Steven Olliges
Steven Olliges
Team Ford Lincoln
Las Vegas, Nevada
“I feel immense satisfaction being able to not only serve my employees and customers, but my local community and beyond thanks to my automotive career,”
A Nevada native who grew up in the car business, Olliges graduated from Valley High School in Las Vegas, where he played football, and he received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Las Vegas in 1986. He is a competitive off-road racer with a passion for desert racing.
To that end, he spent two years selling cars at El Cajon Ford in El Cajon, California, where he gained valuable experience. “I credit my parents and football coaches with teaching me perseverance, hard work and how to work as a team,” he said.
In 1998, Olliges was named sales manager of Friendly Ford and in 2000, he opened Team Ford Lincoln. “I believe that staying in Las Vegas has contributed to my success because I have remained in contact with friends and acquaintances for the past 30 years who are now my customers,” he said. “I have a strong connection and history in the community.”
Olliges has been a member of the Nevada Franchised Auto Dealers Association since 2000. “My biggest impact within the association was working to change auditing laws regarding dealerships,” he said. “Rather than an auditor being able to going back as far as he or she wants, the timeframe was reduced. This has been a huge improvement for dealers and has minimized potential chargebacks in Nevada.”
He is also committed to using his time and resources to help people in his community. The groups Olliges supports include Honorary Commander of 433 Weapons School; Rancho Santa Marta/Bethesda Teaching Ministry (home for at-risk and special-needs children in San Vicente, Baja California, Mexico); JDRF (Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation); Cars 4 Heroes (provides free, reliable transportation for veterans and their families); Toys for Tots; ALS Association; Holy Spirit Catholic Church (Las Vegas); Arbor View High School (Las Vegas); YMCA of Southern Nevada, as well as local youth sports teams, police departments and fire stations.
Olliges was nominated for the TIME Dealer of the Year award by Andrew MacKay, executive director of the Nevada Franchised Auto Dealers Association. He and his wife, Karissa, have two children.
