Gary Cowell has always been a leader and an innovator.
For over 50 years, his family name was synonymous with Richmond’s automotive industry, beginning with the establishment of Cowell Motors—the city’s first Volkswagen car dealership—and later as a founding dealership at the Richmond Auto Mall, the first of its kind in Canada. Now, that legacy of leadership extends beyond business to philanthropy, as he and his family make a profound impact on the community with a significant donation to support local health care in Richmond.
The Cowell family has donated $15 million towards Richmond Hospital Foundation’s new POWER UP fundraising campaign for the Yurkovich Family Pavilion, the new acute care tower at Richmond Hospital. The donation will help provide more access and efficient, patient-centred care through technological efficiencies and advancements. “Our family is proud to make this donation as our way of saying thank you to all our past clients and staff,” says Cowell. “Our success in the automobile industry is due in large part to our hard-working staff and loyal customers from Richmond, and neighbouring communities, who supported us for more than 50 years. What better way to express our appreciation than to support a health care facility that will have a lasting impact on the entire community,”
Cowell has always believed in putting people first, a philosophy that continued after the family sold its business in 2021, which had grown from opening a Volkswagen dealership in 1967 to include Jaguar, Audi and Land Rover at the Auto Mall. Cowell’s sons – Rand and Ryan – joined the family business in the 1990s, and by the time his daughter, Kate, began working part-time in the leasing department in the late 1990s, Cowell Motors had become known as the Cowell Auto Group.
At the time of sale, the business was the longest-running, consecutively-owned family automotive retailer in the Lower Mainland. “Excellent health care is important to everyone,” says Cowell. “We hope other community-minded businesses and families who feel as we do will be encouraged to give, too.” Cowell’s sense of community support was developed at a young age when he was fortunate to travel and experience different cultures. Above all, it highlighted how treasured his own community was for him. “It benefits everyone. We, my children and I, wanted to do something that would benefit the community and the people who live here,” he says. Cowell has long had a commitment to philanthropy through the Cowell Auto Group. Now, their family continues their personal philanthropy with a $15 million donation to launch the $40 million POWER UP Campaign.
“We are honoured to receive this special gift from a family whose business has long been a cornerstone in our community,” says Natalie Meixner, president, CEO at Richmond Hospital Foundation. “For many years, the Cowell family, through the Cowell Auto Group, have been supporters of health care within Richmond and other neighbouring communities. This most recent, transformational donation will help empower the adoption of innovative and new technologies which can help improve access and increase efficiency for better patient care in the years to come.”
To learn more about Richmond Hospital Foundation’s POWER UP Campaign and the work towards the Yurkovich Family Pavilion and health care in Richmond, visit richmondhospitalfoundation.com, richmondhospitalfoundation.com/campaign/power-up/ and richmondhospitalfoundation.com/newhospital/
