November 2024 Driveline Newsletter

NOVEMBER 2024

MONTHLY NEWSLETTER OF THE MOTOR DEALERS' ASSOCIATION OF ALBERTA

Western Canadian Dealer Summit 

Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel

November 14-17, 2024

Chair Greg Stahl is pleased to announce the Motor Dealers Association of Alberta (MDA) recipients of the 2024 Dealer of Excellence awards: Tim Beach (Charlesglen Toyota - Calgary) and Pat Quinlan (Sun City Ford – Medicine Hat).

“Both Tim and Pat bring a positive attitude into work every day,” said Stahl. “Making the environment a place people want to come into work but also a place people want to shop is extremely important.”

Grit, hard work, and keeping things fun are common denominators for Tim and Pat. Each has been instrumental in their dealerships’ growth and innovation. Both award winners credit the incredible support they have received from mentors, colleagues, and family over the years.

We are delighted to share that Andrea Backman, Niel Hiscox, and Harvey will be joining the Western Canadian Dealer Summit (WCDS) as speakers.

Andrea Backman, B.Comm, Accounting, UBC 1996, is an automobile dealer, investor and entrepreneur based in Vancouver, British Columbia.  She is currently involved, along with her business partners, in Kia and Ford dealerships throughout the Lower Mainland.  Outside of the dealerships she is a Past Chairperson of the Ford Dealer Advertising Association of British Columbia.  Previously she was a board member of the National Ford Dealers Advertising Association for Canada.  Other engagements include consulting and advising businesses in related industries with an emphasis on future planning and financial organization.

Across industries and individual businesses Andrea focuses on a collaborative approach to building financially stable and sustainable growth paths.  Her general professional philosophy is that the more voices that are heard, the more robust results are achieved.

Niel Hiscox is Co-Founder and CEO of Clarify Group Inc., an automotive market research and advisory firm headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Niel leads the overall direction for Clarify Group, and is spearheading the launch of Clarify Group America LLC to fully support the company’s growth into the United States.

Prior to the launch of Clarify, Niel launched and continues to lead Universus Media Group Inc., an automotive marketing communications firm serving leading OEMs, industry associations and automotive industry suppliers. Alongside its agency activities, Universus is the publisher of Canadian auto dealer magazine and Affaires automobiles magazine, Canada’s leading print and digital media channels for new car dealers.

Harvey is the Chief Alliances Officer at Keyloop and is responsible for the Partner, OEM, and Financier ecosystems as well as managing our Fleet management solutions. Her focus is to create true partnerships with OEMs and Financiers as they go through intense transformations, whilst continuing to elevate our brand and marketing presence globally. 

In her previous role at Google, Harvey served as Vice President of Alliances in EMEA within GCP. She joined Google via the acquisition of Looker, a data analytics platform, where she lead the technology and consulting partner ecosystem, partnering closely with Google, and setting the company up well for the exit.

Before joining Looker, Harvey worked at Salesforce.com, building the ISV Partner Ecosystem across EMEA + APAC. She was part of the founding team to revolutionise and monetise the AppExchange and created partnerships with many companies built on the Force.com platform who have since had successful IPOs.

Gear Up for the Western Canadian Dealer Summit!

Dealer Principals and General Managers, please join us in beautiful Banff, Alberta, for engaging speakers, plentiful networking opportunities, and invaluable learning experiences. Best of all, stay current with the latest best practices for your dealership. Register today for this year’s Western Canadian Dealer Summit.

Western Canadian Dealer Summit Schedule!

Bill of Sale – Government-Issued ID

The Automotive Business Regulation, Part 2.1 (Automotive Sales and Repairs); Section 31.2 (Bill of Sale); Subsection 1(b) requires that any AMVIC registered business engaged in vehicle sales, document the number of the government-issued identification that the business operator used to confirm the identity of the consumer.

There continue to be inspections where a high incidence of these numbers failing to be recorded has occurred.  Further investigation has found that it is not uncommon for the DSP system to miss populating this space on the Alberta Bill of Sale.  Please check with your provider to ensure this information is captured and included on the Bill of Sale document.

Obviously, in today’s environment of identity theft, it is good practice to check a driver’s license or similar document to ensure your documentation is accurate.

An update on provincial sales around Canada.

As the cooler weather approaches, it’s essential to perform a property maintenance check to ensure your business is prepared for the fall and winter seasons. With proper inspection, you can address minor issues before they become major problems, potentially saving you thousands of dollars in the long run.

When temperatures drop, rodents naturally look for warm and cozy locations to construct nests. These unwelcome guests can destroy walls and furnishings, and even spark fires by chewing through the wiring of vehicles stored inside or near buildings.

That’s why we’ve developed risk management resources on how to help you prevent property damage and business interruptions:

Fall property maintenance: Roof inspection time!

Key tips to help protect your business against rodents

To learn more about Federated, visit www.federated.ca or if you’re a Federated customer, you can contact your Commercial Insurance Specialist with any questions.

Work phone: +1 647-553-1237

3198 Orlando Drive, Mississauga, ON. L4V 1R5 Canada

As winter weather settles in, dealerships and fleet companies face new challenges, not only in operations but also in maintaining security. Snowstorms, icy winds, and extreme cold can lead to a surge in false alarms, especially if your current security system relies solely on motion detection. These false alarms can be disruptive, expensive, and a drain on local police resources. However, with the right approach, you can significantly reduce these incidents.

Many Canadian auto dealerships have found themselves plagued with the same problem: high employee turnover.

According to the Canadian Automobile Dealers Association’s 2024 National Workforce Study, the current employee turnover rate is about 31 percent, higher than the average Canadian voluntary turnover rate of 11.9 percent (as per imercer).

This 31 percent represents a four-point drop since 2021. And with this many people leaving their roles, Canadian dealerships face serious challenges in keeping their team engaged and satisfied.

It begs the question: how can you tackle this turnover issue and create an environment where employees want to stay?

Let’s explore why your employees are leaving and examine some practical strategies you can use to improve your recruitment and retention, particularly for Gen Z workers.

Dealers looking to modernize their approach to managing all their HR‑related operations should consider migrating to the newly‑launched CADA 360 DRIVE HR platform, formerly CADA 360 HR Automation. CADA 360 partnered with technology leader DealerPILOT to provide a software solution to address a wide range of compliance and HR functions. Recently, DealerPILOT launched a new software called DriveHRIS. “DealerPILOT continues to improve their software in response to our dealers’ needs and requirements and DriveHRIS brings dealers to the next level,” said Michael Psotka, CADA’s CFO and Director of Member Services in a recent interview published in Canadian auto dealer. “CADA, is encouraging all of their members to migrate to the new software to take advantage of its improved user interface and functionality.”

We hope you enjoyed this edition of the MDA’s Monthly E-Newsletter.

We appreciate your comments, concerns or feedback.

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(780) 465-8854

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