WIDCON2026 | August 6-7
Last week, Jeff Martin, CEO and Patrick O’Brien, Director of Government Relations & Compliance attended the Washington State Independent Automobile Dealers Association (WSIADA) 2026 Convention.
The event kicked off with a boat tour on Lake Washington Wednesday evening. Jeff joined WSIADA Past President, Badie Darwazeh to take in the sights while Patrick shared a seat with NIADA President, Darla Booher and NIADA Chairman of the Board, Don Griffin.
Dominic Adams of Gene Pankey Motor Company opened the convention as WSIADA’s newly installed president. Adams, alongside JT Curry of Motors Northwest, introduced Jessi Roberts as the association’s new executive director. Roberts addressed attendees with a message centered on unity and growth for the association, followed by a ceremonial ribbon-cutting to mark the transition.
“The room was packed with dealers, legislators, vendors, and industry partners,” Jeff said. “I am seeing so much energy and enthusiasm at our state conventions this year, and Washington was no exception. Jessi and the board just hit it out of the park.”
Patrick moderated a panel discussion, “The Washington Playbook,” where direct regulatory perspectives on compliance, dealership guidelines, and consumer safety trends from state agencies we’re discussed.
CIADA 2026 | August 6-9
While some staffers were on the west coast at WIDCON, John Dismukes, NIADA 20 Group Sales Manager & Moderator held down the east coast and attended the 71st Annual CIADA Convention.
John presented an education session titled, “From Clicks to Keys: Building a Better Used Car Customer Journey.” The session focused on helping independent dealers better understand today’s consumer and create a sales process that delivers a seamless experience from the first online click to the final delivery.
The inaugural “Women in Independent Automotive Leadership Caucus” was held at the event and boasted great participation numbers. NIADA President, Darla Booher, attended the convention and joined the caucus.
Allen White, NIADA 20 Group member and owner of Automax was named the 2026 CIADA Quality Dealer of the year.
