WASHINGTON, D.C. -

State and metro associations, 20 groups, local charitable boards and committees — there are seemingly countless ways for dealers to spend their daylight hours. It occurred to me recently that, if I wanted, I could spend 365 days a year traveling from one meeting to another, without ever stepping foot inside one of my stores.

Obviously, I don’t want that. And I don’t know any dealers who do. So what I and most dealers end up doing is a balancing act — rushing from one end of town to the other, and one side of the country to another, attempting to meet all of our commitments — to our manufacturers, our stores, our communities and our families.

However, amid all that rushing around, we must not forget our commitment to the international nameplate industry.

I wish I could say that when fellow dealers hear that I’m the 2013 chairwoman of AIADA they immediately engage me in an in-depth discussion of our association’s purpose and activities. The truth is, I’m just as likely to find myself answering the question, “What is  . . .  Ay-a-da?”

I can’t really blame them. The alphabet soup of organizations dealers are encouraged to join can be overwhelming. But international nameplate dealers NEED to know about AIADA. As a new generation of dealers steps up to lead our industry, it is my goal to ensure that every one of them understands why AIADA was founded, and what we are doing to protect and advance our industry in Washington, D.C.

AIADA is on the front lines, every day, fighting to protect our businesses from damaging tariffs and short-sighted “buy American” legislation. With some of the top dealers in the United States on our team, we work to ensure that our nameplates are included in programs like Cash for Clunkers, and we promote and advance free trade agreements that grow our economy and even the playing field for our manufacturers. We battle taxes that punish small business owners, and we support policies that push back against regulatory over reach.

While our issues may not always be featured in your local headlines, I can guarantee you they impact your bottom line. That is why so many of the nation’s leading international nameplate dealers are AIADA members.

Recently, we put together a (very) brief video that lays out AIADA’s mission and goals. My hope is that dealers who are in the know will pass it on to their fellow dealers and general managers. Please, share it with your local and state associations, at your brand meetings, and with anyone else you think might benefit from AIADA’s work.

See the video below:

Jenell Ross is the AIADA Chairwoman and one of Auto Remarketing's Women in Remarketing class of 2013. To see the original AIADA blog post and more, click here.