Pub. 7 2018-2019 Issue 4

10 San Diego Dealer GETTING TO KNOW NCDA CHAIRMAN Mark Gruwell How did you become a car dealer? Did you always aspire to be part of the automotive industry? I’m a 3rd generation car dealer. My grandfather, Ed Fitzgerald, started Courtesy Chevrolet in Phoenix, Arizona in 1955, together with a partner. A few years into the venture, my grandfather bought out his partner. In 1981, my grandfather brought my dad Bill Gruwell into the business as a business partner. Eventually my brother Scott and I joined the business. I think it’s safe to say that the car business is in our DNA. It never occurred to me to do something else. However, I did want to go about it inmy own way. After I graduated college, I went to work at Burt Chevrolet in Denver, Colorado, and learned the business. I sold cars for three years in Denver, before I moved to Phoenix and joined the family business. I have been – and still am – very fortunate to work in the family busi- ness and to be a part of the growth and success of my grandfather’s vision. What started with virtually nothing 64 years ago had grown into a dealership group that employs several hundred people in five dealerships. Do you have family members in the auto industry? I do. My dad, Bill Gruwell, me andmy brother Scott, andmy brother-in-law, Jason Church make up the family business these days. Describe your education background. What did you study? I went to Arizona State University, and I have a B.A. in business and finance. Are there any specific individuals that had a major impact on your career? Yes. Outside of my grandfather and my dad, I was lucky enough to have another mentor in A. J. Guanella, Burt Chevrolet, and now John Elway Chevrolet. A.J. had a major impact in my career. He taught me the car business. Both my grandfather and dad had a love for this business and a tremen- dous work ethic. What is the most rewarding part of your career? It probably sounds cliché, but, it’s the people. Helping a first time buyer purchase a car, and seeing their excitement as they prepare to drive it away, is still one of the best parts of what I do. It never gets old. Providing customers with a car buying experience they love is rewarding. What do you think will be some of the dominant trends within the auto industry in the next 5-10 years? Well, we all see what’s coming: electric vehicles and autonomous vehicles, to name just a couple. I think both are just around the corner, actually. More and more models are becoming increasingly autonomous, and for metro areas, I can see the positive. I think for those people that commute, the thought of reading a little, drinking coffee, answering emails while being driven to work is a great use of time. I think a lot of the trends will be very positive and exciting. The car industry is a people business. As dealers, we want the best possible products from the OEMs, so we can sell them to our customers.