2025 TDOY Nominee

Erick Anderson is one of a select group of 49 dealer nominees from across the country who will be honored at the 108^th annual National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) Show in New Orleans, Louisiana, on January 25, 2025.

The TIME Dealer of the Year award is one of the automobile industry’s most prestigious and highly coveted honors. The award recognizes the nation’s most successful auto dealers who also demonstrate a long-standing commitment to community service. Anderson was chosen to represent the Montana Automobile Dealers Association in the national competition — one of only 49 auto dealers nominated for the 56^th annual award from more than 20,000 nationwide.

“The overall strength of the dealership comes from our employees and the exceptional service they provide,” nominee Anderson said. “We are truly a small-town local business, where our customers know us, and we know them. New clients are continually shocked at how easy it is to purchase a vehicle or have one serviced. It is all about the experience.”

Anderson worked as a surveyor for the State of Montana Department of Highways for two years after high school. He then earned a business degree at Carroll College in Helena in 1993. With his degree in hand, he returned to Placer Motors, the dealership that has been in his family for four generations.

“I started as a lot attendant when I was in junior high school,” he said. “After college, I worked in sales and finance and gained a new appreciation for the car industry. I realized I loved it and wanted to carve out my career in the family business.”

Anderson then studied automotive management to prepare himself to lead the dealership in the future. He was named vice president and general manager in 2005 and in 2013, he purchased the store from his father, Dave. Today, he is the sole owner of Placer Subaru and oversees daily operations as president.

“The most rewarding aspect of running a dealership is being able to determine my own success — and sometimes failure,” he said. “I will admit that I love a good fight and will always stand up for my employees and my business. I have watched a lot of dealers come and go, and in my opinion, the lack of consistency and employee stability has led to their failure.”

Anderson is also a staunch advocate for his fellow dealers and has served the Montana Automobile Dealers Association as vice president, president, and chair.

“Long before I was even on the board, I testified before our state legislature regarding successorship to ensure that car dealers are able to grant ownership to a son or daughter, a battle we easily won,” he said. “For the association, our biggest success was forcing manufacturers to pay retail prices for parts and book time for labor on warranty repairs.”

In the area of community service, Anderson gives back through the Subaru Share the Love program. He has donated to numerous local charities, including DAV (Disabled American Veterans-Montana Chapter), NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) Montana, Florence Crittenton Family Services, Family Outreach, Lewis & Clark Humane Society, 4-H and Special Olympics Montana, to name a few.

For his good works, Placer Subaru received the 2024 Subaru Love Promise Community Commitment Award, which recognizes dealers that create an exceptional customer experience that extends beyond the showroom and into the community.

Anderson has also donated winter coats through Operation Warm and blankets to the cancer center at the local hospital, homeless shelter, and YWCA. In addition, Anderson supplies vehicles for driver’s education programs in local schools and visits classrooms to talk about purchasing vehicles, building credit, and insurance requirements.

Anderson was nominated for the TIME Dealer of the Year award by Bruce Knudsen, executive vice president of the Montana Automobile Dealers Association. Anderson and his wife, Renee, have two children.