Pub. 3 Issue 4

15 SPRING 2016 Automotive Group, which encompasses multiple brands, including Cadillac, Land Rover, Toyota, Scion and a collision center, all in Pasadena. His son and nephew work for the business. Symes’ strong connection to the Pasadena area has inspired him to give back to the community in many ways. One such effort is “Driving Youth to Success,” an initiative for the SanGabriel Valley Council of the Boy Scouts of America. “I was instrumental in starting this fundraising program by asking 30 to 40 dealerships in the SanGabriel Valley to donate $100 for every car sold in themonth of August,” he said. To promote the program, Symes arranged for free publicity through his media contacts, created car toppers in the shape of tents and had Boy Scouts in uniform at the dealerships on weekends. “This event was a big success and we have run it now for about 10 years, raising as much as $50,000.” He has also donated his time and talent to the PasadenaRotaryClub, PasadenaChamber of Commerce andMethodist Hospital of South- ern California Foundation in Arcadia. He is most proud of leading the charge to pass a state franchise lawprohibiting factory-owned dealerships while hewas president of the state association in 2000. “I took heavy pressure individually from themanufacturers for lead- ing this battle,” he said. “The most gratifying moment was whenwe finally passed the bill.” Symes is a regular contributor to a range of organizations, including San Gabriel Val- ley Council of the Boy Scouts of America; Boys & Girls Club of Pasadena; Girl Scouts CookieDrive; Hillsides in Pasadena (helping at-risk children and youth); Impact Drug & Alcohol Treatment Center in Pasadena; Pasa- dena Community Foundation; Methodist Hospital of Southern California in Arcadia; HuntingtonHospital in Pasadena; Pasadena Educational Foundation and Pasadena Po- lice Officers’ Association. Symes was nominated for the TIME Dealer of the Year award by Brian Maas, president of the California New Car Dealers Associa- tion, and Bob Smith, Executive Director of the Greater Los Angeles New Car Dealers Association. Symes and his wife, Susan, have two children.  TIME is a global multimedia brand that reaches an audience of more than 100 million and includes the domestic and international magazine editions, TIME for Kids, TIME.com and mobile. TIME.com draws 50 million unique visitors a month and has a social reach of more than 27 million. (Omniture) Ally Financial Inc. (NYSE: ALLY) is a leading automotive financial services company powered by a top direct banking franchise. Ally's automotive services business offers a full spectrum of financial products and services, including new and used vehicle inventory and consumer financing, leasing, vehicle service contracts, commercial loans and vehicle remarketing services, as well as a variety of insurance offerings, including inventory insurance, insurance consultative services for dealers and other ancillary products. Ally Bank, the company's direct banking subsidiary and member FDIC, offers an array of deposit products, including certificates of deposit, savings accounts, money market accounts, IRA deposit products and interest checking. Ally's Corporate Finance unit provides financing to middle-market companies across a broad range of industries. With approximately $156.1 billion in assets as of Sept. 30, 2015, Ally operates as a financial holding company. For more information, visit the Ally media site at http://media.ally.com or follow Ally on Twitter: @Ally. www.LSLCPAS.com Orange County (714)672-0022 Silicon Valley (408) 573-6360 Temecula Valley (951) 304-2728 Focused on YOU Focused on your: • Accounting • Taxes • Audit • Review • Bookkeeping • Internal procedures • Cash flow • Consulting services Donald Slater, CPA Automotive Services Partner donald.slater@lslcpas.com Mike Mangold, CPA Automotive Services Partner mike.mangold@lslcpas.com David Myers, CPA Automotive Tax Partner dave.myers@lslcpas.com Put our experience to work for you. Since the 1940’s we have provided a complete range of services to the owners of dealerships and other automotive related businesses.