Edward Anthony Brownlee

Automobile dealer Edward Anthony Brownlee was born on July 1, 1972 in Los Angeles, California to Georgia and Edward Brownlee. A graduate of Phineas Banning High School in Wilmington, California, Brownlee also attended the University of Minnesota on an agricultural studies scholarship.

In 1992, Brownlee was hired at Big Five Sporting Goods in retail sales where he was promoted to assistant manager. He then went to work as a loan officer with Weyerhaeuser Mortgage Company as well as with America’s Lender, a wholesale bank based in Orange County, California. In the late 1990s, Brownlee transitioned to automotive sales, starting as a salesperson at a Saturn dealership in Cerritos, California. He was then hired as a finance and sales manager at a family-owned Land Rover dealership in Anaheim, California, which was later acquired by Pendragon, where he served in 2001 initially as a sales and finance manager before being promoted to general manager in 2005. The following year, he joined Lithia Motors as general manager of a Volkswagen dealership in Denver, Colorado before 2008, when he assumed management of two other dealerships in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and Spokane, Washington. In 2011, Brownlee entered a partnership with Kuni Automotive in Colorado to establish two Land Rover dealerships —Land Rover Denver East and Land Rover Highlands Ranch—serving as both partner and general manager. In 2014, the two locations merged, with Brownlee continuing to oversee the consolidated operation. When Kuni Automotive was acquired by Holman Automotive in 2016, Brownlee remained with the company as a senior dealership executive until 2018. That year, Brownlee founded Brownlee Automotive, a motor vehicle manufacturing and retail group headquartered in Castle Rock, Colorado. As founder and chief executive officer, he spearheaded the company’s growth through a series of acquisitions. He purchased a Toyota dealership in Powell, Wyoming, followed in 2019 by Chevrolet, Buick, and General Motors (including Hummer EV) franchises. He also acquired Gavin Motors in Powell, renaming it Yellowstone Motors to reflect the region’s identity and his commitment to community-centered business. In 2023, Brownlee Automotive acquired Sheridan Honda and Sheridan Powersports in Sheridan, Wyoming, and Bombardier Recreational Products.

During his career, Brownlee has been active in numerous organizations, including serving on the board of the Colorado Automobile Dealers Association, from 2012 to 2018, and on the boards of the Auto Industry Division of the Colorado Department of Revenue and Land Rover North America from, 2014 to 2016. He joined the American International Automobile Dealer Association in 2015 and the Wyoming Automobile Dealers Association in 2021. He also served as chairman of the Denver Auto Show in 2017 and 2018, and chaired the Colorado Automotive Hall of Fame from 2019 to 2021.

Brownlee married Shannon Brownlee in 2020. The couple resides in Castle Rock, Colorado.

Edward Anthony Brownlee was interviewed by The HistoryMakers on June 16, 2023.