PORTLAND, Ore. — Ron Tonkin, a Portland businessman who launched the Ron Tonkin Family of Dealerships — one of Oregon’s largest dealership chains — passed away on Jan. 18 of end-stage renal failure, The Oregonian reports. He was 82 years old.
Tonkin came up with the 17-store chain’s motto, “For the love of cars.” In 1960, at the age of 29, he became the youngest Chevy dealer in the United States. The Ron Tonkin Family of Dealerships went on to be named one of Business Week’s “super-dealers” in 1986 with an estimated $100 million in sales.
