New education added for the largest event in used vehicle industry
Wrapping up a successful first year in operation, Bennie Leggett is eager to attend his first NIADA Convention and Expo in Denver, Colorado.
Leggett will start his trip to the largest event in the used car industry with a memorable excursion through the Rockies. He was one of 20 dealers who registered early for the 2026 NIADA Convention and Expo to win the ATV Adventure sponsored by AutoZone and ALLDATA to start the week. The NIADA Convention and Expo is June 21-24 at the Gaylord Rockies.
Early-bird registration continues through May 20 at niada.com/convention, with dealers being able to save $200. The special hotel rate of $249 per night plus the resort fee and taxes runs through May 20 or until rooms sell out.
Leggett will celebrate his one-year anniversary operating Bennie Boys Auto Sales in Los Angeles, California, in April. Through his first year, the dealership has sold 125 vehicles and built a solid reputation in the South Central Los Angeles area of Florence.
“It’s been a good year. We were named the Best of Florence by Business Rate for our top Google ratings,” Leggett said.
With the solid start in the industry after five years of owning a towing company, Leggett is looking forward to meeting other successful dealers at the Gaylord Rockies during the Convention.
“I want to learn whatever I don’t know and better ways to do things and better software to make things easier,” Leggett said. “I’m looking forward to meeting people in the industry who have been doing this for a long time.”
One of the veteran dealers who will be joining Leggett at the Convention and during the ATV Adventure is Guy Thorpe of Thorpe Automotive in Knoxville, Tennessee. It is the second year for Thorpe to win the excursion to start the convention. He joined fellow dealers last year at SpeedVegas to turn laps around the track in exotic sports cars.
“Last year was a blast. We had a really fun day at the track,” Thorpe said. “Starting with an ATV ride sounds awesome for getting people energized.”
Thorpe has attended multiple NIADA Conventions, including last year when he was the Tennessee Quality Dealer of the Year and a finalist for the national honor.
“I keep coming back because the networking is top-notch, and I always learn something new,” Thorpe said. “Other dealers should come for the connections and the quality of the content. NIADA supports our dealers 100 percent.”
This year at the NIADA Convention and Expo, more than 50 hours of education await dealers, including sessions on marketing, sales, collections, inventory management, AI and more. See the ever-growing education offerings at niada.com/convention/education.
The next drawing for the NIADA ATV Adventure is April 3. To be eligible for the drawing, register by April 2. Two additional drawings will be held before the end of early-bird registration.
The winners of the first drawing were:
Becky Bazemore, D&S Auto Brokers, LLC
Tanner Day, TRD Motors, LLC
Elvira Stepanov, Dapper Car Sales
Avery Hughes, Rydes for Everybody, LLC
Ben Kittrell, Kittrell Kars
Bennie Leggett, Bennie Boys Auto Sales
Daniel Persinger, Persinger Automotive
Eric Nelson, Nelson Automotive
Guy Thorpe, Thorpe Automotive
J. Blair Witter, Acme Wholesale, Inc.
Jeff Baker, Car City – Grand Rapids
Joeanthony Ramon, Virginia Auto & Truck
Josh Letsis, Always Auto
Kevin Pendergrass, Carolina Auto Sales of Myrtle Beach, Inc.
Michael Yarborough, Car Check Auto Sales, LLC
Miguel Mercado, Mercado Motors
Mike Stevenson, Evoke Autos
Shawn Marks, Crown leasing / wholesale Remarketing
Shea Phillips, Number One Auto Sales
Mark Fuerbacher, Universal Imports of Rochester
