Saint James, NY - Dealer Robert Certilman, President of Smithtown Acura in Saint James, New York, hosted U.S. Representative Tim Bishop (D-1st) for an AIADA Dealer Visit. After the Congressman turned in his Acura – one of two he has purchased at Smithtown – to the service department for a routine check-up, Certilman led Rep. Bishop on a detailed tour of the dealership, introducing him to sales, service, parts, and accounting employees. Bishop met nearly all 47 employees at the facility, asking each where they resided to see if they lived in his district, and it turned out most of the employees were constituents.

Wichita Falls, TX - General Manager Mo Issa hosted Congressman Mac Thornberry (R-13th) at Patterson Honda/Hyundai/BMW dealership. The visit included of a tour of the facility, discussion of issues AIADA represents, and a chance for Rep. Thornberry to interact with Issa and his constituent colleagues. Issa, who also is president of the Wichita Falls New Car Dealers Association, noted, “We appreciate the opportunity to meet with Rep. Thornberry and discuss issues important to our market, our industry, and Texoma car and truck buyers.” U.S. Representative Mac Thornberry is shown at Patterson Downtown Auto Center with a portion of the Patterson Group management including Danny Burns, Lamont Myles, Mo Issa, and James Warnock.

Scottsdale, AZ - Jack Guthrie, General Manager of BMW/Mini of North Scottsdale, invited Representative Harry Mitchell (D-Az.) to visit and tour his dealership. A member of the Legislative Action Network (L.A.N.), Guthrie took the initiative to send a letter of request to Rep. Mitchell in order to build a relationship between constituent and federal elected official and to show him the inner workings of managing a successful dealership. The Dealer Visit also served as a forum for regional Penske Automotive executives to talk with the Congressman. George Raysik, Chief Financial Officer; Jon Wiggins, Area Vice President; Scott Moss, Senior Vice President of Human Resources were all in attendance.

Pasadena, CA - Victoria Rusnak Pearson, Chief Operating Officer and General Councel of Rusnak Group, hosted a major event, gathering 740 Rusnak employees under one roof to witness the rolling-out of their new Rusnak Standard. Pearson has worked hard to prepare to take over for her father Paul, the founder and roots of Rusnak. As an active L.A.N. member, she invited AIADA to be a part of this monumental event. Surprise guest speakers included Derek Fisher of the Los Angeles Lakers and U.S. Congressman David Dreier (R-26th). The Rusnak Group has been in business for more than 40 years.

Montclair, CA - California Congressman David Dreier (26th District) paid a visit to Great Metro Honda in Montclair, CA. In the picture, Congressman Dreier is speaking to owner and AIADA Chairman, John Hawkins, and his brother, Harold Hawkins. Congressman Dreier was first elected to Congress in 1980. He has earned consistent 100 percent approval ratings from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Manufacturers. In 2003 and 2004, Dreier was honored with the Hero of the Taxpayer Award by the Americans for Tax Reform and the Small Business Advocate Award by the Small Business Survival Committee.

Hickory, NC - AIADA member Benny Yount, President and CEO of Paramount Automotive Group, recently held a grand opening reception in honor of his new KIA building in Hickory, NC. About 100 members of the community, including Mayor Rudy Wright and Congressman Patrick McHenry (NC-10) attended the event. The star of the evening certainly was Mr. BongGou (B.G.) Lee who serves as the President and CEO of KIA Motors America. He traveled from California to participate in the ribbon-cutting ceremony alongside Mr. Yount and Mayor Wright.

Riverdale, GA - Congressman David Scott (D-GA-13) visited Harold Philipson’s SouthTowne Motors. Philipson sells Hyundai, Isuzu, and Suzuki brands at his Atlanta-area dealerships. Currently serving his third term, Congressman Scott is a member of the influential Financial Services Committee, the Capital Markets and Financial Institutions Subcommittees, the Foreign Affairs Committee, the Middle East and South Asia Subcommittee, and the Agriculture Committee. A key issue for Rep. Scott is health care reform.

Des Moines, IA - Six-term Congressman, Leonard Boswell (D-IA-3), paid a visit to Holmes Automotive in Des Moines, Iowa. Dealer principal, Max Holmes, is a second-generation auto dealer who sells both Honda and Hyundai nameplates at his family-run dealerships. After WWII, Max’s father, Max, and his uncle John joined up with Dale Gambs and operated a Kaiser-Frasier new car dealership downtown Des Moines. Rep. Boswell sits on the Agriculture, Transportation and Infrastructure, and Select Intelligence Committees.

