For the Reporter

Ron Claudon, president of Valley Buick GMC & RV in Auburn, has been nominated for the 2015 TIME Dealer of the Year award.

Claudon is one of a select group of 55 dealer nominees from across the country who will be honored at the 98th annual National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) Convention & Exposition in San Francisco on Jan. 23.

Jed Hartman, group publisher, worldwide, TIME, and Tim Russi, president of Auto Finance for Ally Financial, recently announced the nominees.

“The dealers nominated for this award are dedicated business owners, auto lovers and, most importantly, champions for their local communities, with a willingness to give back on a grand scale,” Russi said. “Ally is proud to honor and support these dealers as they work today and tomorrow to build better places to live, work and do business.”

In its fourth year as exclusive sponsor, Ally will recognize dealer nominees and their community efforts by contributing $1,000 to each nominee’s nonprofit charity of choice.

Communities In Schools of Auburn is Claudon’s nonprofit of choice.

Nominees also will be recognized on AllyDealerHeroes.com, which highlights the philanthropic contributions and achievements of TIME Dealer of the Year nominees.

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.

Claudon, 54, was chosen to represent the Washington State Auto Dealers Association in the national competition – one of only 55 auto dealers from 17,000 nationwide – nominated for the 46th annual award.

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.

“I was in the archives recently looking for something when I found an old employee list,” Claudon said. “I was reminded of all the young people we have employed over the years who are now teachers or business owners in our community – and also good customers.”

Family operation

Claudon’s dealership was founded in 1964 by his father, along with two partners, and is a mainstay in the town where he grew up. A 1978 graduate of Auburn High School, where he played football, Claudon earned a B.A. in business from Washington State University in 1982 and was a member of Alpha Tau Omega fraternity.

“I started working for my father in 1974 washing floors and then I sold cars while in college,” he said.

He worked in banking and construction before returning to the dealership in 1983, rising from office manager to sales manager to general manager and to dealer in 1993. One of his father’s original partners still owns a stake in the business, and Claudon’s wife and son work with him.

“My folks have passed away now but they were longtime supporters of our community and passed on their love of Auburn to myself and our children,” Claudon said. He is most proud of receiving a service award from the Auburn Area Chamber of Commerce in 1991 because it also honored his wife and his parents, recognizing their collective contributions to his hometown.

One of his favorite activities is working with Communities in Schools of Auburn, a dropout prevention program. Claudon donates time each week to read to a third- or fourth-grade student who is struggling academically.

“Of all the donations of money, time and vehicle use, donating this time reading with a student has been the most rewarding,” he said. “Most of the students that I have worked with are missing a male role model. I am able to see them grow throughout the year, improving their reading skills while building a relationship with me personally.”

Claudon recalls a student he met more than 20 years ago while teaching an economics course one hour a week at an area junior high school. The young man named Brian asked him for a job washing cars and they forged a friendship.

“Brian went on to mentor all three of my children as a teacher at Auburn High School,” he said. “My oldest daughter credits him with inspiring her to become a teacher. And Brian and his wife just recently bought another car from us for their growing family.”

Ties to his community

A member of the Kiwanis Club of Auburn since 1986, Claudon also has held board positions on the Auburn Valley YMCA, Communities in Schools of Auburn and the Auburn Area Chamber of Commerce, as well as serving on advisory committees for the local school district and community college. He donates annually to St. James Cathedral, the Auburn Food Bank, Auburn Youth Resources and Skills Inc., to name a few.

“Relationships with employees and customers over the years have been by far the most meaningful achievement of my career,” Claudon said. “I take pride in the 90-plus people that we employ and watching them grow and learn. Some leave to find other pursuits, others stay for a career. Hopefully, all are part of our valley family.”

Claudon was nominated for the TIME Dealer of the Year award by Vicki G. Fabre, executive vice president of the Washington State Auto Dealers Association. He and his wife, Lorianne, have three children.