For the Auburn Reporter
Matthew Welch, dealer and general manager at Auburn Volkswagen, has been nominated for the 2019 TIME Dealer of the Year award.
Welch is one of a select group of dealer nominees throughout the country who will be honored at the 102nd annual National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) Show in San Francisco on Jan. 25. Jorg Stratmann, publisher of TIME, and Doug Timmerman, president of Auto Finance for Ally Financial, made the announcement Monday of this year’s honor roll.
The TIME Dealer of the Year award is one of the automobile industry’s most prestigious and highly coveted honors. Recipients are among the nation’s most successful auto dealers, who also demonstrate a long-standing commitment to community service. Welch, 50, was chosen to represent the Washington State Auto Dealers Association in the national competition – one of 51 auto dealers nominated for the 50th annual award from more than 16,000 nationwide.
“Realizing how much impact we can have in our community while partnering with incredible people and our favorite nonprofit organization to tackle today’s biggest societal challenges has been humbling,” Welch said. “It’s rewarding to know that our team loves what we do in the nonprofit world, and it’s the number one reason why they work where they work.”
A 1986 graduate of Woodinville High School, Welch studied business at the University of Nevada, Reno, and Edmonds College, where he played baseball. Welch’s entrepreneurial spirit drove him to leave school and get out into the work world. By the time he was 23, he had co-founded four businesses.
“A friend of mine working at BMW in Bellevue noticed my competitive nature and suggested that I come in and apply for a sales position,” Welch said. “I was hired on the spot.”
He excelled in sales at the dealership and was named sales manager in 1993. Welch was later recruited to run the sales department for a Volkswagen and Saab store in Ballard, which he helped become a top-volume store. In 2006, Welch was offered the opportunity to buy Auburn Volkswagen and signed a six-year purchase deal.
“When I took over, Auburn Volkswagen was ranked eight out of 12 Volkswagen dealerships in new-car volume,” he said. “With almost no exception, since 2008, we have placed in the top three in volume for new Volkswagen sales, service sales, as well as parts sales in the state of Washington.”
Welch’s dealership was named to the list of South Sound Top Places to Work in 2017 by South Sound BIZ magazine. “Our team members (70 strong) enjoy being a part of an entity that gives back, as many have volunteered their time and given generously, in addition to what the store contributes,” Welch said.
Giving back
Welch works closely with his wife, Amy, to run the dealership as a true community partner. They support, financially and as volunteers, a dozen nonprofits that improve the quality of life for the people of their region. Amy Welch is on the board of directors for the Rescue Mission Tacoma, which offers emergency shelter and food for the homeless and programs that aim to lift people out of poverty.
“Our partnership with this group is the most in-depth and impactful, as we are getting families off the street and on a path with hope,” he said.
Welch supports Santa’s Castle, an organization that provides Christmas gifts to military families in need. For the last five years, Auburn Volkswagen has hosted players from the Seattle Seahawks at the dealership and invited the community to meet the athletes and bring food donations for the Auburn Food Bank and toys for Santa’s Castle.
“Each year, we’ve been able to raise around 3,000 pounds of food and two to three truckloads of toys from the generous fans in the Northwest to bless these people in need,” he said.
The Welches have also forged a strong relationship with the Pierce Military and Business Alliance to provide turkeys at Thanksgiving and hams at Christmas to boost morale on nearby Joint Base Lewis-McChord. Matthew and Amy Welch were named honorary commanders by Command Chief Zaki Mazid for a two year term for partnering to bless the soldiers.
Other groups they support include DADS (helping fathers get back into their children’s lives in the Urban Community), KidCo (donated two vans to this bully prevention group); Vadis (provides services and employment to people with disabilities and Auburn Volkswagen has hired individuals from the group); CryOut! (programs that foster creativity for kids); as well as sponsoring prayer breakfasts, raising money to build a home for a family in Mexico and working with an area school to help children on the edge of homelessness during the holidays.
“We like to say we only talk about what we are for – not what we are against,” Welch said. “If we can keep the conversations about love and bettering humanity and off divisiveness, the response is incredibly positive.”
Dealers are nominated by the executives of state and metro dealer associations around the country. The award is sponsored by TIME in association with Ally Financial, and in cooperation with NADA. A panel of faculty members from the Tauber Institute for Global Operations at the University of Michigan will select one finalist from each of the four NADA regions and one national Dealer of the Year. Three finalists will receive an additional $5,000 for their favorite charities and the winner will receive an additional $10,000 to give to charity.
In its eighth year as exclusive sponsor, Ally will recognize dealer nominees and their community efforts by contributing $1,000 to each nominee’s 501(c)3 charity of choice. Nominees will also be recognized on AllyDealerHeroes.com, which highlights the philanthropic contributions and achievements of TIME Dealer of the Year nominees.
“It’s an incredible honor to recognize these dealers for their business accomplishments and their unwavering commitment to ‘Do It Right’ by helping others in their communities,” Timmerman said. “They are extraordinary auto leaders who care and go the extra mile to give of themselves to make their communities stronger. Ally is proud to support and celebrate their achievements.”
Welch was nominated for the TIME Dealer of the Year award by Vicki Giles Fabré, executive vice president of the Washington State Auto Dealers Association. The Welchs have three children.