Lawrence, KS - Rep. Dennis Moore (D-KS-3) visited Crown Automotive in Lawrence, Kansas. Rep. Moore is a member of the House Budget and Financial Services Committees. Crown Automotive dealer prinicipal, Miles Schnaer, sells and services Toyota and Scion models at his dealership. Schnaer is a two-time AIADA Dealer of the Year nominee. In his community, Schnaer is well known for establishing the Crown Casting Club, which provides its 200 plus members (children and their families) the opportunity to participate in weekend fishing competitions, club meetings, seminars and other outdoor activities from March through October.

Nacogdoches, TX - Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX-1), former Chief Justice of Texas’ 12th Court of Appeals, visited Mike Perry Mitsubishi in Nacogdoches, Texas. Mike Perry Motor Company is a family owned and operated dealership that has been serving the East Texas area for over 40 years. What began as a used car lot on Main Street in Nacogdoches, Texas, has developed into one of the most recognized businesses in the area. Now in his second term in the House of Representatives, Louie is assigned to three key House committees: Judiciary, Resources and Small Business.

Urbana, IL - Congressman Tim Johnson (R-IL-15) visited one of Joe O’Brien’s Mitsubishi dealerships in Central Illinois. Currently, the O'Brien Automotive Team employs over 750 people between all its locations in Illinois, Florida, Georgia and California. O'Brien Field, a $25,000,000 state-of-the-art, 7,500-seat, multi-purpose facility located in downtown Peoria, is named in honor of the dealer group. It opened May 24, 2002, and is home to the Peoria Chiefs, the Class A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. Rep. Johnson is a fourth term Republican, who sits on the Agriculture, and Transportation and Infrastructure Committees.

Houma, LA - Rep. Charlie Melancon (D-LA-3), a second-term Democrat on the Energy and Commerce, and Science and Technology Committees, visited Houma Toyota. In June of this year, Houma Toyota became a member of the Greg and Geri LeBlanc family of dealerships and was renamed Greg LeBlanc Toyota. In addition to Toyota, LeBlanc sells and services Nissan and Hyundai vehicles. Rep. Melancon’s district covers much of South Louisiana, stretching from St. Bernard Parish in the east, going through the river parishes and along the coast, and extending all the way to Iberia and St. Martin parishes in the west. He is very active in helping South Louisiana recover from the devastation caused by Hurricanes Rita and Katrina.

Las Vegas, NV - Rep. John Porter (R-NV-3), a member of the House Budget Committee and the influential Ways and Means Committee, visited one of AutoNation, Inc.’s Desert dealerships in Las Vegas, NV. Headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, AutoNation is the nation’s largest publicly-held dealer group, employing approximately 26,000 people. From 2001-2005, and again, in 2007, AutoNation was named one of Fortune magazine’s “America’s Most Admired Companies.” Rep. Porter’s role on the House Ways and Means Committee allows him to continue to advocate for low taxes, access to affordable healthcare and trade issues that will have a direct impact on Nevadan families.

Sheboygan, WI - Fifteen-term Congressman, Tom Petri (R-WI-6), visited Dave Heather’s Lakeland Automotive on the coast of Lake Michigan. Heather sells and services Toyota, Honda, Subaru, and Mazda brand autos. Congressman Petri is the Ranking Republican on the Aviation Subcommittee of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. He served for 12 years as Chairman of that committee's Highways, Transit and Pipelines Subcommittee and of an earlier subcommittee with similar responsibilities. He is a former Vice Chairman of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, now named the Committee on Education and Labor.

Ashland, KY - Rep. Geoff Davis (R-KY-4), a member of the House Armed Services and Financial Services Committees, visited Sim Fryson Motor Company in Ashland, Kentucky. Dealer principal, Sim Fryson, sells and services Nissan, Honda, Mercedes-Benz, and Mazda brands. Fryson, 58, a Vietnam veteran who served with the U.S. Air Force, was named the 2002 NAACP man of the year in Kentucky. He says he’s only the second black American to own a Mercedes-Benz dealership and the only one to own a Mercedes, Honda, Nissan and Mazda dealership. He’s been in the automobile dealership business for three decades, including the past 10 as owner of Sym Fryson Motor Co. in Ashland.