As NIADA installed a South Carolina operator as its newest president, Scott Lanier, owner of Credit Cars in Orlando, Fla., was selected as the 2016 National Quality Dealer of the Year by the National Independent Automobile Dealers Association during the 70th anniversary Convention and Expo last week in Las Vegas.

NIADA officials highlighted Lanier was chosen from the 20 state Quality Dealers nominated for highest honor given among NIADA’s dealer members.

NIADA National Quality Dealer candidates are judged on a variety of factors, including contributions to the automotive industry, the association and community involvement.

This year’s winner was chosen by a selection committee made up of some of the most distinguished names in the used-vehicle industry. The committee included:

—NIADA director of dealer development Joe Lescota
—National Auto Auction Association chief executive officer Frank Hackett
—Cox Automotive Financial and NextGear Capital president Brian Geitner
—Automotive Finance Corp. president and CEO John Hammer
—NADA Used Car Guide vice president and general manager Mike Stanton
—Black Book vice president & North American auction director Tim West
—2013 National Quality Dealer Joe McCloskey of McCloskey Motors
—Northwood University chairman automotive marketing department Elgie Bright

Lanier has been a member of NIADA's affiliated Florida association for 47 years, not long before his father, Johnnie, was named FIADA’s State Quality Dealer in 1970.

When Johnnie Lanier unexpectedly passed away in 1981, Scott Lanier suddenly found himself running the family business at age 24. In his acceptance speech, an emotional Lanier dedicated the award to his late father.

“I knew I could do the job and failure was not an option,” he said, “so I decided to continue on. That was 35 years ago.”

Throughout those years, Lanier has shown a commitment to hard work and continuing education and was an early innovator in the buy-here, pay-here industry.

In 1988, he was one of the first BHPH dealers in the nation to create a related finance company, which today has become an industry standard. His BHPH business now employs 30 staff members.

Dealer education is a particular passion of Lanier's. He became “a student of my business,” attending conventions, seminars and workshops, and joining a dealer 20 Group. His motto, he says, is "Never stop growing and improving."

Lanier willingly shares that information, appearing as a panelist in compliance training sessions. He's been involved in all aspects of dealer training, including sales, collections, compliance, asset management, accounting, service and real-world training.

And, of course, he’s still learning, as just this year he became an NIADA Certified Master Dealer.

Lanier supports a variety of charitable causes in his community, serving as a sponsor of Quest Kids (which provides support and therapy for autistic children) and the Rotary Club, and contributing to the Edgewood Children's Ranch, CCA Angel Tree, Ducktoberfest and more. He’s also a Sunday school teacher and an Awana leader, and has spoken at prisons on behalf of his church.

Lanier enjoys an excellent reputation in the community, where his customers have been treated “like family since 1963.”

Threadgill now NIADA president

Billy Threadgill, president of Van’s Auto Sales in Florence, S.C., opened his term as NIADA president for 2016-17 by receiving the President’s Ring during last week’s national leadership awards banquet at Convention and Expo.

Threadgill, who succeeds Frank Fuzy of Florida, said in his address at the banquet he is focused on making sure dealers understand the value of NIADA membership.

“I often get asked about the value of joining the NIADA and the state IADAs,” he said. “I give them the facts; once they are a member, the benefits are endless.

“For example, the NIADA Convention. It doesn’t matter if you are a traditional used car dealer, a buy-here, pay-here dealer, a lease-here, pay-here dealer, in the rental business or a wholesaler, the education from this conference can only make you want to be a better and more successful dealer.”

Threadgill, 59, is a second-generation dealer, operating the dealership opened by his father Van on March 12, 1975 — though he actually began his career in the auto industry at age 7. That’s when Van, then working for a Ford franchise, put Billy to work washing cars, sweeping the lot and the office, and sifting cigarette butts out of the sand in the ashtrays.

“And I did the flower beds,” Threadgill said.

His job description has changed a bit since then — in addition to his sales operation, he also runs a related finance company, a U-Save auto rental franchise and a subsidized transit company that provides transportation to and from work for federal employees. And he has a third generation — his son, Michael — working at the dealership as secretary-treasurer.

Threadgill has been on the NIADA executive committee since 2009, serving as secretary, treasurer, regional vice president, senior vice president and president-elect. He is also a past president of the Carolinas IADA and a former chairman of the NIADA State Presidents Council.

Others honored at the ceremony included NIADA Association Executive of the Year Lisette Mariner of the Florida IADA and MVP Eagle Award winner Dennis Pope of People's Financial.

The association also gave 16 Crystal Eagle Award winners, including:

—Darla Booher of Deal Depot
—Kim Bradshaw of First Nations Auto Sales
—Martha Brown of Dealers Risk Insurance
—Marty Coates of Coates & Associates
—Will Davis of G&B Auto Sales
—Luke Godwin of Godwin Auto Sales
—Darryl Jackson of Crown Auto Sales and Finance
—Steve Matthews of Matthews Motors
—Kevin Pendergrass of Carolina Auto Sales of Myrtle Beach
—Dennis Pope and Glen Reeves of Reeves Insurance Associates
—Julie Colgate of Independent Dealers Advantage
—Roy Daniel of Automotive Dealers Finance
—Mark Brown of Red Carpet Auto Sales
—Ahmed Belmeshkan of New Rio Grande Motors
—Wayne Meagher of MD Auto Sales

The Crystal Eagle is awarded in recognition of their outstanding effort in generating new members for NIADA.

The MVP Eagle, awarded for the first time this year, honors the individual who recruited the most new members during the association’s “Let the Games Begin” membership campaign during the past year. Pope sponsored 227 new members.