USED CAR NEWS
Used Car News 1/22 /2024
NIADA Plans Busy 2024 IN THIS ISSUE: • Finance • Legal Update • Tony Moorby
By Jeffrey Bellant
The National Independent Automobile Dealers Association, along with the used-car industry, faces some challenges in 2024, but it has a plan in place. NIADA President Gordon Tormohlen, who started his term last June, said it’s been a different kind of challenge. “The association has some uphill battles to fight, and it is building back after COVID (because) there were a couple of down years because of that,” he said. “Also, having new leadership and things of that nature. So, it’s been different, but good.” Tormohlen said his focus is how to set up this year for success. The board approved the new budget and
is now evaluating the job of NIADA CEO Jeff Martin, who took the reins of the organization last year. Tormohlen said the year will include a lot of behind-the-scenes prep work for the annual convention, the National Policy Conference this fall in Washington D.C. and the BHPH dealer forum, which will be in New Orleans this year. Martin talked about the association goals as reflected in the new budget. “Creating a healthy budget was Step 1 – having a budget that we could live within,” he said. “But there are a handful of things that we have to focus on as an association this year. “We’ve got to make sure that we start building out our compliance and our government relations department.”
and the leave-behind documents they provided to legislative offices, Martin said. But NIADA wants a dedicated person on staff who wakes up every morning thinking about how to grow the influence of the association in the areas of compliance and government relations. It’s not just about having a presence in Washington D.C., but it’s also being present at the state conventions to ensure NIADA is monitoring what’s going on in various states, Martin said. If an issue pops up, NIADA wants to be able to support a state or, if the Eric Johnson, a partner with state is not in the position to deal Maryland-based law firm Hudson- with it, stepping in and handling it, Cook (see page 4), has served on he said. retainer for NIADA and has “done “What we’re going to do this year a phenomenal job for us,” Martin is start to lay the groundwork for said. Johnson has helped the asso- that and then just continue to grow ciation in responses to federal agen- on that,” Martin said. “It’s somecies and he was “omnipresent” at thing that we have to focus on as an 1920X1080 Policy NADA SCREEN.pdf 1 1/14/24 5:06 PM the National Conference and association.” helped in developing comments Continued on page 5
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