Gaithersburg Car Dealer Up for National Honor

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GAITHERSBURG, MD — A Gaithersburg car dealer -- King Buick GMC -- has been nominated for the 2016 TIME Dealer of the Year award, according to the magazine.

William Aschenbach is one of 50 dealer nominees from across the country who will be honored at the National Automobile Dealers Association Convention & Exposition in Las Vegas on April 1.

“The auto business has always been challenging and will continue to be so,” Aschenbach said. “Interacting with new and current customers has always been the best part of it for me.”

“The TIME Dealer of the Year award nominees are business leaders and pillars of their communities, who have each given generously to support important charitable causes,” said Tim Russi, president of Auto Finance for Ally Financial. “Ally is proud to honor these dealers and to recognize their commitment to making a difference.”

Ally will recognize dealer nominees and their community efforts by giving $1,000 to each nominee’s charity of choice.

The TIME Dealer of the Year award is one of the automobile industry’s most prestigious honors. Recipients are among the nation’s most successful auto dealers who also demonstrate a long-standing commitment to community service.

Aschenbach, 60, was chosen to represent the Maryland Automobile Dealers Association in the national competition – one of only 50 auto dealers from 16,000 nationwide.

A native of Gaithersburg, Aschenbach graduated from Gaithersburg High School in 1973 and Northwood Institute (now Northwood University) in Midland, MI, in 1976, where he received an associate’s degree in automotive marketing. He also completed a General Motors management course in 1987, all preparing him to enter his family’s business.

“I originally started back in 1966, working part time for my father’s dealership when I was just barely tall enough to see over the dash of a vehicle at 11 years of age,” Aschenbach said. “I started washing cars, pumping gas and then graduated to the shop after a few years. Our family farm was next door, so my holidays and time off from school were divided between the farm and the store.”

After graduation from Northwood, he began his fulltime career at the dealership in various management positions.

After the death of his brother, Robert V. Aschenbach, in 1983, he took on more responsibilities.

“My brother was a superstar in the automotive retail world – a mentor and a strong leader,” he said. “I became general manager in 1991 and dealer in 2014.”

His son, Conrad, is now general manager of the Buick GMC store and a number of Aschenbach’s family members are involved in the business, which now includes three locations throughout Maryland representing brands Buick, Ford, GMC, Kia, Mitsubishi and Volkswagen.

The Aschenbach family has supported area baseball, football and basketball teams, he said, as well as contributed to 4-H; Adventist HealthCare Shady Grove Medical Center in Rockville; Suburban Hospital in Bethesda; and the Treatment and Learning Centers in Rockville serving children and adults with special needs.

“We don’t have one particular group or organization that is more important than the other,” Aschenbach said. “The fact that we have the ability to help and want to help others is what is most important to me.”

»Photo of William Aschenbach, courtesy of Ally