Enumclaw resident Alan Gamblin was named the 2017-18 president of the Washington State Auto Dealers Association during the organization’s annual convention last month.

Born in Sandpoint, Idaho, Gamblin moved to Enumclaw at the age of 13, when his father Art bought the local Chevrolet dealership. He immediately started working in the family business by sweeping up the shop; he graduated to washing cars and then, at just 15 years of age, he sold his first car.

After studying business at Brigham Young University and serving a two-year mission to Chile for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Gamblin returned to the dealership and sold cars for six years before becoming sales manager. In 1985, he became a partner with his father and purchased Art Gamblin Motors in 1992.

Gamblin and his wife, Jeri, have five children – including two sons who work at the dealership – and seven grandchildren. They are very active in their church and Rotary International and also support the Rainier Foothills Wellness Foundation. In addition, the family created the Art Gamblin Memorial Scholarship after his father’s death which provides annual college scholarships to local high school students.

Founded in 1920, the Washington State Auto Dealers Association’s 294 dealer members serve 70 cities and towns across the state and are responsible for annual sales volume totaling $17.3 billion. Together, they employ more than 21,000 people with a combined payroll of more than $1.2 billion.