DEALERS IN THE SPOTLIGHT: WANADA Nominates John Darvish ...

WANADA Bulletin # 40-03

October 6, 2003

DEALERS IN THE SPOTLIGHT:

WANADA Nominates John Darvish for TMQDA

franchises. Darvish and the DARCARS organization are equally well recognized as one of the area's most charitable and civic-minded.

"My most important civic achievement has been an ability to establish a solid foundation in the community whereby our members know

they can always count on me and my organization in times of need," says Darvish. "There are over 30 local charitable and civic organizations that our organization consistently provides with time, talent, and treasure." Darvish has been a strong supporter of the

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John Darvish

For his many accomplishments as a dealer and longtime commitment to his industry and community, John R. Darvish, president and founder of DARCARS Automotive Group, has been nominated by WANADA as the 2004 TIME Magazine Quality Dealer of the Year Award (TMQDA).

Beginning as a used car salesman in 1962, Darvish bought his first dealership, Glenmont Chrysler-Plymouth, in 1977, and has steadily expanded to be one of the largest dealership chains in the Washington area, with 14 dealerships representing 28

Inside...

Courts Close Down Do Not Call List.........

.......p.2 Apple Ford Hosts Drive-to-

Survive Fundraiser for

TECH TRAINING UPDATE:

Ford, WANADA Renew Model Tech Training Program

Pictured at last week's check presentation ceremony at Montgomery College are, from left: Steve DeAngelis, manager of Ford's Global Technical Support Operations; Lee Cork, manager of Ford's Community Service Technical Support Operations; WANADA CEO Gerry Murphy; WANADA Directors Jack Fitzgerald, Dudley Dworken and Richard Snyder; and Frank Ligon, director of Ford's Service Engineering Operations.

With much praise for the effectiveness and success of the Ford-WANADA Apprentice Training Program, Ford Motor Company officers announced last week that they will continue their partnership with WANADA to underwrite the program for the fourth year. The announcement came at a special check

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WANADA Bulletin #40-03

Ford-WANADA Tech Training

Ford's Lee Cork, left, and Richard Snyder with trainees at Montgomery College's training facility.

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presentation ceremony at the Youth and Adult Automotive Training Center (YAATC) at Montgomery College in Rockville, Md., which, together with Marshall Academy in Falls Church, Va., operates the program.

Ford has teamed up with a dozen similar efforts across the country, but Frank Ligon, director of Ford's Service Engineering Operations, noted that the WANADA-Ford program was one of only three to receive corporate financial backing for the upcoming 2004 year.

Ligon joined with Ford executives Steve DeAngelis, manager of Global Technical Support Operations, and Lee Cork, manager of the company's Community Service Technical Support Operations, in giving much of the credit for the success of the program to WANADA's committed Ford product dealer members for their participation in the program.

Also praised was WANADA's support team of Bill Belew, Archie Avedesian and Mike Wilson, who bring to the program lifelong career

expertise in dealer operations, programs for at-risk youth, and technical education.

WANADA Education and Training Chairman, Richard Snyder said that, "The key to our success is a dealer organization and major manufacturer working together. Ford leadership recognized the importance of addressing the critical need for qualified auto technicians, and they have provided the resources and expertise to make this manufacturerspecific training program a resounding success. The dealers provide the insight, commitment and real world of work experience to help build professional, well-paid careers for our trainees, with a special focus on tapping the talent in our minority and immigrant communities."

As announced recently, Snyder also pointed out that, with Ford's approval, WANADA's technician program is planning to expand to additional sites and is now open to dealers of all makes as well as to Ford product dealers. "We hope this will encourage other automakers to follow Ford's lead in

October 6, 2003

participating in a model factorydealer training program." In fact, Ford officials are so enthusiastic about the WANADA-Ford model, they have asked Snyder to come to Ford headquarters in Dearborn, Michigan, to speak to Ford managers and the Ford Dealer Council about initiating similar efforts in other parts of the country.

The WANADA/Ford Apprentice Training Program is now recruiting apprentices from dealer-sponsored, pre-apprentice high school programs in D.C., northern Virginia and suburban Maryland.

REGULATORY UPDATE:

Courts Close Down Do Not Call List

The latest chapter in the convoluted legal saga of the national telemarketers' do-notcall list, which was to have gone into effect October 1, was the issuance of a court order last week that blocked the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) from enforcing the list.

The FCC, which shares authority with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for enforcing the list, had earlier said it would independently enforce the list law since it was not party to earlier court rulings challenging the list on governmental authority and constitutional grounds. But a federal judge has now barred the FTC from turning over the list, which has been shut down in order to comply with the federal court decision.

That forced the FCC to turn

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WANADA Bulletin #40-03

Darvish

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Children's Inn at the National Institute of Health, the Boys & Girls Club, the Cancer Society and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

But he is quick to add, "Community service is not only a priority of mine, but of hundreds of our employees as well." Through dozens of voluntary mini "task forces," DARCARS' employees raise money or provide their personal time and talent. "Together, we have helped raise millions of dollars to support those who really need us in our own backyards," he says.

