As part of a family automotive dynasty that includes his father, brother, son and granddaughter, William ‘Bill’ Crouch was a true car guy.
Bill grew up in Tipton, Indiana, where he learned the business from his dad, H. Paul Crouch, a Dodge/Plymouth and Nash dealer. He left Indiana for Colorado, graduated from the University of Colorado in 1958, and stayed in Boulder to work for brother Paul’s Crouch Motor Company Desoto/Plymouth dealership.
He moved to Englewood in 1963, becoming the youngest-ever Chrysler franchisee. He opened the Boulder Subaru dealership in 1984, and in 1986, he was selected as one of the Charter Acura Dealers, Pikes Peak Acura, followed by founding Boulder’s Flatirons Acura in 1987.
Bill thought of himself as a trendsetter by building a multi-franchise auto mall in Boulder. He owned 10 different franchises including the Chrysler/Plymouth, Subaru and Acura stores, along with Honda, Mercedes-Benz, Mazda, Suzuki, Mitsubishi and Bill Crouch Leasing. His bet on Peugeot in Boulder lasted under two years.
He was very loyal to his employees — many of whom stayed with him for more than 20 years. He took good care of them, even though he was a demanding manager. He was known for talking about how when you put in the work and effort, there’s room for growth. Bill viewed the automotive industry as a good business with a lot of good people.
His son Scott said that Bill wouldn’t be surprised at today’s industry consolidations, but he would have applauded his granddaughter Morgan’s training, because he wanted to keep the business in the family.
Bill was involved in his industry and community. He won awards for sales and customer satisfaction from Acura, Subaru, Honda, Mitsubishi and Chrysler, and he was The Boulder Daily Camera readers’ “Best Dealership” 11 years running. He presided over the Boulder New Car Dealers Association and the Metro Denver Auto Dealers, and participated in industry councils and advisory groups.
Bill supported Arapahoe County and Mile High United Ways, the Boulder Humane Society, the Arapahoe County Race Against Cancer, University of Colorado’s Ski Ball, and Boulder’s There with Care. He was president of the Englewood Chamber of Commerce and was honored as the Denver Jaycee’s 1969 Outstanding Young Man.
Even as Bill grew older, he never grew out of being outstanding.
