Now five years after revitalizing its event at the nation’s capital, the National Independent Automobile Dealers Association is seeing significant dividends from its political investment.

NIADA recently completed another successful National Policy Conference with its annual Day on Capitol Hill, widening and strengthening the foothold the association has established in Washington D.C.

NIADA revived its annual event to bring independent dealers from across the country to the nation’s capital to make the voice of the used-car industry and small business heard among America’s policymakers.

The 2018 NPC, which took place Sept. 24-26, featured more than 200 attendees and a record 120-plus meetings with members of the Senate and House of Representatives or their legislative staff.

“Since we rebooted this event in 2013, we’ve seen attendance double and we’ve seen our footprint on Capitol Hill grow from 30 congressional meetings to more than 120 this year,” NIADA chief executive officer Steve Jordan said.

“But I think the true measure of success is going back to the same congressional offices we visited in years past and having them remember us, know our issues, understand the things that are important to us and be able to pick up the conversation right where we left off,” Jordan continued.

During the Day on the Hill, 15 teams of NIADA dealers and used-vehicle industry partners swarmed Capitol Hill to meet with members of the Senate and House of Representatives or their legislative staff.

Among the teams were those representing NIADA’s affiliated state associations from Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Alabama, Texas, Ohio, Florida, the Mid-Atlantic region (MARIADA), Colorado, Tennessee and Virginia, which visited all or most of their states’ representatives and senators.

“We are making a serious impact,” said NIADA president Andy Gabler, owner of Lakeside Auto Group in Erie, Pa. “We’re making a difference here. If you want to make your voice heard, the legislators have got to hear it. And the way they hear it is for you to get up here. … You can sit around and talk about it, but if they can’t hear you, they don’t know what you want and what you need as a business.”

The team members spoke to legislators about issues currently facing the used vehicle industry that are under consideration by Congress and the federal government, advocating in support of making the reforms of last year’s Tax Cuts and Jobs Act permanent and against tariffs on imported cars and auto parts.

“Most of the time when you hear politicians, they’re speaking to you,” said Bob Fahey, owner of Value Auto Auction in Crooksville, Ohio. “When you come to Washington, they’re listening to you. It’s very exciting to come here and have them listen to you and address your problems. That makes a big difference.”

During the Day on the Hill’s Power Luncheon in the historic Kennedy Caucus Room of the Russell Senate Office Building, Rep. Mike Kelly (R-Pa.) stressed to attendees why it’s important for dealers to keep coming back to Washington to advocate for the used-vehicle industry and small business.

“There’s an old saying that 90 percent of life is showing up, because when you show up people know you care,” said Kelly, who has been a franchised dealer in the Keystone State, too. “I’ve got to tell you, when you don’t show up, that is a wonderful opportunity for the people creating policy to say, ‘Well, nobody said anything negative. They just didn’t show up. So I guess they’re happy with everything.’

“You’ve got to show up,” Kelly continued. “You’ve got to articulate what it is you’re concerned with — the what, the why and the how you can fix it. That’s the key to everything that works in our form of government. Just being here and talking to your representatives makes a huge impact on how people look at policy and reflect on whether it’s good policy or bad policy.”

The National Policy Conference also included the Friends of the Auto Industry Congressional Reception on Tuesday night, which included appearances by Reps. Roger Williams (R-Texas), John Carter (R-Texas), Mark Walker (R-N.C.), Barry Loudermilk (R-Ga.) and Mike Rogers (R-Ala.).

The reception also featured the awarding of the PAC Cup to the NIADA region that contributed the most to the NIADA-PAC fund. The competition, won for the first time by Region III (Midwest), raised more than $210,000 for the PAC fund — more than double last year’s record total.

In addition to legislators, representatives of several regulatory agencies — as well as House Ways and Means Committee tax counsel Randell Gartin — spoke to attendees Tuesday at the Ritz-Carlton Pentagon City, providing updates and answering specific compliance questions from dealers.

The agenda included speakers from OSHA, the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, NHTSA and the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators. They were joined by Fox News politics editor Chris Stirewalt, who added his take on the importance of being involved in the political process.

“When people tell me, ‘I don’t do politics,’ I tell them, ‘That’s too bad, because politics will do you. It does you every day,’”  Stirewalt said.

And, the event brought together NIADA’s top national leaders as well as those of NIADA’s affiliated state associations to conduct association business, develop their leadership skills and get the latest updates on NIADA legislative, education and business initiatives.

“This is an opportunity to come and speak to the people who actually make things move and change and express to them what’s important to us as an industry, what’s important to our customers and how changes they make are actually affecting the day-to-day operations of dealerships all over the country,” Ituran GPS chief executive officer Ariad Sommer said of the NPC.

“I always enjoy seeing the ‘Aha!’ moment legislators have when you explain to them what’s important to you,” Sommer went on to say. “And even if they are not necessarily on your side of the issue, you can hear them explain why and you can react back: ‘As a small business in this industry, this is what’s important for us. If you want our support, this is what we need. … We want to voice our opinion.’”