Paul Ritchie, Hagerstown Honda & Kia to head AIADA

Paul Ritchie, Hagerstown Honda & Kia to head AIADA

Paul Ritchie, of Hagerstown Honda and Kia and Altoona Honda in Pennsylvania. was installed as chairman of the American International Automobile Dealers Association (AIADA) during the AIADA Annual Meeting, held in conjunction with the NADA Convention, in New Orleans.

–My job for the next 12 months is to preserve the American dream for dealers and ensure that it is available for future generations who want to take a leap of faith,” said Ritchie during AIADAês meeting. –Right now, that means working with everything we have in Washington, DC to promote dealer interests, protecting global trade and fighting back against the devastating border adjustment tax.”

Paul Ritchie has been involved in the automobile industry since 1976, opening Hagerstown Honda in 1990, Hagerstown Kia in 1997 and Altoona Honda in 2013. He has been chairman of the Maryland Automobile Dealers Association and named for the Time Dealer of the Year Award in 2009. Ritchie also makes time for several community causes, including local educational programs, service organizations and the local Chamber of Commerce.

Serving alongside Ritchie in leadership positions on the AIADA Board of Directors are Greg Kaminsky, Immediate past chairman (El Cajon, CA); Brad Strong, chairman-elect (Salt Lake City): Howard Hakes, vice chairman (City of Industry, CA), and Steve Gates, secretary/treasurer (Richmond, KY).

Also during its Annual Meeting, AIADA presented Greensburg, PA, dealer Jim Smail with the 2017 David F. Mungenast Sr. Lifetime Achievement Award. Smail is the president of the Smail Auto Group, a collection of ten dealerships that has been family owned and operated for more than 75 years.