Nelson Bowers

2019 Inductee

Bowers and Painter Field is the Pride of North Georgia football. It would not be so without the generosity and patronage of the man for whom the field is named Mr. Nelson Bowers.  A successful entrepreneur with diverse interests in the retail automotive industry, Mr. Bowers owns and operates automobile dealerships and collision centers in the greater Chattanooga and Cleveland, TN area.  He is also an active venture capitalist and investor in a variety of businesses.  In 1976 at the young age of 30, Mr. Bowers became a franchise Volvo dealer in Chattanooga and his success with that dealership led him to being awarded the BMW franchise for the market in 1977.  His customer oriented philosophy was a primary factor in his dealerships becoming market leaders.  He received the highest recognition from Volvo and BMW relative to performance and sales market penetration, customer service and profitability.  From the 1980s to 1997, Mr. Bowers built an industry-leading organization of 14 franchises in 8 locations in Chattanooga and Nashville with annual revenue of more than 250 million dollars.  In 1997, his primary dealership group was acquired by Charlotte-based Sonic Automotives, Inc., and Mr. Bowers served on Sonic’s Board of Directors until 1999 when he left the organization to focus on investment banking opportunities.  Mr. Bowers is currently a principal in Presidio Strategies LLC, a San Francisco based investment banking firm specializing in advisory services to auto dealers.  In addition, he continues to own and operate successful automobile dealerships with collision centers in the greater Chattanooga, Cleveland, and Valdosta, GA areas.  On an interesting side note, Mr. Bowers was involved in the NASCAR scene for many years and was one of three owners that formed MB2 Motorsports in 1996. A native of the Chattanooga area, Mr. Bowers is a Rossville High School alumnus, member of the legendary 1962 undefeated two-way state championship team, and member of the Rossville High Hall of Fame, he attended the University of Georgia on a football scholarship, lettered in 1966 and 1967, and served on the 1964 Sun Bowl team, the 1966 Cotton Bowl team, and the 1967 Liberty Bowl team.  Mr. Bowers continues to serve on the UGA Board of Trustees.  He is married to the lovely Mrs. Pamela Green Bowers, and has two beautiful children, Rick and Courtney, and five beautiful grandchildren.  He is an unwavering supporter of the Panther Nation, and for his loyalty and generosity, it is my absolute pleasure to induct Mr. Nelson Bowers into the Ridgeland Hall of Fame Class of 2019.  

–Rob Stinson, 2019