The evening of November 7 was one of the most memorable in a long time, as the extended WANADA membership gathered at Columbia Country Club in Chevy Chase, MD for the 2023 WANADA Annual Meeting & Dinner. Following on the heels of last year’s successful event, which saw the association’s traditional lunch in Tysons Corner transform into an unforgettable evening of dinner, drinks and entertainment, the 2023 iteration was even better.
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After the attendees socialized over cocktails in Columbia’s cozy confines, the program began in earnest as dinner was served. Following some brief welcome remarks from WANADA President & CEO John O’Donnell, Chairman Chip Doetsch of Apple Ford provided an informative address on the state of the auto industry in the DC region. Noting the area’s robust economy and educational attainment, Chairman Doetsch unequivocally stated that being a dealer here is preferable to nearly anywhere in the country. Even so, Chairman Doetsch outlined a string of challenges emanating from certain federal regulatory agendas, continued attempts to undermine the franchise system, and unpredictable market dynamics that make trade associations like WANADA more critical than ever before. He particularly highlighted the ongoing health of The Washington, DC Auto show as being of singular importance to the vitality of the organization.
Following Chairman Doetsch’s address, Past Chairman John Bowis of Chevy Chase Cars presented the slate of changes to the Board of Directors to the gathered members. He reported that the Nominating Committee had selected Alex Perdikis of Koons of Silver Spring to renew his three year term, Bob Hager of Ourisman Automotive of Virginia to come into the executive chairs, and Conrad Aschenbach of the Aschenbach Automotive Group to fill the empty Board seat. With a vote of acclamation, the WANADA members ratified these nominations unanimously.
Finally, it was time for Chairman Chip Doetsch to pass the gavel to WANADA’s new Chairman Jamie Darvish of DARCARS. Mr. Darvish thanked Mr. Doetsch for his many years of exemplary service, noting that Doetsch’s guidance through the pandemic and subsequent years made an indelible impression on his perception of association leadership. Chairman Darvish continued that the next few years would be equally as crucial to the health of the industry and called upon all of the members to support WANADA’s employee benefits program, The Washington, DC Auto Show, and the ADEI Technician Training Program.
Once the business portion of the evening was completed, the entertainment commenced. The attendees were treated to an hour of stupefying illusions from mentalist Jason Suran. His tricks included a plethora of mind reading, audience influencing and memorization that left the crowd both mesmerized and stunned.
WANADA would like to extend a special thanks to all of the sponsors who made such a wonderful evening possible: BG Crovato Products & Services, Capital Automotive Real Estate Services, Chesapeake Contracting Group, Councilor, Buchanan & Mitchell, Penney Design Group, and The Keats Group at RBC Wealth Management.
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