Do You Remember San Francisco? Looking Back at NADA 2019
We're less than two months away from NADA 2020, and the new decade brings with it a fantastic new venue. Northerly attendees probably relished the opportunity to escape winter in San Francisco last year, but everyone will be undoubtedly excited about a trip to the fabulous Las Vegas this February.
We all know that what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, but the same doesn't go for San Francisco. As we ramp up for our weekend in Las Vegas, let's take a look at some key moments from last year's event.
John Alfirevich Named 2019 TIME Dealer of the Year
From a field of 51 dealer nominees, John Alfirevich of Apple Chevrolet in Tinley Park received the coveted Dealer of the Year award at NADA 2019.
“I’m very honored and blessed to win this award. I’m having a hard time to find the right words. I’m humbled by it,” said Alfirevich. “It’s not one person who wins this award. My family, employees at the dealership, the strong relationship ties within the industry and community have all contributed to my success.”
Charles Cyril of NADA's public relations team attributed Alfirevich's victory to the dealer's notable charitable contributions, which reached nearly 100 local organizations in 2018, as well as Alfirevich's commitment to "do right by his customers, employees and community." The prestigious award was presented by TIME Magazine and sponsored by Ally Financial, the latter of whom donated $10 thousand to the charity of Alfirevich's choice.
ADESA Charity Auction at the NADA Show Raises $77,118
For the eighth straight year, ADESA held an auction at the NADA Show to benefit the NADA Foundation's Frank E. McCarthy Memorial Fund, which supports Canine Companions for Independence. This long-running charity provides assistance dogs free of charge to recipients with a variety of needs, including army veteran and retired police sergeant Ben Chavez.
Chavez relies on his hearing dog, Nepal, due to the work-related hearing loss Chavez suffers in both ears.
“Nepal is really a game changer,” Chavez told a NADA representative. “He is trained to hear certain sounds for me, such as sirens, alarms, doorbells, door knocks, the microwave going off and my wife calling my name.”
Andrew Tai Showed Us that the Dealership is Vital to Digital Retailing
Motoinsight CEO and co-founder Andrew Tai enlightened the NADA 2019 audience with his session on digital retailing. Dealers were relieved to hear that digital retailing doesn't come at the expense of the physical store. Instead, said Tai, physical storefronts are going to work in tandem with online ecommerce tools to drive broader engagement than either one could alone.
The talk focused on the ways dealers can bridge the gap between digital and physical through the use of digital retailing technologies, which have seen a remarkable increase in adoption and consumer use in the year since his talk. Last January, digital retailing looked like the future. As we head into NADA 2020, digital retailing is the present reality.
NADA Foundation Launched a Website for Aspiring Service Techs
As the next step in the NADA Foundation's ongoing pledge to increase interest and engagement in service technician careers, the organization launched an interactive consumer-facing website (nadafoundation.org) to promote the value of service jobs.
This new 'site offers the first and only centralized source of all OEM and industry training programs and scholarship opportunities for aspiring service techs, creating an easier access point to an often overlooked career path that endures an annual deficit of 39 thousand trained technicians. The NADA Foundation's Workforce Initiative aims to close that gap.
Since 2011, Motoinsight has been working with dealerships and OEMs to realize a new vision for the automotive industry through our leading solutions including MotoCommerce. If you’re ready to find out how your dealership can thrive in the digital future, visit
motoinsight.com. Let’s redefine automotive retail, together.
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