2025 TDOY Nominee

Lori Lum 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. Lum was chosen to represent the Oregon Auto 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.

“I have always believed that helping others achieve their goals will fuel their ambition, and you can achieve more extraordinary things together,” nominee Lum said. “For 55 years, our family- owned business has served employees, customers, and the community, building a partnership where everyone succeeds.”

A 1991 graduate of the University of Oregon in Eugene, Lum studied abroad in Taiwan and worked in automotive finance before joining the family car business founded by her father, David, in 1969 in Astoria, Oregon.

“My career in the auto industry actually began when I was a year old, sitting on my father's desk as he opened Toyota of Astoria,” she said. “I have always enjoyed the family atmosphere and challenges of the dealership, so I developed a path to become a car dealer myself.”

Lum graduated from a Chrysler program designed for children of auto dealers and the NADA Academy to prepare for a leadership role at Lum’s Auto Center. She was named general manager, developed a strong management team, and oversaw the building of a new facility to meet the needs of the growing business.

“My parents instilled a strong sense of family and small-town values, which guided my path,” she said. “And I adopted a ‘take care of the customer, take care of each other’ philosophy that resonated with employees and customers, helping our dealership thrive.”

In 2018, Lum acquired a Buick, GMC and Cadillac store in McMinnville, Oregon, and added Walla Walla Toyota in Walla Walla, Washington, in 2021. Today, Lum is dealer principal and majority owner of the three dealerships, working with her family to run the operation.

Lum’s stores have won numerous awards from automakers, including the Toyota President’s Award and the GMC Mark of Excellence, as well as recognition in readers’ polls in various local newspapers.

Lum is an active member of the Oregon Auto Dealers Association, having served as board member and currently as secretary of the board, a position she has held for 15 years. Recently, the board has worked to repeal a payroll tax in Salem, Oregon, and is actively trying to defeat a measure that would impose an additional corporate tax on businesses that would negatively affect the auto industry.

“Our collaborative board is united in addressing common challenges and pursuing shared goals,” she said. “As the sole female/minority board member, I take pride in representing a group often underrepresented in the automotive industry.”

Lum is equally committed to her community and has championed causes that provide educational opportunities to students. She was an elected member of the Seaside School Board in Seaside, Oregon, for four years and helped secure funding to upgrade the school to a new facility.

In addition, Lum sponsors an array of scholarships for graduating high school seniors in area school districts. She has also supported the Start Making a Reader Today (SMART) program; Gearhart Playground Project; and multiple sports teams and art programs for students.

“In our small community, my involvement in civic and community activities has created a lasting impact in the Northwest Oregon region,” she said.

One local partner that is close to her heart is Camp Kiwanilong, which hosts young campers each summer in a bucolic setting on Long Lake in Warrenton. Many members of the Lum family, including Lum’s father, attended the camp and Lum has worked to make the site accessible for children with disabilities.

“I provided funding for accessible docks and for the construction of Haley’s Cabin, a facility with ADA features,” she said. “Now my daughter and other children with disabilities can enjoy the camp’s fishing and boating experience.”

Lum supports numerous organizations and nonprofits, hosts dealership events, and galvanizes her team to get involved whenever possible, whether it’s providing gifts to families at Christmastime, holding car seat safety events, participating in beach cleanups, or welcoming veterans for breakfast.

“Family is the foundation of all that we do at Lum’s,” she said. “And supporting our extended family of employees and the community is what we strive to achieve every day.”

Lum was nominated for the TIME Dealer of the Year award by Greg Remensperger, executive vice president of the Oregon Auto Dealers Association. Lum and her husband, John Toyooka, have four children.