Dealers Care

The Food Bank of the Rio Grande Valley received an award of $25,000 to help provide essential food assistance in the RGV. The food bank said in a news release it would like to extend its gratitude to all eight Rio Grande Valley Chevy Dealers for the generous donation. The contribution will provide about 125,000 meals to families and individuals across the RGV facing food insecurity amidst the ongoing inflation crisis. 
Source: Valley Central

Street VW of Amarillo, Texas Donates Funds to Local Businesses and Organizations as Part of the Community Driven Promise 2.0
Street VW of Amarillo, Texas used its Co-Op funds from July and August to donate to numerous businesses and organizations in its community as part of VW’s Community Driven Promise 2.0 program. Many other VW dealers across the country also took part in this program. Supporting their local Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Family Support Services, food banks, and other local businesses and community organizations, helped their community in this time of need while also boosting Street VW’s profile in the community. Visit Street VW’s Facebook page for more info on how they are helping their community (here).

NTXAD Members COVID-19 Efforts are Recognized in the following resolution issued by the Dallas County Commissioners Court.



ORDER NO. 2020-0735
DATE: August 4, 2020
STATE OF TEXAS § §
COUNTY OF DALLAS § §

BE IT REMEMBERED, at a regular meeting of Commissioners' Court of Dallas County, Texas held on the 4th day of August , on a motion made by John Wiley Price, Commissioner District No.3, and seconded by Dr. Elba Garcia, Commissioner District No. 4, the following Resolution was adopted:

WHEREAS, Dallas County is located in the U.S. state of Texas, and as of the 2010 census, it had almost 2.5 million people and was named the second most populated population in Texas and the ninth-most populous in the United States.

WHEREAS, nearly one in four workers in the Dallas area are in occupations with a median wage of less than $25,000 annually or at the federal poverty level for a family of four and two-thirds of workers earn less than $50,000, or 200 percent of poverty for a family of four, and

WHEREAS, in 2015, 43 percent of the county's workforce spent more than 30 minutes traveling one way to work, 40 minutes regionally, and therefore, 20 percent of household income is spent on transportation and, lower-income families can face a transportation cost burden of higher than 30 percent, and

WHEREAS, the household food insecurity rate for Texas is 18.4%, significantly higher than the national average; more than 27% of children under 18 in Dallas live in households that have experienced food insecurity in the past year, and Dallas County ranks 5.9 out of 10 on the Food Environment Index (FEI) citing its percentage of the population that is low-income with low access to grocery stores, and reliable food sources, and

WHEREAS, the North Texas Automobile Dealers (NTXAD) list comprised of approximately 200 franchised new car dealers in Collin, Cooke, Dallas, Denton, Ellis, Grayson, Hood, Hunt, Johnson, Kaufman, Navarro, Parker, Rockwall, Tarrant, Van Zandt and Wise counties, dealers stated goal is to become one of the premier automotive trade associations in the country, by offering increased education and training opportunities for dealership personnel, and developing a more active presence in the community, and

WHEREAS, the North Texas Automobile Dealers Association has doubled its efforts during this COVID-19 pandemic and as a response to the social unrest in this nation and has proven as much by generous donations to an under-resourced community food pantry, the awarding of a special needs vehicle for a single mother and many other acts of generosity and largesse

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the County Judge and Commissioners' Court do hereby, and with great pride commend and laud the North Texas Automobile Dealers Association and its members for their outstanding commitment to superior corporate citizenship.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that those members who went above and beyond the NTXAD organizations and pledged additional funds for the purchase and conversion of this much-needed van to be emulated as they lead the Dallas County business community toward a sustained partnership with the consumers in this community.

