Who was Carl Moyer? All about Karl Chevrolet as founder of iconic Ankeny business dies aged 78 

Ankeny businessman Carl Moyer passed away at the age of 83 on September 28. The Karl Chevrolet founder is survived by his wife, Penny, sons Brad and Bret, and daughter Pam. The cause of death was not made public at the time of writing this article.

Karl Chevrolet took to their social media platforms to confirm the news of Carl Moyer’s passing. They requested followers to give his family privacy and allow them to grieve and celebrate his life. They also wrote online:

“He was a visionary in the car business, he gave back to the community exponentially and it was always at the forefront of his marketing strategy. Carl has been a mentor to many, and friend to most, a father, brother, uncle, grandfather, great grandfather but most importantly a husband to the love of his life Penny.”

Carl Moyer started his own car dealership in Akney and proceeded to buy out his brother to launch his own business in 1978. In 1983, the company moved to their current location at the Delaware Avenue and Oralabor Road intersection.

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“I didn’t have an employee”: Inside Carl Moyer’s road to success as businessman passes away

Carl D. Moyer grew up in Ankeny’s Des Moines’ east side neighborhood. He dropped out of East High School in 10th grade to start his own business of selling cars at the side of a gas station.

He went on to become a sales manager at a Cedar Falls car dealership at the age of 19. He proceeded to work in other dealerships like those in West Des Moines and Winterset.

Speaking about his Karl Chevrolet showroom and its beginnings, he said in an interview with Register in 2003:

“I didn’t have an employee. I didn’t have a car (to sell). I had a building with a Chevrolet sign.”

It was reported that Karl Chevrolet managed to nab a spot in the top 3% of car dealers selling Chevrolets after ensuring meticulous maintenance of the grounds. The organization also went on to hold the record for being named in the top certified used car dealership in General Motors 13 times. Karl Chevrolet’s official website wrote:

“we know that there's a lot more to buying a car than... well, simply buying a car. Our team is here to guide you through every facet of your automotive experience from helping you shop for the perfect new or used Chevrolet model to helping you keep your ride in tip-top shape with expert auto service and genuine OEM parts.”

As Carl Moyer garnered success, his auto group went on to own 10 companies and have more than 800 employees across Iowa.

Moyer was also a celebrated philanthropist. He provided a one million dollar donation to the Des Moines Area Community College in 2018 to expand what is now called the Karl Automative Technology Center.

He also went on to sponsor other places, including the Ankeny YMCA, Ankeny SummerFest, Variety, The Children’s Charity of Iowa, and the Kiwanis Miracle Park Project in Ankeny.

Funeral arrangements were yet to be announced at the time of writing this article.