Rough Riders Son Follows his Father to Lead NADA

Rough Riders Son Follows his Father to Lead NADA

Edward Tonkin, 54, the son of Ron Tonkin, the fiery Oregon dealer who was chairman of the board of the National Automobile Dealers Association in 1989, will become NADA chairman next month at its convention in Orlando, FL.

The elder Tonkin, who frequently battled with the automakers for overdoing fleet subsidies and depriving dealers of rightful profits, formed a group of dealers, known as the Rough Riders to challenge manufacturers on many dealer rights issues.

Ed Tonkin is the co-owner of the 15-store Tonkin Family of Dealerships based in Portland, OR. It was founded by his father as a Chevrolet outlet and added 13 brands over the years: Acura, Audi, Dodge, Ferrari, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Lotus, Maserati, Mazda, Nissan, Scion and Toyota. A new Audi dealership is in the works. The organization sold 7,262 new units in 2008.The group is Oregon”s 17th largest private employer.

Ed, who is a lawyer with an MBA degree, runs the family enterprise with his brother Brad.

Tonkin says there is still a bright future for the auto industry and that he cannot understand why GM and Chrysler cut their dealer network when dealers account for 90% of automaker revenues.

He says he hopes to build a better outreach effort at NADA to ease the friction that the factory termination actions and court rulings brought about this past year.

What the association needs is more open-ended board meetings, plus better relations with the federal government, which now has taken such an active role in helping run two of our largest automakers, he says.

Tonkins children, Adam, 27, and Nancy, 24, both work in the family business.