Welcome to Campbell Auto Group

James Campbell started his automobile career at Howard Ford in Seattle’s University District while he was still in high school. During the 1930s he worked his way up from his first job as a wash boy to General Manager until the start of World War II. Following the war, he went back to work for the Blume family at University Chevrolet eventually partnering with Bill Blume to buy Hopper Chevrolet in downtown Edmonds.

Arne Nelson and Bob Campbell, James’s son, met while they were both employed at Hopper Chevrolet in the 1950s. They relocated in 1963 to the corner of NE 205th and Aurora in Edmonds. The store changed to Bill Blume Volkswagen where Arne and Bob continued working; eventually buying the dealership in 1974 and changing the name to Campbell Nelson Volkswagen in 1984.

The third generation of Campbell’s, Kurt and Craig, started working full-time at the dealership in 1991. Enjoying the business, Kurt and Craig began buying stock in Campbell Nelson Volkswagen until they become majority shareholders.

In 2003 Campbell Nelson acquired a Nissan dealership in Lynnwood and by 2005 the dealership was relocated to its new building next to the Volkswagen store in Edmonds, Washington.

Having a passion for the great outdoors, in 2015 the Campbell brothers started Caravan Outfitter, a company dedicated to building affordable multi-purpose campervans. In 2016, Campbell Auto Group’s growth continued as Everett Nissan was acquired and in 2022, Kia of Missoula became the newest member of the family.