About Us
David Wilson
A graduate of the University of Northern Iowa, David has been involved in the automobile industry for nearly 40 years. He was vice president /general manager of Covey Lincoln Mercury in Phoenix, Arizona, for five years before coming to Toyota of Orange in 1982. Before buying out the owner of Toyota of Orange in 1985, he was the vice president and general manager. Mr. Wilson is now the owner and president of sixteen automobile dealerships - employing nearly 2000 people. Sales for these corporations now total just under $2 billion annually, making the Wilson Automotive Group one of the ten largest dealership chains in the nation.
As a 1999 Governor Davis appointee, David continues to serve on the California New Motor Vehicle Board. as its immediate past president. Other Boards of Directors on which David has served are the American International Automobile Assn., California Motor Car Dealers Assn., Orange County Motor Car Dealers Assn., and the Southern California Toyota Dealers Advertising Assn. He has also been a member of the Board of Directors for the Orange Chamber of Commerce and was selected Business Person of the Yearby them for 1987. He received the Sports Illustrated Dealer of Distinction Award in 1988, and the Time Magazine Quality Dealer Award in 1991 and again in 2004. In 1998 he was presented with the A.I.A.D.A.All-Star Dealer Award for his commitment to the community and work with charitable organizations. A panel of community leaders named David one of 10 “Local Heroes” in 1998.
In June 2000 he was awarded the prestigious Passkey Award for Business Ethics by the Ralph W.Leatherby Center for Entrepreneurship and Business Ethics. Also in 2000 he received the Boy Scouts’“Good Scout Award” for exceptional community service. In 2001, Chapman University honored him asOrange County’s Outstanding Corporate Citizen at their annual American Celebration. He was also named the YMCA Orange County Executive of the Year in 2005, and received the Excellence in Enterpreneurship Award from the Orange County Business Journal in 2007. Most recently, he was presented with the General William Lyon Crystal Vision Philanthropy Award in October, 2007.
David is honored to have been elected to the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans. He was inducted into the Association at the Fifty-Eighth Annual Horatio Alger Awards and Induction Ceremony in Washington, DC in April 2005
Philanthropy
David and Toyota of Orange were the pioneers and sponsors of the 'Round Orange Race,' a popular 10K/5K run attracting nearly 4,000 participants each year and raising over $250,000 for the Orangewood Children's Foundation. This race has evolved into a key homecoming event at Chapman University, now known as the Chapman University/Toyota of Orange 'Round Orange Race,' which supports scholarships for deserving Chapman students.
Mr. Wilson holds a distinguished position on the Chapman University Board of Trustees. Additionally, he serves on the Board of Directors for the Orange County Council of the Boy Scouts of America and is the Chairman of their annual golf tournament, generating nearly $200,000 each year for Scouting initiatives. He is also a Board member of the Orangewood Children's Foundation and was honored at their Orange Blossom Ball, an event that raised over $300,000 for the foundation. In recognition of David’s generosity towards his employees and the broader community, the David Wilson Endowment Fund was established by his employees and friends to benefit Orangewood.
This endowment fund now boasts nearly $1,000,000 and supports former residents of the Children's Home in pursuing post-secondary education opportunities they might not otherwise afford. Thanks to this endowment, several Orangewood alumni are currently attending college, trade schools, or technical schools. In 1999, David also donated $1,000,000 to his alma mater, the University of Northern Iowa, to establish a Chair in Business Ethics. Visitors to Chapman University in Orange will notice Wilson Field, a testament to the generosity of David & Holly.