our customers’ expectations. To be successful, you need to be able to adapt and move forward. Are you involved in any civic or charitable organizations? I am the Treasurer for the Pet Alliance of Greater Orlando, which was formerly the SPCA. They adopt out over 6,000 dogs and cats a year. The Pet Alliance’s focus is rehoming surrendered pets. The biggest reason many pets are surrendered is landlord issues. Pet Alliance has many programs trying to help people keep their pets: from partnering with Meal on Wheels to having pet food delivered to the elderly and hosting low-cost veterinary clinics. Pet Alliance just started on a $14 million campaign to build a new facility. I’m on the Board of Directors for the West Orange Chamber of Commerce and their Executive Committee. The Chamber has over 1100 members, and we work hard to do business with fellow members and support the local business community. I am also Chair-Elect of the Florida Automobile Dealers Association, and I would hope all the members of the CFADA are also members. FADA has taught me so much about the legislative system in Florida, and we work hard to protect the franchise laws in place and try and pass legislation to improve them. We work hard to engage our dealership employees. We’ve hosted the Reed Nissan Adopt-A-Thon for cats and dogs with Pet Alliance for the past seven years. We also support Embrace Families, which works in the local area to mentor, foster and adopt children. We have the Reed Nissan Cars or Kids program, where for the past six years, we have given away two new vehicles per year to foster kids aging out of the system. I really believe that dealerships are more than just a business – we’re part of the community. We work to create awareness with the charities we work with, and we encourage our employees to get involved in our community. Why is it important to be a CFADA member? What makes it beneficial? CFADA gives us a common voice. It’s imperative in an industry that is constantly evolving and changing. We need to have representation locally, statewide and nationally. It’s easy for dealers to be caught up in our own bubble focusing on our day-to-day operations. CFADA is a great resource. For instance, this past year, when the conversation turned to which businesses should stay open or be closed due to the pandemic, our industry was deemed essential in Florida. Fortunately, we never had to shut down, and that came down to having our message heard in Tallahassee and locally. Evelyn Cardenas worked tirelessly for us to keep our dealerships open. Advocacy is so important because our business and the franchise system are being attacked in many ways. Tell us about your family. I have been married to my wife Michelle for 18 years. We have two Golden Retrievers, Milo and Sophie, and a horse named Evita that Michelle show jumps. What is your favorite way to spend your free time? Any unusual hobbies? I enjoy racing my Nissan 350Z and Nissan 240SX with the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA). I have run the New York Marathon six times, the Chicago Marathon once, and the Disney Marathon once (so far!). Michelle runs marathons as well. I’ve also climbed Mount Rainier. And finally, tell us a little bit about Reed Motors Racing? As I mentioned I race with the SCCA. It’s amateur racing, and they have about 60,000 members nationwide. Here in Orlando, we are fortunate to have both Sebring and Daytona so close. I’ve also raced at Homestead, Palm Beach, Roebling Road, VIR, NOLA, and Indianapolis. Later this year, we will be traveling to Indianapolis for the SCCA Runoffs. It’s a fun way to promote the dealerships and get our employees involved. I really believe that dealerships are more than just a business —we’re part of the community. We work to create awareness with the charities we work with, and we encourage our employees to get involved in our community. 26 Pub Yr 2 | Issue 4
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