Pub. 4 Issue 1

6 www.glancda.org President’s and Executive Director’s MESSAGE Fritz Hitchcock, President and Bob Smith, Executive Director GREATER LOS ANGELES NEW CAR DEALERS ASSOCIATION W e hope that you, our dealer members and associates, are finding success here in early 2017! The business climate is strong, and as we move past the election of 2016, and new car sales levels at the city, county, state and national level all hit near record highs for the year. The work of the association has not skipped a beat. We are encouraged at the city and county level with progress in the shaping of a digital sign ordinance. The work and inf luence of the association should ultimately allow our dealer members more f lexibility with fewer restrictions. Working closely with the Plan- ning and Land Use Management Committee, the association has lent its voice to the process. The recent gathering of automobile dealers from throughout the country at the NADA Convention was a great opportunity to be briefed on the agenda for 2017 at the national level. With all the changes in Washington D.C., the area that dealers appear to be positioned well is in the ability to provide affordable financing options for our customers. Dealers are also working closely with the automakers, and elected officials in the area of vehicle recalls and the parts availability issues that surround it. In particular there is progress on fair and rea- sonable reimbursements rates from the manufacturers on stop sell pre-owned vehicles. Our voice at that level is crucial to the operating interests of all our dealer members. The association will join forces with the CNCDA at the state level on March 15, 2017 and meet with elected officials in Sacramento. This annual lobbying event will focus on the issues that affect new car dealers at the state level. We plan on this being the biggest showing of Los Angeles area dealer principals and general man- agers and need your participation and support. I will be reaching out to invite you to attend this important event. It is also a great way to network with colleagues. The 2016 Los Angeles Auto Show in November was the most successful and well attended in history! The growth of media presence and coverage in particular is most noteworthy. When you receive your 2017 associa- tion membership renewal, we remind you that along with all the political and philanthropic work we do for you our members, comes a complimentary ticket package to the 2017 show for current and prospective customer use. These tickets and the advertising and promotion efforts of the LA Auto Show have proven to drive traffic to dealer showrooms. The membership cost is a fraction of the ticket value alone. Please support our collec- tive efforts, and take advantage of this tremendous opportunity for your organization. We will have six dealer education and training opportunities in 2017. The first will be on March 9 in Monrovia and we hope you and the appropriate staff members in your organization will consider attending. Keep your eyes open for registration information that is being mailed and emailed your way very soon.  Regards,