Dois I. Rosser Jr.
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Dois Irvin "D.I." Rosser Jr. (August 12, 1921 – November 12, 2019) was an American businessman best known for founding the POMOCO Auto Group in Virginia's Hampton Roads/Tidewater area[1] and International Cooperating Ministries (ICM).[2]
Rosser was born in Hampton, Virginia, and was a longtime businessman in the area.[3] After owning an insurance company, he got his start in the auto business when he bought a small Poquoson car dealership in 1948 for $35,000.[3] He grew the POMOCO Auto Group to become one of the largest dealership groups in Newport News and Hampton, Virginia, opening a new $10 million sales complex in 1996 and operating at least 27 franchises under the Pomoco Group banner along with three other businesses (Pomoco Life Insurance Co., Key Finance and Pomoco Development Inc.) employing about 350 people and taking more than $150 million in annual revenue.[4][3] The company said the name "was originally a play on the name of our coastal community, but it's come to mean 'Peace of Mind of Course'".[1]
In 1986, he founded International Cooperating Ministries (ICM), a Christian nonprofit organization whose mission is to build a church within walking distance of everyone in the world and, as of 2019, had 8,543 church projects built or under construction.[5][6] ICM built their first church for $5,000 in India and Rosser dedicated it to his father.[2] He was chair emeritus of ICM at the time of his death.
He served on the board for the Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization, Leighton Ford Ministries, Youth Focus, Prison Fellowship, and the Overseas Council for Theological Education and Missions. Rosser was also on the board of trustees of Hampton University and the United Way of the Virginia Peninsula.[7]
In 1986, Rosser was named "Unsung Virginian" in recognition of his business, civic, and religious accomplishments,[8][9] and in 2000, he received the Time Magazine Quality Dealer Award.[10]
He lived in Hampton, Virginia, with his wife of 76 years, Shirley Sutton Rosser, whom he married in 1943 and preceded him in death on September 29, 2019,[11] and had three daughters, Pamela Minter, Cindy Higgins and Janice Rosser Allen. Janice is the current president and CEO of ICM.[12]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "About Pomoco Auto Group". Pomoco. Archived from the original on November 13, 2019. Retrieved November 13, 2019.
- ^ a b "Dois Rosser 96 founder of the International Cooperating Ministries". Chicago Tribune. September 8, 2017. Retrieved November 13, 2019.
- ^ a b c Schleck, Dave (January 20, 1997). "High Profile: Dois Rosser Jr". Daily Press. Retrieved November 13, 2019.
- ^ "Our Team". Pomoco Group Inc. Archived from the original on July 15, 2011. Retrieved December 20, 2009.
- ^ Dooley, Thomas (2005). Praying Faith. Destiny Image Publishers. ISBN 9780768429640.
- ^ "Annual Report 2018". ICM. Retrieved November 13, 2019.
- ^ "Churchman of the Year - Dois I. Rosser Jr". Daily Press. December 7, 1989. Archived from the original on October 22, 2012. Retrieved August 26, 2009.
- ^ "Then and Now". Daily Press. January 29, 1996. Archived from the original on October 22, 2012. Retrieved August 26, 2009.
- ^ Acts of the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Vol. 3. Virginia. Commonwealth of Virginia. 2000.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link) - ^ "Senate Joint Resolution 81". Virginia General Assembly. January 18, 2000. Retrieved December 20, 2009.
- ^ "Shirley Sutton Rosser". Legacy.com.
- ^ "An International Christian Organization Focused on Building Churches". ICM. Retrieved November 13, 2019.