AROUND THE INDUSTRY

Driverge Acquisition

Last December, NMEDA member Driverge Vehicle Innovations announced that it has acquired US Upfitters, an Illinois-based business that specializes in converting commercial trucks, vans, SUVs, and sedans into work-ready vehicles.

According to the announcement, the acquisition will enhance Driverge’s national presence by adding new sales and operation locations in Illinois, Wisconsin, Maryland, and Colorado, in addition to its existing facilities in Ohio, Kansas, South Carolina, and California. It will also broaden Driverge’s product line to include commercial truck, SUV, sedan, and fleet vehicle conversions.

NMEDA CEO Transition News

The NMEDA Board of Directors announced late last year that Danny Langfield will be stepping down from his current position of CEO on July 1, 2023, to transition to a new role as the inaugural Executive Director of NMEDA’s recently formed 501c3 nonprofit Research Foundation. The Board has appointed a search committee, co-chaired by NMEDA Past Presidents Sam Cook and Chad Blake, to assist the Board in identifying Langfield’s successor. The committee will work with a national executive search firm to identify and vet qualified candidates for the CEO position.

“NMEDA has thrived under Danny’s leadership, and we are all grateful for his service,” said Chad Blake, NMEDA Past President. “While it is bittersweet to see his transition out of the NMEDA CEO role, the entire organization is excited about the possibilities of our new research foundation. We are optimistic that we will find the right candidate to lead NMEDA into the next phase of our industry.”

In his new role beginning next summer, Langfield will be charged with overseeing all aspects of the fledgling Research Foundation, including establishing its Board structure, bylaws, budget, mission, vision, and strategic plan, as well as its web and social presence and all branding and marketing collateral. As per the current NMEDA three-year strategic plan, the Foundation is expected to issue its first formal report, “The State of the Auto Mobility Industry,” in Q2 of 2024, utilizing anonymous data aggregated from the QAPx and Docutrack administration systems.

Partner with Your Local PVA

PVA members want to know more about electric vehicles, and NMEDA dealers can help. The NMEDA and PVA Government Relations teams partnered on a webinar in December—”Electric Vehicles are the Future. Are They Accessible?”—to educate veterans on the hybrid WAVs currently available for consumer purchase and to provide a forum for PVA’s members to ask questions about electric/hybrid vehicles and accessibility. Our industry experts—which included VMI’s COO Philip Angelechio, VMI’s Director of Operations Dale Deskins, and BraunAbility’s Director of Advanced Mobility Solutions Kevin Frayne—fielded nearly 30 minutes of questions from an audience eager to learn more about how an electric future might impact their transportation options.

Given the significant interest in this topic, we encourage NMEDA members to reach out to their local PVA chapter(s) and establish themselves as a resource for veterans seeking automotive mobility in an increasingly electrified automotive industry. This population wants to understand what their EV/hybrid options are and how EV/hybrid architectures might impact the installation of assistive technology, and NMEDA members are uniquely positioned to provide answers.