Submitted by Washington State Auto Dealer Association
Ed McCarroll, Capitol City Honda and South Tacoma Honda, received the “Robert P. Mallon Dealer of the Year” award on May 11 at the Washington State Auto Dealers Association (WSADA) annual convention. Selected by a committee of his peers, the award recognizes Ed’s contributions to the auto industry, quality dealership operations and outstanding community service.
Ed was born in Canada and served in the Royal Navy during World War II at the age of 17. Upon discharge from the Navy in 1945, Ed moved to the United States with his parents, where his first job was as a lot attendant at a Spokane dealership. His family later settled in Riverside, California, where Ed worked for a Chevrolet dealership. He became a United States citizen in 1953.
Ed partnered in several California dealerships before moving in 1962 to Seattle to become General Manager of a Chevrolet dealership. Ed relocated again in 1965 to Olympia, where he purchased Capitol Chevrolet. Over the years, he owned various dealerships in Washington and Nevada representing Nissan, Chrysler, Honda, Toyota, Mercedes Benz, and Acura. In the mid 1980s, Ed became involved with the development of the Olympia Auto Mall, building four separate dealerships. In May of 2012, Ed received a 40 year award from American Honda.
Currently, Ed is the principal of Capitol City Honda in Olympia, and South Tacoma Honda and enjoys his involvement with the dealerships, together with partners Ron Loper in Tacoma, and daughter Kelly in Olympia, and son-in-law Chris as General Manager in Olympia; and most importantly with his wife Patti of 41 years.
One of Ed’s employees who has worked for him since the mid-1970s, recalls, “I remember these great words from Ed: ‘If there is one thing you want to do in life; pick that one thing. Be absolutely the best at it, and the rest will take care of itself.’”
Like most car dealers, Ed and Patti are very active in their community and believe in giving back. Among the many organizations they support are: Hands On Children’s Museum; Boys and Girls Club of Thurston County; South Sound YMCA; Junior League of Olympia; University of Washington – Presidents Donor Club; and Children’s Hospital in Seattle. In recognition of Ed’s receipt of the Association’s most prestigious award, WSADA made a contribution in his name to Olympia’s Hands On Children’s Museum.
The award is named for former Tacoma dealer Robert P. Mallon who was WSADA President in 1966/67, is a past President of the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA), served 30 years as Washington State’s NADA Director, and is founder and Chairman of the National Automobile Dealers Charitable Foundation.
Founded in 1920, the Association’s 300 dealer members serve 75 communities in Washington and are responsible for annual sales volume totaling over $10 billion. Together, they employ over 18,000 people with a combined payroll of more than $921 million. Their dealership sales total 10.1% of the state’s retail sales, generating hundreds of millions of dollars of tax revenue for state and local governments through sales, corporate, and payroll tax revenue.