Dr. Darvish? Ironically, none of this

success might have happened if a friend hadn't encouraged Darvish to join him as a used car salesman at Banning & Sons dealership in Hyattsville, Md., during a school break from the pre-med program at Elon University in North Carolina. "I had never sold anything before, and it sounded like a lot of fun," recalls Darvish. "It turned out to be a truly enjoyable experience, and I really fell in love with the automobile business."

To recount the Darvish acquisitions and expansion over the years is the stuff of books, not newsletter articles. Suffice it to say the organization has grown from a single, small dealership to a huge dealership group. But it is still a family business, with no less than a dozen family members holding

October 6, 2003

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"Community service is not only a priority of mine, but of hundreds of our employees as well."

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top management positions in the organization.

One thing that has not changed at DARCARS is the heavy emphasis on training, staff development, and continuing education. All new hires, including Darvish's own children, are required to participate in a half-day orientation seminar followed by an intense one-week training coarse in all aspects of sales, customer relations and company philosophy at the organization's own training center. In addition, a variety of quarterly in-house training seminars are made available to all sales and fixed operations personnel, which includes advanced training in areas requiring highlevel expertise.

"I strongly believe in continuing education as a catalyst for the continued growth and development of our team members and support them as much as possible in their pursuit of continued success," says Darvish, who pays the cost of all certification and course requirements.

The organization employs several graduates from Northwood University and the NADA Dealer Candidate Academy, and it has sponsored over 40 top managers that have graduated from the University of Toyota, located in Torrance,

California. DARCARS also is "very involved with a serious technician apprentice program in our dealerships as well," he says.

Darvish, who is personally involved in the selection of all managers, proudly points out that over 90% of his management teams earned their positions by working their way up the ranks in DARCARS' dealerships. "What has been most rewarding to me in my career is having hundreds of employees that I have watched come into the organization with little or no skills as young adults and grow to become successful. It is with great pleasure that I can witness the fruits of their labor."

Darvish has received many awards over the years, but he says his most important and most meaningful "was my first paycheck in the automobile business. That check was for $2.94, and I still carry it in my pocket today." He says the humble check is "a constant reminder of where I came from and how important my continued commitment and hard work is to maintain the level of success that we enjoy currently."

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WANADA Bulletin #40-03

October 6, 2003

DEALERS IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Apple Ford Hosts DRIVE TO SURVIVE Fundraiser for Shock Trauma Unit

Apple Ford and Washington Auto Show Chairman George Doetsch (right) hands off a $525, 000 check to John Spearman (left), vice president of the University of Maryland Medical System's R. Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center, after teaming up at the 4th Annual DRIVE TO SURVIVE fundraiser this past weekend. Doetsch is a DRIVE TO SURVIVE board member, and Apple Ford hosted the event, which has raised over $1 million since its inception.

The goal of this year's fundraiser was to assist Shock Trauma, the primary adult resource center (PARC) for Maryland's emergency medical services system, acquire a state-of-the-art, Lodox Imaging Machine capable of performing a comprehensive, full body x-ray in less than 13 seconds! The cost of the machine is $325,000. Thanks to an anonymous donor, the goal was exceeded when the funds were matched to double the total.

The Maryland Medical System's R. Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center will also be one of the beneficiaries of this year's Snow Ball.

Do Not Call List (continued from page 2)

to the Direct Marketing Association (DMA) for assistance, asking any members who had purchased the registry from the FTC (the entire nationwide list costs $7,375) to turn it over to the FCC. In a classic "Catch 22," however, telemarketing companies said they couldn't provide the list to the agency because it would violate a federal court order. The DMA has agreed to provide the FCC with a list of companies that have downloaded the database so that the FCC can respond to complaints.

But in a bewildering legal snarl that has already involved two federal judges, an appeals court, both houses of Congress, the White House, the Supreme Court and two federal agencies, this story is far from over...stay tuned.

In the meantime, NADA advised dealers to monitor and for further developments concerning the national do-not-call rules. Dealers also should ensure they understand the full range of telemarketing restrictions imposed by these agencies.

Nearly 600 dealerships took part in NADA's teleconference on the restrictions. Those who could not listen in, may purchase a tape of the conference. Link to an order form at or call Management Ed at 800/252-6232, ext. 2.

CORRECTION: In last week's article about the ATAE Law Conference, we inadvertently dropped the last two

lines. The final paragraph, "Aboveground Storage Tanks," should read: EPA's new rule designed to prevent oil spills from entering waterways impacts dealerships required to have Spill Prevention, Control and Countermeasures (SPCC) Plans. At NADA's urging, EPA has eliminated the single storage tank trigger, thus reducing the number of dealers categorically required to create and maintain an SPCC plan for tanks of 660 gallons or more or a combined aboveground capacity of greater than 1,320 gallons.

Staying Ahead...

By the time a man realizes that maybe his father was right, he usually has a son who thinks he's wrong.

--Charles Wadsworth

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