Subaru dealership was the second-highest- volume Subaru store in the United States, and the Shortline Hyundai store was the second-highest-volume Hyundai dealership in Colorado year after year. Shortline Mazda was consistently the second-highest-volume dealership in Colorado.

Don served as a member of the Subaru Chairman’s Roundtable, comprised of the top 25 Subaru dealers in the nation for more than 20 years. Currently, he is Dealer Principal of Shortline Buick-GMC, located in Aurora, and Porsche Colorado Springs.

Don is proud of his Mexican-American heritage and leadership position within the National Association of Minority Automobile Dealers. This gives him the opportunity to advocate for Latino and other under-represented groups in the automotive industry.

Don is a nine-year Board of Director member of the National Automobile Dealers Association. As part of the responsibility of his NADA Board seat, he represents minority dealers West of the Mississippi. He also serves as the industry relations representative for NADA with Porsche. He was Colorado’s nominee for the 2008 TIME Dealer of the Year award.

Additionally, Don is a member of the American International Auto Dealers Association, where he served as Chairman from 2002-2003. Also, Don is a three-time Chairman of the Subaru National Retailers Advisory Board.