Pub. 3 2014-2015 Issue 3

4 San Diego Dealer Cha i rman ’s Le t t e r New Car Dealers Association ® San Diego County 10065 Mesa Ridge Court San Diego, CA 92121-2916 Tel: (858) 550-0080 Fax: (858) 550-9537 www.ncda.com NCDA Board of Directors Board Officers DavidWolfson CHAIRMAN Paul Dyke VICE CHAIRMAN Jennifer Brown SECRE TARY/TREASURER J.P. Paynter PAST CHAIRMAN Board Members Chris Baker John Ball Rick Blakemore Tim Brecht Tom Brecht Doug Fuller Greg Kaminsky Dave McCracken Owen Mossy Dear Dealer Members: E ach year, the New Car Dealers Association San Diego County (NCDA) selects a TIME Dealer of theYear awardwinner who in turn represents us in the national award competition. This year’s winner and the focus of our cover story is Paul Leader, owner of El Cajon Ford. The TIME Dealer Award is one of the most coveted and prestigious in our industry and Paul was one of only 57 auto dealers out of over 17,000 nation- wide to be nominated for the 46th annual award. I know I speak for our entire dealer community in congratulating him on this extraordinary honor. I hope you will take a fewminutes to read about Paul and his contributions as both a dealer and member of our community. As I am sure you heard by now, our recent Auto Show was a huge success this year both in attendance and participation. I want to con- gratulate DeanMansfield and the NCDA staff for planning and executing an outstanding show that is bringing people into dealer showrooms eager to purchase new vehicles. I also want to thank those dealers who repre- sented manufacturers at the show. This was the strongest vehicle presence for our Auto Show since before the economic crisis and attendees do notice when specific manufacturers are represented. Additionally, San Diego’s media stepped up once again to highlight the show in newscasts, live reports from the show and pre-recorded specials. This kind of support from our media partners is an invaluable supplement to the Auto Show’s advertising, public relations and promotional efforts. All of the above results in a show that is widely enjoyed by the attendees and also demonstrates to themanufacturers that the San Diego International Auto Showwarrants strong presence each year. If you have not already done so, I strongly encourage you to register for this year’s Dealer Day in Sacramento on March 25th. There are a number of new legislators in San Diego County and Dealer Day provides us with an excellent opportunity to share with them the extensive economic contributions our industry provides to various municipalities in the region. You can find more information and register at www.cncda.org . The past few years have shown resurgence in our local economy and automotive sales have been a major contributor. Let’s hope this trend continues and franchised new car dealers will continue to be at the forefront of San Diego County’s economic impact. Sincerely, David Wolfson Chairman, NCDA Board of Directors