Longtime Las Vegas dealer Daniel Towbin died on June 11 of a heart attack.
Towbin, who was 54, was chairman of Towbin Automotive Enterprises, which consists of Towbin Dodge, Towbin Infiniti, Prestige Infiniti, Towbin Motorcars (Rolls-Royce, Bentley, Vespa, Piaggio) and the Smart Center Las Vegas. The group sold 11,000 new vehicles in 2008 while employing 600 people.
He had been selling cars in Vegas since 1989, when he moved from New Jersey.
Towbin quickly became a Vegas institution. Although he was known for being behind the scenes, he became involved with numerous charities, including the Council for a Better Nevada, Andre Agassi College Preparatory Academy, the Three Square Food Bank, Easter Seals of Southern Nevada, Keep Memory Alive supporting the mission of the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health and the Nevada Cancer Institute.
He was an honorary commander of the Nellis Air Force Base Support Team, member of the Andre Agassi Campaign Cabinet and past president of the TKO for Kids Foundation. The dealerships also sponsor events for Boys and Girls Club of Las Vegas, the Ronald McDonald House, St. Jude’s Ranch for Children; the American Heart Association, the Safe Kids Coalition and the Klass Foundation.
Towbin also was an industry leader serving as chairman and president on several dealer councils and was a member of the National Automobile Dealers Assn. He was a General Motors Dealer of the Year and received the Jack Smith Leadership Award, and was nominated in 2007 by Time Magazine for its Dealer of the Year award.
Towbin’s wife, Carolynn will become chairman of the group. His son, Josh “Chop” Towbin is the co-owner of Towbin Dodge, known for the A&E television show, King of Cars," while daughter Jesika (Towbin-Mansour) is the group's director of operations.