During the group’s NADA Show event in Las Vegas, North Carolina dealer Mike Alford will become the 2022 chairman of the National Automobile Dealers Association.
Alford, who is the dealer principal at Marine Chevrolet in Jacksonville as well as Trent Buick Trent Buick GMC and Trent Cadillac in New Bern, will be the second NADA chairman in the past nine years from the Tar Heel State, which is home to Sonic Automotive and Hendrick Automotive Group.
David Westcott of Burlington, N.C., was the 2013 chairman. That same year, Alford was named the TIME Dealer of the Year.
Below is an emailed Q&A with Alford …
Read more
Michael Strahan was perhaps the NFL’s most dominating defensive player of the 2000s. He’s a Super Bowl winner and a Pro Football Hall of Famer.
But he’s also Renaissance man. These days, Strahan juggles the tasks of journalist, broadcaster, host/entertainer and businessman.
While they might not have any sack records like Strahan — who is among the keynote speakers at NADA Show 2022, which returns live March 10-13 in Las Vegas — franchised car dealers can likely relate to the multi-faceted work of wearing many hats.
Often, a dealership is a vehicle tech concierge, repair facility, warranty advisor and sales center all at once. Not to mention, the myriad tasks of running a dealership itself, with all its moving parts.
That includes the pre-owned department, which often is an intricate operation of its own, given current demands and the size of the used-car market.
Franchised and independent dealers were estimated to have sold an combined 21.4 million used vehicles last year, up from 19.8 million in 2020, according to Cox Automotive. This year, they're expected to sell even more at 22.1 million.
With that in mind, here are a few sessions at NADA Show 2022 that focus on the used-car segment, according to the convention website
Workshops
- Improve Your Reconditioning Operation
2:30-3:30 p.m. on March 10
Presenters: Anthony Greenhalgh and Anthony Martinez Rapid Recon
- Pre-Owned: Sourcing for Success
4:00-5:00 p.m. on March 10
9:00-10:00 am on March 12
Presenter: Michael Hayes of NADA Academy
- Running a Successful Customer Buying Center
4:00-5:00 p.m. on March 10
Presenter: Tim Scoutelas of MAX Digital
Dealer Learning Lab
- Stay Ahead of Inventory Volatility
9:00-9:20 a.m. on March 12
Presenter: Doug Hadden of ACV
- How Dealers Reinvented Used Vehicle Acquisition
10:00-10:20 a.m. on March 12
Presenter: Randy Kobat of Cox Automotive
The Dealer Learning Lab is new to the show this year, and will take place at Booth 1911W.
“We're bringing education to the Show floor! Debuting at NADA Show 2022, the Dealer Learning Lab offers 20-minute, TED-style talks from presenters in a casual setting on the expo floor. Take advantage of this opportunity to engage, discover & connect with industry leaders on a variety of hot topics,” NADA said on its convention website.
More information about the show and the sessions can be found at https://show.nada.org.
Going back to Strahan, his keynote address will be on March 12. Other keynote speakers include:
- FOX News anchor Dana Perino (March 11)
- U.S. Army Staff Sergeant (Retired) Travis Mills (March 13)
- 2021 NADA chairman Paul Walser
- 2022 NADA chairman Michael Alford
In related news, the National Auto Auction Association is taking what has traditionally been its Spring Business Meeting and moving it to NADA Show 2022.
The meeting — which has been renamed Total Access — will be held in Las Vegas during March’s NADA convention and include sessions on electric vehicles, chip shortage, recruitment and more.
In addition to announcing a new advocacy campaign in lieu of its annual Washington Fly-In, the American International Automobile Dealers Association said Tuesday it has added Citrin — a provider of porter, car wash and mobility services to dealers — as an Affinity Partner.
With the company as an AIADA Affinity Partners, members can receive, “a robust set of solutions for managing porter, car wash, and valet pick-up and delivery operations,” the association said.
In a news release, AIADA president and chief executive officer Cody Lusk said, “With a rapidly changing automotive retail marketplace, Citrin addresses one of the largest issues facing dealers today, providing staffing solutions to often overlooked, important customer-facing positions.
“Finding the right customer-facing staff is a real challenge today for large and small dealers. Citrin brings unparalleled valet, porter, and employee management services to our members,” Lusk said.
Added Citrin founder and CEO Joe Furno: “While hourly, front-line, associates are often overlooked and labeled as non-revenue producing, they have a significant impact on a dealership's ability to operate to its potential.
“The amount of time and energy that we give back to department managers by implementing structured operations plans and fostering high functioning support teams creates many downstream positive impacts . . . from improved financial results and CSI to better a work environment and culture at each store. We’re thrilled to support the AIADA and leverage our expertise to help their members take their business to the next level.”
In other news from the association, AIADA also said Tuesday it is rolling out a virtual program called “Dealers Make An Impact” in an effort to show Congress the importance of dealerships.
