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Earl Stewart Bio
Born in Ft. Lauderdale and raised in West Palm Beach, Florida, Earl Stewart graduated from Palm Beach High in 1958. He went on to the University of Florida and received a BS in Physics in 1963. He earned a Master of Science degree in Industrial Administration from Purdue University in 1964 and worked for four years at Westinghouse Corporation as an Electronics Engineer.
Earl comes from a family that has been in the automotive business in West Palm Beach since 1937. He joined his father and older brother in business with Stewart Automotive Group in 1968. He established the first Mazda dealership in the Eastern United States in August of 1970. In 1975 the company secured a Toyota franchise, now known as Earl Stewart Toyota of North Palm Beach. It is now one of the most successful Toyota dealerships in the U.S., selling more Prius hybid cars and total hybrids than any other dealership in the nation, except in California, where stricter emission standards drive up hybrid sales. Earl’s dealership is the largest volume for any make in Palm Beach County and in the top ten for all Toyota dealerships in the Southeast USA.
Earl Stewart has been featured in such notable publications as The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, U.S. News and World Report, Business Week and locally in The Palm Beach Post, The Sun Sentinel and the South Florida Business Journal for his innovative and often unorthodox approach to operating an automotive dealership. He currently is featured as a weekly contributor to The Hometown News, writing weekly columns on a variety of automotive and consumer-related topics. He has a Blog site offering advice to consumers on buying and servicing cars, www.EarlStewartOnCars.com as well as a live weekly radio talk show airing Saturday mornings from 9 – 10 a.m. on Seaview AM 960 [Can be streamed online at www.SeaviewAM960.com.]
Earl resides in Jupiter Inlet Colony, Florida with his wife, Nancy. He has three sons, two of whom, Jason and Stu, are now co-General Sales Managers of Earl Stewart Toyota of North Palm Beach. His youngest son, Josh, heads up the dealership’s Internet Sales Department. His wife, Nancy, VP President of Special Projects, assists in a variety of activities such as teaming with Earl on his weekly radio talk show and organizing bimonthly dinners for new customers. -
About Earl Stewart Toyota
Earl Stewart Toyota in North Palm Beach is family-owned and operated. This is very rare these days as more and more family stores are bought-up by corporate mega-dealer groups.
Family members have a higher stake in a business than corporate managers. They have more than "the bottom-line" to concern themselves with. Family members have reputation, legacy, community relations, and future generations to honor. Their very name is on the line every day.
Earl Stewart's father established the family business in 1937 with Stewart Pontiac Co. in downtown West Palm Beach, Florida. Over the years, they brought in different franchises including Mazda and (of course) Toyota.
Earl Stewart opened "Stewart's Lake Park Toyota" in 1975 and has operated out of the same location for over thirty years. The name of the dealership was changed to Earl Stewart Toyota in 2003.
In the store, every day, you can expect to see Earl Stewart, his wife Nancy, or his sons: Stu, Jason, and Josh.
Earl Stewart Sr., founder of the company, always said that the best restaurants still have the owner working in the kitchen. We feel the same way about car dealerships, and, in particular, Earl Stewart Toyota.