September 2011 SDADA Column

At our Washington Conference board meeting, the NADA IT committee introduced the all-new NADA mobile app for the iOS (iPhone and iPad). I am excited to roll this app out because of all the potential it offers for our organization. I envision the app as the mobile portal to all things related to the automotive world.

For those of you using the iPhone or iPad, I would ask that you download the app, use it and provide me with some direct feedback – positive and/or negative. The only way to get this app to work for our member dealers is make it work for them. That is why your feedback is so important.

For those of you on the Android OS, we hope to have that version available soon. I will certainly keep you updated on our progress.

To download the app, go to the iTunes app store and search for “NADA”. The free NADA app should appear at or near the top of the list. Just download it and put it to work.

I look forward to your feedback.

Washington Conference

Myron, John Hageman, Mark McKie, David Hersrud, Dan Jacobson and I attended the annual NADA Washington Conference. While nothing I experienced there disputed the notion that Washington is broken, there were some reassuring moments from some of the speakers we heard from. We heard from John Boehner, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, and Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) among others, but I was most impressed by 30-year old Rep. Aaron Schock (R-Illinois) who spoke at our NextGen reception. He is a very impressive young man. I advise you to keep an eye out for that name; you will see more of him!

Election Time
At our recent board meeting, we elected Bill Underriner as chairman and Dave Westcott as vice chairman for 2012. Underriner is a Honda, Hyundai, Buick and Volvo dealer in Billings, Montana. He is serving as vice chairman this year. Westcott is a Buick-GMC and Suzuki dealer in Burlington, N.C. They will take office at the 2012 NADA-ATD Convention and Expo in Las Vegas, which runs Feb. 3-6. I look forward to working with both gentlemen.

NADA Convention 

Stay Connected with the NADA and ATD Convention on Facebook and Twitter There are now more ways than ever to "connect" with the 2012 NADA/ATD Convention and Expo, Feb. 3-6 in Las Vegas. "Like" the convention's Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/nadaconvention) and follow convention news on Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/nadaconvention) to receive instant updates on speakers, registration, exhibitors, hotels and more. Plus, stay tuned for NADA's new smart phone app coming this fall, putting the entire convention at your fingertips. And don’t forget to check out MyNADAPlanner, the tool that allows you to select workshops, note times of franchise meetings, schedule meetings with exhibitors and create a road map for the convention before even leaving your dealership. Convention registration is now open online at www.nadaconventionandexpo.org.

NADA has a great lineup of speakers for the event. President George W. Bush and Sergio Marchionne, chief executive officer of Chrysler Group, and chairman of Fiat Industrial S.p.A. are the scheduled keynote speakers for the convention. The inspirational address will be provided by Aron Ralston, who had to amputate his right arm with a knife to free himself from a boulder after a hiking accident. His autobiography “Between a Rock and a Hard Place” was the subject of the film “127 Hours.”

The 2012 convention, which runs Feb. 3-6 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, will mark the first time that the NADA and ATD conventions will be held together. The convention also includes workshop sessions, franchise meetings, hundreds of exhibits and a new Social Connection Zone. I believe that there is no other event that offers us dealers and our managers so much at one time in one location. Make plans to attend now!