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(This story has been updated because an earlier version contained an inaccuracy.)

Carl Moyer, the Ankeny businessman who founded Karl Chevrolet, died Saturday.

Moyer, who grew up in east Des Moines and dropped out of East High School in the 10th grade, started his career working at a gas station near Lincoln High School, where he sold cars on the side.

At 19, he worked as a sales manager at a dealership in Cedar Falls. He returned to central Iowa and worked for dealers in Winterset and West Des Moines before starting his own business in Ankeny.

In 1978, Moyer bought out his brother to start Karl Chevrolet, then a one-car showroom in Ankeny.

“I didn’t have an employee,” Moyer told the Register in 2003 when he received the prestigious Jack Smith Presidential Award from Chevrolet. “I didn’t have a car (to sell). I had a building with a Chevrolet sign.”

Karl Chevrolet moved to its current location at the intersection of Oralabor Road and Delaware Avenue in 1983.

According to a press release from the dealership announcing his death, Moyer was attentive to the dealership's grounds, ensuring the grounds were carefully maintained and the cars were lined up perfectly.

He also put the customer first and coined the phrase “Your dealer for life”.

This approach has resulted in the dealership being in the top 3% of Chevrolet dealers, the company said. Karl Chevrolet also holds the record of being named General Motors' Top Certified Used Car Dealer 13 times.

According to the press release, Moyer has grown the business significantly over the past eight-plus years. Its automotive group includes 10 companies and more than 800 employees across Iowa.

He gained a good reputation for his social commitment and donations. In 2018, Moyer donated $1 million to Des Moines Area Community College for the renovation and expansion of what is now the Karl Automotive Technology Center.

Other donations included sponsorship of the Kiwanis Miracle Park Project in Ankeny, the Ankeny YMCA, Ankeny SummerFest and Variety – The Children's Charity of Iowa.

Moyer, 83, is survived by his wife Penny, sons Brad and Bret and a daughter, Pam. A cause of death was not reported. Funeral arrangements are still pending.

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this article inaccurately described the location of Karl Chevrolet. It is located at the intersection of Oralabor Road and Delaware Avenue.

On By John Fenwick

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