“While it’s a challenge that we were unable to gather in Washington this spring for our Fly-In, it’s also an opportunity. It’s an opportunity to reach Congress in a new way, using cutting-edge technology and the tremendous stories our industry has to share; how we adapt, how we served our communities and how as international nameplate dealers, we make an impact every day on the U.S. economy, on the lives of our American employees and provide essential services to our customers,” Lusk said in a video announcing the program.
Lusk said AIADA is sharing a series of videos and podcasts this summer that include AIADA experts, federal legislators, state association and automaker executives, as well as dealers. Next month, AIADA will be able to use the association’s platform to share self-recorded videos with Congressmembers about the importance of dealers and the industry.
In August, AIADA is ramping up its Dealer Visit Program, encouraging members of Congress to visit dealers. More details are forthcoming.
For more information, see the video in the above window or visit AIADA.org.
Bob Vail of Vail Buick GMC has been elected to the National Automobile Dealers Association’s executive committee as vice-chairman, region I.
A former chair of the Greater New York Automobile Dealers Association, or GNYADA, Vail will represent the Greater New York region’s auto dealers. Those dealers represent a collective $53 billion economic impact and support more than 72,000 jobs in New York City, Long Island and the Lower Hudson Valley.
Vail is also now responsible for bringing together eastern U.S. industry leaders to speak with a strong collective voice, GNYADA said.
Since 2017, Vail has represented Metro New York on NADA’s board, also serving as an active member of NADA's industry relations and regulatory affairs committees.
Vail makes frequent trips to Washington, D.C., with heavy involvement in various federal dealer issues.
Those issues include vehicle recalls, repealing the FET on new heavy-duty trucks, and autonomous vehicles.
A third-generation auto dealer, Vail said national-level events have a strong impact on New York businesses.
“Being a part of the NADA executive committee, I will be able to elevate the specific concerns of GNYADA members, to ensure our common goals are addressed in Washington,” Vail said in a news release.
“Bob is a longtime small business owner who knows our industry as well as anyone,” said GNYADA president Mark Schienberg. GNYADA said Vail brings more than 40 years of dealership experience, serving on GNYADA’s executive committee for 10 years.
Schienberg also said, “During his many years of service on the GNYADA board, he has proven to be a tireless advocate for the retail auto business. As we confront the unique and complicated challenges presented by the COIVD-19 pandemic, and the ongoing regulatory hurdles that face our industry, our members are extremely fortunate to have someone with Bob’s experience and knowledge representing them.”
The Vail family has been in the auto industry since his grandfather first opened a Chevrolet dealership in Ossining, N.Y. in 1918.
Entering the family business in the 1960s, Vail started as a mechanic at a Studebaker dealership that his father and brother owned. He now carries on the family-business tradition, with his son, Greg, also serving as his business partner at their Bedford Hills, Westchester dealership.
“GNYADA knows that no one is better prepared than Vail to serve as the voice of dealers in the nation’s capital, and the Association wishes to congratulate him on this substantial achievement,” GNYADA said.
The National Automobile Dealers Association for several years has kept a tradition of making a philanthropic donation to a local organization in the city where its NADA Show takes place. Last year, for example, NADA donated $50,000 to the Nellis Support Team in Las Vegas.
That nonprofit organization supports airmen and their families at Nellis Air Force Base, Creech Air Force Base and Nevada Test and Training Range.
This year, even though the pandemic kept NADA from hosting its annual conference in person — NADA Show 2021, originally scheduled for January in New Orleans, will instead stream live online next week — the association said it wants to keep that yearly NADA Show donation tradition.
NADA said Wednesday said that in advance of NADA Show 2021, it will make a $25,000 donation to the Second Harvest Food Bank of New Orleans.
The 2020 NADA chairman Rhett Ricart said the past year has been unprecedented for everyone.
“Now, more than ever, it is important that we, as dealers, continue to come together and support our local communities,” Ricart said in a news release.
NADA did that for several years before last year’s donation to the Nellis Support Team. In 2019, NADA donated $50,000 to the San Francisco-Marin Food Bank to support the purchase of a new refrigerated truck. In 2015, NADA provided another $50,000 grant to the San Francisco-Marin Food Bank.
In 2018, the association donated $50,000 to the Nellis Support Team.
The NADA Foundation in 2017 provided a $50,000 grant to the Emeril Lagasse Foundation. That organization supports a program called Café Reconcile, which provides culinary job training for young adults from at-risk communities.
NADA in 2016 donated a new delivery van valued at $52,000 to Three Square Food Bank.
Regarding this year’s donation to Second Harvest Food Bank, Second Harvest president and chief executive officer Natalie Jayroe said the organization was honored to receive the gift.
“It is especially meaningful that NADA made this generous donation even though circumstances kept them from coming to New Orleans for their annual show,’ Jayroe said. “It is because of support from partners like NADA that our team is able to provide meals and emergency food to our neighbors across South Louisiana during this difficult time.”
Ricart of NADA said, “I am so pleased we are able to continue this yearly donation in conjunction with NADA Show and support this amazing organization as they address food insecurity in the city of New Orleans.”
