Former Greater Latrobe wrestler, Pittsburgh-area auto entrepreneur an Alumnus of Distinction

Scott Brewer powered through his senior wrestling season in high school, despite being injured, and advanced to the district tournament with six Greater Latrobe teammates.

“I had a pretty bad knee injury toward the end,” he said of that 1985 season grappling in the 145-pound class. “But I just stuck with it; it didn’t stop me. At 18 years old, you can maybe tolerate it a little bit more.

“I had two knee surgeries after I graduated and I needed a third.”

Four decades later, Brewer remains devoted to the sport and to his alma mater, in support roles, while the same perseverance has led him to take over and grow a top regional car dealership.

His achievements and area charitable contributions will be highlighted on March 13, when he is honored as this year’s Alumnus of Distinction at the Greater Latrobe Partners in Education Foundation’s annual Loyal & True Dinner. The award recognizes outstanding professional achievements and service to the community and school district.

“When you look at Latrobe and all the distinguished, successful folks who have rolled through there, it’s an honor to be included in the same conversation,” said Brewer, who lives in Sewickley with his wife, Wendy.

After his career in the car business took him out of state for nearly a quarter of a century, Brewer was able to purchase a dealership in Moon in 2019.

Since 2020, Brewer and his business, Brewer Airport Toyota, have donated more than $1 million to area groups including school and youth sports organizations, recreation and animal care programs, the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, military and first responders and civic and religious organizations.

At Greater Latrobe, he’s made donations to the Art Conservation Trust, which supports collections of art purchased and displayed on the walls of district schools, and the Steven LoCascio Memorial Fund, which awards student scholarships.

“We want to support the community and causes that are worthwhile,” Brewer said. “You know that you’re doing something that gives back a little bit for all the success we’ve had.”

Brewer is a member of the Military Relations Committee of the Pittsburgh Airport Area Chamber of Commerce. He is also past chairman of the Pittsburgh International Auto Show and has served on the board of the Patrons of the Arts in the Vatican Museum.

In 2022, he became a founding board member of the Pittsburgh chapter of the nonprofit Wrestlers in Business Network.

Organized by former wrestlers, the chapter offers scholarships and also maintains job listings to help student athletes who have graduated from area wrestling programs find employment.

Brewer has filled part-time positions at his business through the listings.

“We try to reach out and support these kids,” he said. “It’s going to be somebody who is not afraid to lose but knows how to win in the right way and is willing to put the work in that the sport requires.

“It’s such a hard sport, and the folks who go into it have to put in such dedication.”

Brewer cites his Greater Latrobe wrestling coaches — Tom Harbert at the varsity level and Marc Billett at the junior high — among those who influenced him most on the path to success.

“They gave you enough freedom to fail and pick yourself up again,” Brewer said.

The 1985 Wildcat wrestling squad “was a fun class with a lot of good athletes,” he said. “We were one of the winningest teams we’d had at the time.”

Harbert, who was WPIAL Coach of the Year in 1985, recalled the team finished second in the district that season, with Brewer contributing to that ranking.

“It was a tough team, and he was a very important part of it,” Harbert said.

Brewer separately took part in a state tournament in freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling. While studying political science at the University of Pittsburgh, he served as a wrestling official for the WPIAL.

Harbert, who also coached wrestling at Saint Vincent College from 1963 to 1971, was instrumental in reviving it as a varsity sport at the Unity college in 2023-2024. He praised Brewer for making a donation to help underwrite some of the program’s costs.

“He’s a very generous and industrious man,” Harbert said. “He’s a great guy who helps with a lot of things.”

Shy of a degree by a few credits after four years at Pitt, Brewer decided to move forward with his working career.

After a stint in sales with Pittsburgh’s Sargent Electric Company, he moved to northern Virginia — where his future wife, a Hempfield Area alumna, was living at the time.

He worked there for 24 years with a Lexus dealership group, advancing to vice president, before acquiring the Moon Toyota business.

It has since become one of the fastest-growing private corporations in the Pittsburgh region. It experienced a nearly 300% growth in revenue from 2021 to 2023, according to a list published by the Pittsburgh Business Times.

Brewer’s career move back to Southwestern Pennsylvania has made it easier to stay close to family and maintain his ties with Greater Latrobe.

In addition to visiting his parents, Robert and Liz, he returns to his native community to attend an annual gala supporting the Art Conservation Trust and to watch wrestling matches at Greater Latrobe Senior High and at Saint Vincent College.

“I’m still really good friends with a lot of the guys I went to high school with,” he said, including a frequent golf partner. “We were a really close-knit crew.”

Brewer said his parents have been another major influence in his life with their own ties to Greater Latrobe.

His mother taught in various grade levels at the district, ending her career at Baggaley Elementary. His father taught and coached football at Greater Latrobe in the 1960s, before taking on a principal position and then moving to neighboring Derry Area School district in 1972, where he held a series of administrative posts including assistant superintendent.

“I’m excited that I get to share this with my parents,” Scott Brewer said of his alumnus award ceremony. “I know how much this community means to them.”