Enumclaw car dealer Alan Gamblin is in the running for TIME’s national Dealer of the Year award.
Gamblin is one of 49 dealers that were nominated for the 56th annual award out of more than 20,000 other names that were put forward.
“What a wonderful honor,” he said in a recent interview, adding that the nomination was a complete surprise.“ I was totally blown away.”
Gamblin started working at his father’s dealership at 14 after his family moved to Enumclaw from Idaho.
The dealership began in the old Paulson Dealership building on the corner of Railroad Street and Griffin Avenue — the historical building that was recently demolished due to the apparent collapse of a load-bearing beam.
”I felt sad that this happened, but it hurt even worse to drive by everyday and see the condition it was left in. There were a lot of great memories in that building for myself and family,” Gamblin said after the Aug. 28 demolition.
Some of those memories included custodial work at the dealership when he started working there at 12 years old to selling cars to his high school friends a few years later.
Although he had a talent for selling cars, he attended Brigham Young University after graduating Enumclaw High in 1974 to study business, and even considered becoming an attorney.
Instead, he left college to help his father before buying the 50% of the dealership from Art in 1985.
“Fate saved me,” he said in an earlier interview celebrating 50 years of business. “… I just never looked back.”
Gamblin then left the Paulson building and moved Gamblin Motors to the corner of Roosevelt Avenue and, yes, Gamblin Street, in 1987.
He purchased the rest of the dealership in 1992, and the dealership expansion on the corner of Griffin and Roosevelt was built in 2000.
But Gamblin is more than just his dealership – he’s a leader in the industry, having been a member, vice president, and board president (2017-2018) of the Washington State Auto Dealers Association.
“During my term as president of our state association, we worked with legislators to pass an enhanced state franchise law protecting dealers and consumers from manufacturer overreach and ensuring fair compensation for warranty work performed,” he said in the press release.
More locally, Gamblin and his family are also known for supporting the city and people of Enumclaw through service and scholarships.
To start, Gamblin is a lay minister for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, serving seven different congregations and says he volunteers an average of 20 hours a week to his calling.
“I know that religion can strengthen individuals, families, communities, and society as a whole and create positive social outcomes,” he said.
He’s also a Rainier Foothills Wellness Foundation board member, helping direct the non-profit as it served the Plateau with free healthcare transportation, hot senior meals, and mental health support for students.
Speaking of students, the Art Gamblin Memorial Scholarship – formed to honor Art when he died in 2002 – awards two annual scholarships to Enumclaw High School students. Additionally, his son Tyson serves on the Enumclaw School District Board of Directors.
And every year in September, Gamblin’s wife Jeri organizes a Beautify Enumclaw volunteer event where hundreds of locals, from grade school to seniors, show up – rain or shine – to pick up trash, take out invasive plants, lay down fresh park, and perform other services that help makes Enumclaw a clean place to visit and live.
Gamblin was nominated as TIME’s Dealer of the Year by Vicki Giles Fabré, executive vice president of the Washington State Auto Dealers Association.
He will be attending the 108th annual National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) Show in New Orleans, Louisiana, on Jan. 25, 2025.
There, four finalists will be selected to represent their NADA regions, and after, the one to receive the Dealer of the Year award.
Three runners up will receive $5,000, and the winner $10,000, all to be donated to their favorite charities.
