TACOMA — Port Orchard Ford owner Bruce Titus has been named the 2018-2019 president of the Washington State Auto Dealers Association at the organization’s annual convention last month.

Titus, who is president of Bruce Titus Automotive Group in Tacoma, heads the WSADA’s 294-member association that serves 70 cities and towns in Washington state. WSADA said in a news release that its dealers employ more than 21,000 people with a combined payroll of more than $1.3 billion.

“Having numerous employees who have worked for me over 20 years is one of my greatest achievements,” Titus said. “Thanks to my employees, family and a lot of hard work, I have gotten to where I am today. I am grateful for my success and love being able to give back to the communities in which we operate.”

Titus followed in his grandfather’s footsteps and started working in the family’s auto dealership business. He worked his way through each department, learning the business from the inside out. Titus and his wife Linda bought their first dealership, Tacoma Nissan-Subaru, in 1995. In 2001, they purchased Chrysler, Jeep, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Mazda, Isuzu and Suzuki in Olympia.

The couple purchased Tacoma Chevrolet in 2004, Eastside Subaru in Kirkland in 2009 and Port Orchard Ford in 2011. Earlier this year, the Tituses expanded their business to include Volkswagen of Palm Springs in California.

The Titus family is intimately involved in running the company: Daughter Courtney manages digital marketing, son Michael is a general manager and Linda manages all of the business sponsorships. The automotive group donates approximately $100,000 each year in its communities, Titus said.

WSADA was founded in 1920 and is responsible for an annual sales volume of $17.3 billion.