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Customer Logins2011 National Association of Minority Auto Dealers conference
The National Association of Minority Dealers, better known as NAMAD, held their 2011 annual conference at the beautiful Mandalay Bay hotel in Las Vegas from July 21-23. NAMAD is committed to increasing opportunities for ethnic minorities in all aspects of the automotive industry. This organization seeks to ensure the presence of a meaningful, representative number of minority entrepreneurs and employees in the retail sales, supplier and service sectors, and the manufacturing ranks.
With ethnic consumers (African American, Asian and Hispanic combined) representing more than 20% of personal new vehicle sales as of May YTD, NAMAD's mission is very much in need. NAMAD's role becomes more important when you consider of the 19,000 U.S. Auto Dealers, only 1,200 or about 5% are owned by ethnic minorities.
This year's conference was well-attended by manufacturers, dealers, suppliers and the automotive industry-focused media that represented varying ethnic, gender and age groups from across the country. One of the key takeaways from the conference was NAMAD President, Damon Lester's recommendation for dealers and attendees "to use data and advanced technology" to gain an advantage and sell more cars. This message was supported by data from Polk and other presenters during the multi-day event.
Pictured from left to right: John Hale III (U.S. Small Business Association,
Damon Lester (President of NAMAD) and Marc Bland (Polk)
I'm glad I work for an organization like Polk that supports NAMAD and is helping others gain a better appreciation for the automotive contributions and business opportunities surrounding the growing ethnic community. With the automotive market turning around and diverse market opportunities on the rise, I expect to hear Damon announce next year, "The minority dealer population has grown and now represents more than 5% of the U.S. dealer population."
This is my blog about the 2011 NAMAD Conference and the state of minority dealers. I welcome your comments, thoughts or suggestions on this topic.
Posted by Marc Bland,Product Strategist & Multicultural Marketing Lead, Polk (08.12.2011)