CARY, N.C. -

Editor's Note: This is a special online preview, available only to CMG Premium subscribers, of Auto Remarketing's upcoming special print edition for the NAAA Convention. The excerpt below is Part II of the feature. 

Beyond the buying and selling of vehicles, the auto auction sale brings folks together. 

Not unlike many of the industry events we have missed over the past year-and-a-half. That includes the NAAA Convention, which returns live and in-person this fall. 

And one of Tricia Heon’s first duties as the new chief executive officer of the National Auto Auction Association is to host the that group's convention, which is set for Sept. 28-30 in Chicago and is themed “The Reconnection Event.”

It will be the association’s first formal event in two years.

“I’m really just looking forward to bringing everyone back together. We’ve missed that so much. We’ve missed the person-to-person (interaction) — that in-person opportunity to collaborate, share best practices,” Heon said in an interview earlier this month with Auto Remarketing. “We’re leaving lots of time for those social events, because we know that’s what people have missed the most.”

That will include the second live concert event from NAAA, which will feature a performance from Kool & The Gang. Other highlights include a keynote address from NFL legend Emmitt Smith, the annual Black Book Reception, Presidential Gala, President’s Party, an industry reception honoring Sandy Schwartz and Janet Barnard, plus more.

The event will also include a bevy of committee meeting, general sessions, exhibit hall and more.

Time of transition in association leadership

Heon enters the CEO role at NAAA at a time when three of the major associations with close ties to the used-car business, including NAAA, have changed leadership and did so within a year.

In late October 2020, the National Independent Automobile Dealers Association hired Robert Voltmann to replace Steve Jordan as its CEO. 

The National Automobile Dealers Association, meanwhile, began 2021 with a new president and CEO.

The association announced in October 2020 that succeeding Peter Welch as its top leader on Jan. 1, 2021 would be Mike Stanton, who had been the NADA’s chief operating officer since 2018.

“I’ve known Mike Stanton for years and worked with him really well, and have enjoyed some conversations with Bob Voltmann as well,” Heon said. “The relationship (between the associations) has always been strong, but I do sense a real sense, a real spirit of collaboration that is stronger than ever.

“We are all one ecosystem and we recognize that. And we recognize that our presence in that ecosystem is stronger together. One thing I can speak to that i have a lot of experience with is the advocacy,” she said. “The team, when we work together, it’s really powerful. So we all appreciate the power of that collaboration.”

Advocacy, analysis & association

Heon certainly has a considerable amount of experience on the advocacy front as well as in governmental matters. She led the creation of NAAA’s Political Action Committee and its annual Day On The Hill in Washington, D.C. 

Heon has also headed up NAAA’s efforts to monitor federal and state regulations — this in addition to her time helping to such initiatives as a study to address technician shortages and a report on the industry’s future, plus her involvement with planning NAAA meetings, programs and conventions.

Prior to her time with NAAA, Heon’s experience includes time as a budget analyst in Fairfax County, Va. — which at the time had the largest county government budget in the nation, Heon said — followed by a role as a consultant regarding the impact of the federal budget to state governments and non-profits.

With a background in public administration, Heon always had her eye on the non-profit segment, especially association work, which is what drew her initially to NAAA.

“What interested me about NAAA was that i wanted to come work for an association. So that wasn’t truly the auto industry that attracted me, it was the legislative work for an association,” Heon said.

But as it turns out, she said, “People say it gets in your blood. Well, it’s gotten in my blood. It’s an honor to serve this industry. I’ve grown to just truly appreciate it.

“The members are awe-inspiring, what they do and the resilience of the industry,” she said.

And while the auction industry has been front-and-center in her work the past decade, Heon’s time in a budget analysis years ago has come in handy during auto industry advocacy efforts.

“The wholesale auction industry is, to you and I, it’s something we know very well. But we find when we go on the Hill, it’s a constant education,” Heon said. “And getting the right people to understand and appreciate the industry has been something i have much enjoyed. I’ve enjoyed figuring out who the right people are that we need to educate. And then that analytical sense comes in really handy in that education.”

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