MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — The National Association of Minority Automobile Dealers is conducting its own survey of member attitudes to provide a more focused view of the group’s needs and how they may differ from other U.S. auto retailers.
Damon Lester, NAMAD’s new president, launched the survey as a complement to the group’s biannual surveys, which he called a “great tool” for evaluating manufacturers and their brands.
Minority auto dealers — many of which are capital constrained — sometimes have different needs and priorities, Lester said.
“Out of 19,000 dealerships — and there are only 1,400 of us — we can get lost in this mix of data,” he said in an interview with the Daily Drive podcast.
Lester said his focus for the next two years will be to increase the number of minority dealers, dealer profitability and highlight the unique needs of Black, Hispanic and Asian auto retailers in the U.S.
Lester, a former NAMAD president, succeeded Damian Mills as president. Other new roles include Vice President Ray Fregia Jr., Treasurer Robert Valdes and Secretary James “Jay” Rivchin.
Fregia is a Chicago-based Stellantis dealership; Valdes is a Ford dealership in El Centro, California; and Rivchin is a Miami-area Stellantis and Hyundai dealership.
Lester is the owner of Nissan of Bowie, Maryland.