Andy Dietrich is a well-known face and voice across the Tri-Cities region these days, but that didn’t come by accident; his backstory is as interesting as the current.
Now the co-owner of Champion Chevrolet Cadillac in Johnson City and Champion Chevrolet Buick GMC in Kingsport, Dietrich received the honor of laureate inductee from Junior Achievement of East Tennessee in November.
He credits his upbringing for setting the groundwork for his success.
“I had a great family that I was surrounded by and parents that were heavily involved in the community and their church,” Dietrich explained.
Growing up, he was an active member of First Presbyterian Church in Kingsport. His grandparents also participated in church and community and his grandfather always wanted to leave the world a better place. Faith has always been an important part of his life.
“I tried to keep that in the back of my mind,” Dietrich added. “If I can do something to help others or to help our region, or a place we call home— to make it better — not just for me but for everyone that lives here, I’ll do everything in my power to do it.”
His grandfather was the legendary Sam Anderson, who founded Anderson Ford in Kingsport in 1960 and ran it until 1995.
His mother, Dee Dee, was a schoolteacher, while his father, Dan, was a Kingsport dentist for 42 years until he retired five years ago. The younger Dietrich didn’t seek those careers, however.
He started working at the dealership when he was 15 washing cars and noticed employees respected Anderson, and his grandfather always was accessible.
“I watched how my grandfather helped others and how he had fun at his job,” Dietrich said. “I realized the employees that worked for him respected him because he treated them with kindness and always was accessible to employees and customers. I learned a great deal from that in my journey the last thirty-plus years working in the car business…Your employees are an extension of your family; you treat them with dignity and care for them, and they do the same for you.”
An Eagle Scout, he holds a degree in business from Elon University, but Dietrich says that by age 11 or 12, he decided he wanted to be in the car business. As a teenager, he worked in the Parts and Service departments in the summer and eventually did sales and finance.
“A lot of people go to college, and they don’t know what they want to be and figure it out as they go, but I knew straight out the gate that I wanted to follow in my grandfather’s footsteps,” he explained. “So, I knew the courses I wanted to take.”
He worked for grandpa at Gate City Ford in Virginia until that property went away, and Dietrich went to Ted Russell Ford in Knoxville and learned about the industry at three dealerships over four years, away from Anderson.
Having met his wife and marrying in 2004, he decided to move back toward the Tri-Cities, and after working for a year in Greeneville, went to the Ford store in Johnson City. He and his partner, Tim Copenhaver, found out the Chevrolet store in Johnson City was for sale and bought it in 2007. They have been the sales volume Chevrolet leader in Tennessee for 11 of the last 17 years. More recently, he and Copenhaver purchased the Courtesy Chevrolet Buick GMC dealership in July 2023.
Dietrich owes thanks to many people across the Appalachian Highlands for his success.
“The more successful I get, the more I need to give back and work harder. As the years have gone on, I’ve added more and more to my plate,” he said. “I don’t like going on a board just to have my name. I want to be where I feel like I can make a difference. Whatever I bring to that entity, I can go in and try to make it better and help people. The longer I’ve gone at this, the more opportunities I’ve had.”
He believes it is extremely important to be involved in the community and “not on the sidelines.”
“If you are unhappy about something or want to make a difference, get involved. Take a chance and get out there,” Dietrich recommends.
Accolades have followed.
In a January 2024 ceremony at ETSU, he was inaugurated into the Johnson City Chamber’s Hall of Fame. Dietrich served as Chamber chair in 2018, where he made strong strides toward regionalism and to unify the Northeast Tennessee business community.
A list of too many individuals to mention has helped him along the way.
Dietrich says he feels “blessed” and offers effusive gratitude to Copenhaver for “covering for me” when he does a function, ribbon cutting or attends board meetings and various events. Other positive influences pushing him along include ETSU President Dr. Brian Noland, BMS CEO Jerry Caldwell, Washington County Mayor Joe Grandy and Ballad Health Chairman/CEO Alan Levine.
“They have all been very instrumental in my life and been a soundboard for me,” he added. “They are ones I look up to a whole lot and admire the things they do, not in just the community but in their family life as well.”
As his grandfather was the oldest living past president of the Kingsport Chamber of Commerce before his passing, Dietrich wanted to be involved with a Chamber.
He chaired the Johnson City Chamber of Commerce in 2018, and starting in January, will chair the Chamber’s Foundation board.
He enjoyed being on the board for CASA for Kids, Inc., a non-profit organization located in Kingsport that serves Sullivan and Hawkins counties. He’s also been on the Ballad Health and Washington County advisory boards. He’s also served Milligan University, ETSU, and is a current member of BrightRidge Electric’s board.
After COVID-19 engulfed the world in early 2020, Dietrich also founded RegionAHEAD, an organization that reorganized itself after Hurricane Helene; it has since raised nearly a million dollars for flood relief to help businesses destroyed or cut off in 17 counties across Southwest Virginia and Northeast Tennessee.
On the personal side, Dietrich’s family is paramount to him.
He recently marked two decades of marriage to Hayley, who, for the last 13 years, runs Children Exceeding Expectations, a school exclusively for kids with cancer and immune deficiency disorders, located at Bristol Motor Speedway.
A daughter, 18, is a freshman at Samford University in Birmingham. His 15-year-old son is a high school freshman at Providence Academy in Johnson City. Dietrich says he still takes his kids to radiothons and fundraisers “to let them see what mom and dad do in the community to help and give back, so when they’re of age, hopefully it’s in their blood and they want to help.”
He and the family enjoy traveling, camping, golfing and boating, when time permits.
As for Junior Achievement, where he’s now a Laureate and Business Hall of Famer, he was involved as a middle school student and fondly recalls representatives from JA coming into school.
He’s heard of the “great things they’ve done” and helped sponsor annual awards dinners several times over the years.
“It’s a great thing for young people in our community,” Dietrich added.
His grandfather received the same award in 2001 for similar community efforts. Community achievements remain a Dietrich family affair.
