2026 Pub. 7 Issue 2

VADA regularly publishes articles and news from our Program Partners. It’s content that makes you a more informed dealer

Thank You! A1 Asphalt Paving & Sealing LLCAdvanced Dealer ServicesAtlantic Union BankBG ProductsBrightline Dealer AdvisorsCarFaxCore Assurance PartnersDealer PayDLRdmvDynatron SoftwareFoti Flynn Lowen & Co.Grow Financial Federal Credit UnionHuntington National BankJM&A GroupKenectM&T BankManheim FredericksburgManheim HarrisonburgPayJunctionProtomiqSolera TitlingTekionUnited BankVeramatic Inc.

Eley Duke, Chair, VADA VADA Executive Committee Eley DukeVice ChairDuke Chevrolet GMC John AltmanTreasurerBeyer Auto Group Tanner HuletteSecretaryPage Auto Group Rachel PullenSecretarySafford Automotive Group   Don HallPresidentVADA Roger KellerImmediate Past ChairSheehy Auto Stores Tim PohankaLegislative Chair and PAC ChairPohanka Automotive Group Chris LindsayNADA Director for VirginiaLindsay Chevrolet   VADA Board of Directors Conrad AschenbachFront Royal

Virginia’s auto dealers have always been drivers of progress — keeping customers on the road, creating jobs and powering one of the Commonwealth’s most important economic engines

Virginia’s auto dealers aren’t just selling cars; they’re investing in the Commonwealth.
We’re highlighting the positive impact auto dealers are making in their communities. From charitable giving to community service, these stories showcase how local dealerships go above and beyond to support their teams and neighborhoods.

VADA ‘26 would not have been possible without the incredible support of our sponsors. On behalf of Virginia’s franchised dealer community — thank you.

In this VADA 2026 presentation, The Presidio Group’s Kevin Tynan — a VADA Annual Convention regular and favorite — examines the forces reshaping dealership profitability, from the normalization of new-vehicle margins and inventory levels to changing OEM strategies, vehicle mix, EV economics and the growing importance of fixed operations.

The FTC has made advertising compliance one of its top enforcement priorities, and dealerships can no longer afford to treat it as an afterthought.

If there was a common theme throughout the VADA ‘26 conversation between VADA President and CEO Don Hall, Zeigler Auto Group’s Sam D’Arc, and CBT News co-founder Jim Fitzpatrick, it was this: The automotive industry is changing quickly, and dealers can’t afford to stand still.

Most dealers can tell you exactly what they spent on advertising, floorplan interest or warranty claims. But if you listen to Oakes Auto Group Corporate Finance Director Joe St. John, one of the industry’s largest expenses rarely appears on any report.

Stop waiting for things to go back to the way they were.

If Diana Lee had to boil her message down to a single sentence, it might be this: Your dealership’s future depends on data — and too many dealers are giving it away for free.