MERRILLVILLE – Mike Shaver Sr., a third-generation auto dealer, has received the 2011 Joe Krier Quality Dealer of the Year award from the Indiana Independent Automobile Dealers Association.

Shaver, the owner of Shaver Preferred Motors of Merrillville, was cited for having a record of good business decisions, honesty, integrity and civic leadership.

He began at the dealership in 1976. It was founded by his grandfather in 1913 as a Hudson-Edsel distributor. The company moved to its current location in 1994 and has reported sales of 700 units a year.