Clay Jenkins Dr.                                                   Theresa M. Daniel                                    J.J. Koch
County Judge Commissioner,                          District #1 Commissioner,                      District #2

John Wiley Price                                                 Dr. Elba Garcia
Commissioner, District #3                                Commissioner, District #4

McKinney Battle of the Badges Blood Drive at Tomes Auto Group

Carter Blood Care is in the middle of a month long blood shortage here in Texas and across the entire nation. For the 3^rd year in a row Tomes Auto Group hosted McKinney Battle of the Badges in partnership with Carter BloodCare on Saturday, June 6, 2020. McKinney Battle of the Badges is a friendly competition between our local Police and Fire Departments, to see which group has more donors. Both Police and Fire Department come to Tomes Auto Group premises for the event and donors get to select which organization to support at the time of their donation. 

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, Carter BloodCare took extra precautions on their drive to ensure social distancing.  They only allowed 4 donors on their bus each hour to ensure that donors were not in close contact with each other during the entire process.  That also allowed them to do extra cleaning of all surfaces in between each donor.  Their staff and donors wore masks while they interacted with each other. We had 31 donors and collected 28 units of blood, which will directly impact 80 lives.  Tomes Auto Group support in the McKinney Battle of the Badges Blood Drive was crucial in helping to supply blood to local hospitals.

Don Hewlett Chevrolet - Central Texas Field of Honor

At Don Hewlett Chevrolet of Georgetown, honoring veterans and their families is part and parcel of its commitment to community. That’s why Don Hewlett has sponsored the Central Texas Field of Honor – a week-long celebration dedicated to paying tribute to- and enriching the lives of local veterans and first responders.

Founded in 2016 by the Rotary Club of Georgetown, the Field of Honor features over 1500 full-size US flags posted in Georgetown’s San Gabriel Park, as well as a 5K Honor Walk and a Patriot’s Ball, among other events. All proceeds from the flag sales go directly towards organizations that address suicide prevention, PTSD, and support veterans and first responder families.

For Don Hewlett, the celebration is personal.  The Hewlett’s participate in many of the events throughout Veteran’s Day week and they honor both their family members who have served in the United States Military along with every employee that has served by posting a flag in their name. 

Don Hewlett serves as an example of how service-minded auto dealers are strengthening the bonds of community throughout Texas. Like so many of our members, Don Hewlett Chevrolet is making a difference where it counts. We join the Hewlett’s in saying thank you to our nation’s veterans and first responders!


Lost Pines Toyota

TADA members across Texas commit themselves to giving back to their communities in a myriad of ways. For one dealer, this commitment takes the form of an eco-friendly approach to business.

Lost Pines Toyota of Bastrop is set to become the first dealership in Bastrop to go completely solar. On November 5^th, Austin-Based Freedom Solar announced that it has signed a contract with the dealership to install over 700 high-performance SunPower solar panels, which will produce 366,970 kilowatt hours (kWh) of solar power annually – enough to power all Lost Pines’ facilities.

Not only is the switch good for the environment – the solar panels will yield a 60% energy offset that will remove 245.9 tons of carbon dioxide from the air every year – it’s also good for business. Freedom began the installation on November 4, and the project is slated for completion by the end of the year.

“We are proud to be the first dealership in Bastrop to install solar power,” said Carlos Liriano, Lost Pines Toyota owner. “We have made green initiatives a priority, and we recognize the time for solar power has come.”

Lost Pines Toyota has an impressive record of green initiatives. The dealership is a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold-certified business, a designation awarded to companies with high-performance green facilities that are healthy, productive places to work; are less costly to operate and maintain; and have a reduced environmental footprint.

Other green initiatives Lost Pines has undertaken include a water collection cistern that recycles rainwater and air conditioner condensation, helping irrigate the dealership’s native landscaping and cut back on water consumption; reducing noise pollution by eliminating its overhead PA system storewide; handwashing vehicles to reduce water usage; outfitting sales staff in shirts made from recycled materials; wearing unique recycled wood nametags; reusing and recycling printing paper; and implementing the use of iPads throughout the service department, including by technicians, with the goal of going completely paperless.

We are proud of our members for their stewardship to the communities they serve – from green initiatives to scholarships and everything in between, Texas auto dealers are making our state and our world a better place.

Car Dealer, Family Man and Community Leader

Third generation Texas car dealer, Ray Huffines has continued the legacy of one of our state’s most respected franchised dealer families.

