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 and International Cooperating Ministries (ICM). Rosser was born in Hampton, Virginia, and was a longtime businessman in the area. After owning an insurance company, he got his start in the auto business when he bought a small

Poquoson Poquoson (), informally known as Bull Island, is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 12,460. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Poquoson with surrounding York Count ...

car dealership in 1948 for $35,000. 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. 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. 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. ICM built their first church for $5,000 in India and Rosser dedicated it to his father. He was chair emeritus of ICM at the time of his death. He served on the board for the

Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization The Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization, more commonly known as the Lausanne Movement, is a global movement that mobilizes evangelical leaders to collaborate for world evangelization. The stated vision is "the whole church taking the whole ...

, Leighton Ford Ministries, Youth Focus,

Prison Fellowship Prison Fellowship is the world's largest Christian nonprofit organization for prisoners, former prisoners, and their families, and a leading advocate for justice reform.Mark Oppenheimer ''New York Times'' (April 27, 2012). History Prison Fell ...

, and the Overseas Council for Theological Education and Missions. Rosser was also on the board of trustees of Hampton University and the

United Way United Way is an international network of over 1,800 local nonprofit fundraising affiliates. United Way was the largest nonprofit organization in the United States by donations from the public, prior to 2016. United Way organizations raise funds ...

of the Virginia Peninsula. In 1986, Rosser was named "Unsung Virginian" in recognition of his business, civic, and religious accomplishments, and in 2000, he received the

Time Magazine Quality Dealer Award The Time Magazine Quality Dealer Award (TMQDA) is an annual Time Magazine-sponsored award, in partnership with Ally Financial, honoring new-car dealers in America who exhibit exceptional performance in their dealerships and perform distinguished com ...

. 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, and had three daughters, Pamela Minter, Cindy Higgins and Janice Rosser Allen. Janice is the current president and CEO of ICM.

References

External links

International Cooperating Ministries website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rosser, Dois I 2019 deaths People from Hampton, Virginia Religious leaders from Virginia 1921 births Hampton University people Businesspeople from Virginia 20th-century American businesspeople 21st-century American businesspeople American automobile salespeople