Driven to Give Back

For a car dealership to sponsor the local softball team is a charitable tradition so deeply rooted in American culture that, for many of us, it brings back childhood memories of the team photos proudly displayed in the showrooms where our parents bought their cars. 

But for Apple Autos, sponsoring youth sports is just the tip of the iceberg.

“One of our core values is supporting the community that supports us,” said Chris Gulbrandson, whose father bought an Apple Valley dealership in 1992 and built it into a family business that now has locations in Apple Valley, Shakopee, Lakeville, Northfield, and (coming soon) White Bear Lake. 

So yes, Apple Autos sponsors sports teams and community events. They also support Pheasants Forever to help conserve wildlife habitat. They donate cars to wounded veterans. Every December, they celebrate the 12 Moms of Christmas, a project that involves not only giving cars to 12 single mothers, but also filling each vehicle with gifts for their children.

On top of all that, Apple Autos has invested more than $840,000 in the community since 2010 through Jana’s Fund, a fund at the Minneapolis Foundation that focuses on childhood health, wellness, and education. They also partner with the Foundation to fund an average of $50,000 a year in scholarships at 15 local schools, with more than $450,000 awarded to students as of this year.

Giving back is an important part of the company’s overall business philosophy, which centers values like honesty and good citizenship. “We’ve always tried to be up front and a customer advocate,” said Chris, who is now President of Apple Autos.

The Gulbrandsons’ philanthropy took on deeper meaning after the family started Jana’s Fund, named in honor of Chris’ younger sister. Jana was 14 years old when she and her mother were killed in a car accident in 1996. Apple Autos had always been charitable, Chris said, but leaning into the resources available through the Foundation to honor Jana’s memory “gave us more of a purposeful way to do it, and also a purpose behind it.”

Jana was an active teenager with lots of friends, Chris said, and she was just about to start high school in Lakeville when she died. “That’s primarily why we decided to focus the fund on youth and kids that may not have had the same opportunities that we had,” he said.

Pictured above: The Gulbrandsons with their Philanthropic Advisor

Chris and his wife, Kelly, work with their Philanthropic Advisor at the Minneapolis Foundation to identify, research, and connect with impactful local nonprofits. “The Minneapolis Foundation has been a great resource for us,” Chris said. “If you’re going to give money to the community, you want it to go to places where it’s actually going to make a difference.” 

From the beginning, the Gulbrandsons saw an opportunity to do more with Jana’s Fund than simply write checks. For years, Chris’ father had given back in ways that quietly seeped into the company’s culture, said Kelly, who serves as Director of Community Relations at Apple Autos. “What we’ve found is that our customers and employees really wanted to know what we were doing, and they wanted to be part of it.”

Today, the company’s philanthropy is completely integrated into its marketing and community relations, she said. “We really see a benefit to not only the charities we work with, to get them more notoriety for what they do, but also to our employees.”

Apple Autos, which has more than 700 employees, offers a variety of ways for team members to give back. They give employees time off to volunteer and organize staff outings to package food at Every Meal or clean bicycles for Free Bikes 4 Kids. On “Jeans Fridays,” employees can pay $5 to wear jeans, and the money goes to the charity that Apple Autos is partnering with that month.

As it supports local nonprofits, Apple Autos looks to build relationships and amplify the work of their grant recipients. The company has even teamed up with social media micro-influencers to post stories about nonprofit partners such as Girls on the Run and 360 Communities.

“What Apple Autos does is so far beyond, ‘Here’s a grant,’” said Amy Pfarr Walker, the Gulbrandsons’ Philanthropic Advisor. “It is true partnership with nonprofits—which makes a true impact in our community.”