CHAIRMAN’S MESSAGE 4 MADA State of the Union By Jeff Smith, Chairman, MADA LEGISLATIVE REPORT 6 Dealers' Watchdog at the Capitol 8 Mississippi Dealer Jonathan Allen Named 2026 TIME Dealer of the Year Nominee NEXTGEN DEALER SPOTLIGHT 10 Getting to Know Tyler Kirk 12 Celebrating 40 Years of Family, Community and Commitment Dwayne Blackmon Chevrolet 14 MADA Self Insurers Fund’s Second Year of $1 Million Dividend and Another Rate Cut 16 NADA Director Michael Joe Cannon Serves as Chairman of the 2026 NADA Show The Show Delivers Education, Energy and Industry Momentum in Las Vegas 18 When Should Auto Dealers Get a Valuation? Expert Insights from DSMA By Kostia Pho, Bilingual Marketing Coordinator & Copywriter, DSMA ALABAMA-MISSISSIPPI-TENNESSEE CAR & TRUCK DEALERS CONVENTION June 21-24, 2026 ©2026 The Mississippi Auto Dealers Association (MADA) | MBR Connect DBA The newsLINK Group LLC All rights reserved. Mississippi Auto Dealer is published four times per year by The newsLINK Group LLC for MADA and is the official publication for this association. The information contained in this publication is intended to provide general information for review, consideration and education. The contents do not constitute legal advice and should not be relied on as such. If you need legal advice or assistance, it is strongly recommended that you contact an attorney as to your circumstances. The statements and opinions expressed in this publication are those of the individual authors and do not necessarily represent the views of MADA, its board of directors or the publisher. Likewise, the appearance of advertisements within this publication does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation of any product or service advertised. Mississippi Auto Dealer is a collective work, and as such, some articles are submitted by authors who are independent of MADA. While a first-print policy is encouraged, in cases where this is not possible, every effort has been made to comply with any known reprint guidelines or restrictions. Content may not be reproduced or reprinted without prior written permission. For further information, please contact the publisher at (855) 747-4003. 4 10 CONTENTS2026 Pub. 4 Issue 1 21 3
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTg3NDExNQ==