SAN ANTONIO -

Along with Manheim getting involved to benefit the NIADA Foundation, independent dealers from across the nation are excited to reconnect with their peers during the National Independent Automobile Dealers Association Convention and Expo that is live and in person once again for the first time in more than two years.

Pierrot Abiramia and Andreia Elmasri of Milford Auto Mall are among the dealers who have traveled to San Antonio for the events that began on Monday.

“It’s a great thing to be here,” Abiramia said in a news release distributed by NIADA, “to see people face to face and to be open to everything that’s going on in the industry.”

“With the pandemic, we all stepped back for a second to regroup in terms of knowledge, to think of what we need to do to improve,” Elmasri added. “This convention brings people from all over the country with new knowledge and new ideas, and that can help all of us.

“That’s the main thing I think we’ll get out of this convention. How did you come out of what we went through? What did you do to get better? It’s a lot of sharing information,” Elmasri went on to say.

Last year, the convention had to be a virtual event due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But the festivities opened Monday at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio as NIADA is celebrating its 75th anniversary.

NIADA said more than 1,000 independent vehicle dealers and exhibitors have registered to attend the 75th annual convention as the industry gathers to celebrate the milestone anniversary, present awards to honor the best in the business, meet and network, find the latest products and services in the expo hall and learn from the most comprehensive dealer training in the independent space.

The education agenda, featuring some 60 sessions in four tracks — retail, buy-here, pay-here, service and general — began Tuesday morning with a session led by Joe Lescota. It also includes top speakers such as NABD founder Ken Shilson, “Bulldog of the Service Drive” Chris Collins, attorney Steve Levine, Doug Hadden of ACV Auctions, Agora Data’s Chris Barry, financial specialist Mark Burkholder, independent dealer and marketing expert Tracy Myers and many more.

And new for 2021 is The Service Bay, a series of 20-minute micro-sessions on Tuesday that gave dealers hands-on insight into service, reconditioning and fixed ops solutions that can save them time and money.

The keynote speaker is Hall of Fame wide receiver and NFL Network football analyst Michael Irvin, who earned the nickname “The Playmaker” as a star for collegiate national champion Miami and later helped lead the Dallas Cowboys to three Super Bowl titles in the 1990s.

Irvin, appearing courtesy of ACV Auctions, is scheduled to speak Wednesday afternoon, and will be available for a meet and greet session afterward at the ACV booth in the Expo Hall.

In addition, the convention included social events such as the popular Cigars and Margaritas welcome reception, Tuesday’s National Leadership Awards and Expo Hall Grand Opening, and Thursday’s National Quality Dealer Award ceremony.

For more information or to register, visit niadaconvention.com.

Manheim makes vehicle donation to help NIADA Foundation

For the ninth consecutive year, the NIADA Convention and Expo will include the auction of a front-line ready used vehicle to benefit the NIADA Foundation.

This year the vehicle was donated by Manheim, which will conduct the auction in the event’s Expo Hall on the final day of the convention.

This year’s vehicle is a sleek silver and black 2010 Ford Mustang GT with a 4.6-liter V8 engine and just 60,913 miles on the odometer. The car will be on display in the expo hall during NIADA’s 75th annual Convention and Expo

The auction will be held at 2 p.m. (CT) on Thursday at the NIADA Dealer Lounge in the center of the Expo Hall.

The association said Autosled will transport the vehicle free for the winning bidder to any location in the continental U.S.

All proceeds from the auction will benefit the NIADA Foundation, which coordinates the association’s commitment to charitable giving and education.

In addition to making numerous donations to charities nationwide and providing matching funds for local charitable projects, the foundation has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars to assist members of the automotive community affected by hurricanes and other disasters, and has established endowments that fund university scholarships for students pursuing careers in the automotive industry.

“We value our relationship with NIADA and its dealer members and are proud to donate a vehicle to benefit the NIADA Foundation,” Manheim San Antonio general manager Mike Browning said in another news release from the association.

“Manheim welcomes opportunities to give back and assist with charitable and other needs at the local level, something that the foundation does so well,” Browning continued. 

The previous eight benefit auctions have raised a total of $196,000 to support the foundation’s initiatives.

In an online auction held during the 2020 NIADA Virtual Convention and Expo, a 2019 Ford Mustang EcoBoost Fastback sold for $20,300 to Illinois dealer Eric Nelson.

Learn more about the NIADA Foundation at www.niada.com/foundation.

Chosen Payments joins NIADA as National Corporate Partner

In other association news, Chosen Payments, a division of Aurora Payments and a leading payment technology and software provider, has partnered with NIADA as a Bronze-level National Corporate Partner.

NIADA said the move will give its members access to the lowest credit card processing rates and most advance payment technology for increased efficiency and productivity.

The association highlighted Chosen Payments has a large presence in the automotive industry. Its clients include franchised and independent dealerships, repair shops, body shops and other auto-related businesses of all sizes throughout the nation.

“We truly believe Chosen Payments’ combination of pricing, service and technology will bring tremendous value to our members,” NIADA vice president of member services James Gibson said in another news release.

The new partnership brings a valuable member benefit, drastically reducing the cost of accepting credit card transaction for NIADA members

Through the National Corporate Partnership program, NIADA used the collective buying strength of its 15,000-plus members to negotiate guaranteed savings on credit card processing, electric checks and other payment processing application and financial services.

“We’re very excited to have been selected among such an elite group of vendors supporting the NIADA members as National Corporate Partners,” Chosen Payments vice president of sales Branden Anderson said.

NIADA’s partnership with Aurora and Chosen Payments also includes a side-by-side comparison of any NIADA member’s current credit card processing fees.

If Chosen Payments is unable to beat the current processing rates of a member, Chosen Payments will pay the member’s NIADA membership dues the following year for simply participating in a rate comparison.

For more information about that opportunity, contact Branden Anderson at (855) 424-6736 or email branden.anderson@chosenpayments.com.

For information about Chosen Payments, visit chosenpayments.com.