The Huffines Dealer Group started in Denton in 1924. Ray Huffines’ grandfather, J.L. Huffines, Sr., was first a Willys-Overland dealer, adding Chevrolet a few miles down the road in 1927 in Lewisville. Ray’s father, J.L. Huffines, Jr. opened a second Chevrolet Point in Commerce, Texas in the 1950’s.

From that modest beginning in Denton County, the Huffines organization under the leadership of Ray Huffines has grown to nine dealerships in three north Texas counties, selling 15,000 new and used vehicles per year.
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Tom and Susan Durant and The Classic Chevrolet Family Still Number One

Tom Durant’s Classic Chevrolet in Grapevine swept the Chevrolet National Sales crown for an unprecedented eighth consecutive year.

What made this accomplishment even more remarkable was the fact that major highway construction surrounding the dealership for all of 2013 had made it almost impossible to reach the dealership.

The incredible staff at Classic Chevrolet never took their eye off of the national leadership goal in spite of blocked road exits, ever changing detours and shutdowns of the main roadways on key sales weekends. It took a sprint in the homestretch, but there are now eight national championship trophies displayed in the showroom at Classic Chevrolet in Grapevine, Texas.

Tom and Susan Durant, the owners of Classic Chevrolet, are as well known for their community service as for their sales leadership.  
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Jerry and Vickie Durant

Jerry Durant and his wife, Vickie are the role models for leadership and community service in the cities and towns touched by the Durant family of dealerships. True Texans, they combine their love for horses and their love of people, particularly children, in their charitable and educational outreach.

They are honorary chairs of the Careity Celebrity Cutting Horse Competition supporting cancer patients and children suffering debilitating diseases.  The Don Allen Health Science Building at Weatherford College is also named for Jerry Durant’s partner, Don Allen.
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Community Heroes
Sykora Family Ford and Greg May Chevrolet

On April 17, 2013 a disastrous explosion occurred at a fertilizer plant in the town of West, Texas, which left the town in a state of shock. Nearly every citizen of the town of 2,800 was affected in some way by the tragedy. Today the community is still recovering, but has Sykora Family Ford and Greg May Chevrolet to thank for their immediate and ongoing support in the healing process.

When the magnitude of the explosion became apparent to the community, the response from West’s two franchised new car dealers was immediate. Sykora Family Ford went on social media the night of the tragedy to notify residents that the dealership was available as a meeting place. The following day, the Sykora dealership was established as a collection point for goods to distribute to families who had suffered a loss.

Greg May Chevrolet was equally involved in the community outreach to those in West and surrounding areas, in spite of suffering significant physical damage to their own dealership. With the dealership closer to the blast area, the Greg May Chevrolet staff, led by General Manager Gary Rodenbaugh, protected their customers immediately following the explosion by securing them in a cement block building in the back of the dealership until it was safe for them to travel home to assess the damage to their own property.
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Sykora Family Ford and Greg May Chevrolet

In recent years Denton, Texas was desperately in need of a new facility for animal rescue and adoption, but without sufficient city funding they needed someone from the community to step forward and make the initial commitment to launch the project.

As is the case in so many Texas communities, that commitment came from a car dealer family, the McNatts – Jim and Linda. Here is the story of how one dealer family came through for their hometown in a very important way.

Jim decided to honor Linda for her dedication to animal rescue, especially cats. The opportunity arose when he was approached by Denton Animal Shelter Foundation, Inc. (DASF) Chairwoman Bette Sherman concerning the need for a new municipal animal shelter.
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Dealer Associations Support Don A. Buckalew Elementary School

Former TADA Chairman Don A Buckalew recently presented contributions from the NADA Charitable Trust, the TADA Foundation and the HADA Foundation to his namesake school in The Woodlands.

Dedicated in 1998, Don A. Buckalew Elementary School is an award winning institution whose vision statement, “A Learner-Centered School and a caring community preparing students to be successful in life” reflects the principles and values of Conroe Chevrolet dealer Don Buckalew.
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