Pub. 1 Issue 2

VIRGINIA AUTO DEALER www.vada.com 18 F resh off the recent win of HB 2174, a bill which addressed (1) dealer rights upon the discontinuance of a manufacturer and (2) the right of first refusal, Don Hall paused to reflect on the importance of VADA’s dealer body in- volvement in the local political scene. Things done well, and orchestrated with attention to detail, tend to look easy. How- ever, local political agendas are anything but. HB 2174 was opposed, vigorously, by the local manufacturers and their team of lawyers and lobbyists. Behind the scenes, VADA spent a great deal of time on this and the many other legislative victories that VADA has accomplished. • Speak for a moment, if you will, to the importance of the dealers being engaged in the political process and understanding the impact that the government has on their lives. VADA is owned by and benefits the dealers in Virginia. Every piece of legislation that is contemplated and approved for action by VADA is a direct benefit to the dealers and supports the fran- chise business model. I think a lot of our dealers take for granted, if you will, the support they have from VADA. I think to a large extent they are unaware of the fight that a lot of their peers across the nation face legislatively. For instance, a recent bill supporting franchise dealers in California was the result of a long hard fight, only to have their governor not sign it. The franchise business model is under attack. I don’t think you can say it any more plainly that that. I have a car business background, and I served in the military for six years. I’m a Marine, and I tend to look at oppositional forces—like the attack on the franchise business model—as a fight, and fights are won in the preparation. As a result, we prepare meticulously. To a large extent, VADA leads the nation in protecting our dealers. We’re financial- ly in good shape. We have two very good staff lawyers and three firms as outside council. The bills that we support are written correctly and well thought out. As President of VADA, my job is to sell the product, but I can’t do it alone. Our dealers have to be engaged. I can’t tell you how many times I hear comments like “… yeah, we know, it is Virginia.” The protections that our dealers enjoy are very well known outside of Virginia. Don Hall Talks