January 27, 2023 at 05:00 pm
1321 Commerce St., Dallas, Texas, United States
On the evening of January 27, during the NADA convention in Dallas, Texas, AIADA held a first-of-its-kind Chairman’s Reception to honor its incoming 2023 Chairman, New Jersey dealer Mike DeSilva.
DeSilva, who is the co-owner of Liberty Auto Group in northern New Jersey, was joined at the event by family, friends, fellow dealers, and industry representatives. The reception, held at the Adolphus Hotel in downtown Dallas, was an opportunity for AIADA members and affiliated groups to get to know one another better as they unite behind the shared purpose of protecting the interests of international nameplate dealers in Washington, D.C., and beyond.
“As a second-generation international nameplate dealer, I’ve seen personally how important it is to work with AIADA to protect my stores, employees, and customers,” said DeSilva, whose father Rick DeSilva served as AIADA’s chairman in 2010. “Advocating in D.C. to preserve global trade and maintain a level playing field on which all dealers can compete is vital to our future, and a mission worth fighting for.”
The family-owned Liberty Auto Group is comprised of Liberty Subaru in Emerson, N.J.; Liberty Kia in Ramsey, N.J.; Liberty Hyundai in Mahwah, N.J.; and Genesis of Mahwah. Mike grew up working in his family's Subaru dealership and has said that as AIADA Chairman he wants to focus on building and maintaining dealer-lawmaker relationships on Capitol Hill.
“Our legislators need to acknowledge and celebrate the investment the international nameplate auto industry has made in America,” he told AIADA members. “We’ve been here for multiple generations, creating jobs, paying taxes, and building and selling the vehicles Americans want to drive. We’re not going anywhere.”
DeSilva is joined as on officer on the AIADA board of directors by John Connelly, Immediate Past Chairman (Dublin, Ohio); Anthony Brownlee, Chairman-Elect (Denver, Colorado); Valerie Romero, Secretary/Treasurer (Ontario, California); and Cody Lusk, AIADA President & CEO (Arlington, Virginia).
