Chairman Jay Dooley kicked off the 2024 AADA Convention at the Little Rock Marriott & Convention Center! Jay wanted to bring things back home this year, and the event truly turned out spectacular with incredible speakers and memorable events.
We of course want to thank our sponsors for everything they do for our association, and we encourage every dealer to consider giving them your support — starting with our Premier Priority sponsor, The Versant Group, which is our AADA endorsed F&I provider. The Versant Group is unique in that they were formed by a group of franchised automobile dealers who wanted to offer quality F&I products to their customers. It’s truly dealers working for dealers.
Next, our Platinum sponsors include ComplyAuto, an AADA‑endorsed dealership compliance company; Federated Insurance, an AADA-endorsed P&C insurance provider; and Stephens Inc., a dealership advisory practice based in Arkansas.
Our Gold sponsors include the AADA‑endorsed warranty reimbursement company, Armatus Dealer Uplift, the accounting firm Forvis Mazars and the accounting firm HHM.
Finally, our Silver sponsors include Commerce Bank, Dominion DMS, and Reynolds and Reynolds.
One of the keys for every convention is to combine plenty of fun with speakers who offer insight into the issues Arkansas dealers face every day. This year was no exception with the opening session titled “Service Tech Scramble — Dealership Initiatives to Attract Service Technicians.” David Sample from Gwatney Buick GMC, Richard Greene with Parker Automotive and Mike Dingler with the ASU Beebe Career Center presented programs they have established within their dealerships to attract, train and retain technicians. This presentation was followed by a “Market Update and Trends” panel featuring one of our Platinum sponsors, Stephens Inc. Joe Mowery, Matthew Marks and David Jett did a phenomenal job laying out the state of the automotive industry across the country. After a great lunch, we heard from one of our Gold sponsors, Forvis Mazars, with a presentation on “Just the Tax Ma’am.” Kevin Horn and Jon Gee discussed key tax items that impact dealers. The final presentation was from one of our Platinum sponsors and endorsed partners, ComplyAuto. Nick Moyes with ComplyAuto presented on “Compliance Uncomplicated” and went over the critical compliance issues, such as the FTC Safeguards Rule that all dealers are facing.
Mixed in with these presentations, we held golf and pickleball tournaments that you should not have missed! The final event of the convention was the annual “Chairman’s Banquet — An Evening With the Arts,” where attendees ate an incredible meal and enjoyed the music of Jacob Flores while experiencing the beautifully renovated Arkansas Fine Arts Center.
This was an event you’ll be sad you missed, so mark your calendars for next year’s convention at Big Cedar Lodge in Ridgedale, Missouri, on July 22‑25, 2025!
