Message from the Executive Director, Dr. A.V. Fleming – 2nd Quarter 2022
Dear Members and Supporters,
Arthur Robert Ashe was born in Richmond, Virginia. Arthur Ashe is the first African American winner of a major men’s single’s championship. When it comes to organizing or planning, Arthur Ashe said, “Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.”
Over the years we have the fortune of talented members that take on situations that help the greater good of our organization. No matter how small one may think the contribution is, all contributions by members matter.
We are less than 30 days out from our Ford MDA 9th annual membership meeting and conference. We are excited about getting together again to strategize and fellowship on how we can make all our members successful. We appreciate all the dealers that were on the Dealer Council update call. I anticipate the energy displayed on the call will carry over to the town hall meeting in May in Carlsbad, California. The COVID-19 Variant such as Omicron has slowed us down but has not taken away our desire for continuous improvement. There are still best practices we can share to keep all our dealers profitable during these dynamic swings in the economy and we will have them on display at our conference.
The Board is always there serving as an advocate for the members. Even though we had a great membership meeting in Las Vegas last year; I believe that we will have one of the best membership meetings ever this year in Carlsbad, California, May 12th through May 14th. There are times when we had to take a firm stand for our members, when our members had no other recourse.
The Board never wavered on supporting our members and being the voice for minority dealers. We are so grateful to our members that continue to engage with us on minority issues that are relevant to our success and momentum in conducting the mission of our organization.
This year we will have a Ford MDA digital portal that is part of your member benefits. There is no charge to the dealer for the basic package. Mr. Osvaldo Garcia Jr. will be in contact with you for installation of the digital portal. We are putting together a series of webinars for 2022. This is based on our survey results and the feedback we got from members that attended the conference in 2021. Our vendors are supporting us with expert content making the webinars a success. Further, the content of the webinars is useful for your team to use in your stores and take advantage of increasing their knowledge.
In 2022 and beyond, it is our goal to continue improving tools and resources for you to be profitable. Further, we want to continue the momentum we harnessed over the years. We pray that you and your family are staying safe during these challenging times. Also, that your employees, their families, and friends are safe as well.
Best Regards,
Dr. A.V. Fleming
Executive Director
