Logan Gastman, 22, is a third-generation leader at Roanoke Motors in Roanoke, Illinois. He recently graduated from the prestigious NADA Academy in Washington, D.C. Proud to be representing Illinois and his Central Illinois dealership, he is a member of Academy class N402, which included 33 students from around the country. “It was a true honor to be able to complete this program and to learn from the Academy teachers who are the best in the auto business,” Gastman explains. Learning the Business Like Gastman, all Academy students are sponsored by a dealership that covers the cost of the course and travel expenses. Students typically include successors like Gastman, but also include staff like General Managers, Service Managers, Office Managers, and other department employee leaders with a drive to commit to the curriculum, course work, and the auto dealership industry. The NADA Academy program is taught over a 10-month period with students traveling to D.C. for approximately four days every six weeks. In between, they return to their home dealership to perform their jobs. The Academy course sections include Financial Management, Parts Management, Service Management, Vehicle Inventory and Marketing Management, Vehicle Sales and Associate Management, and Business Leadership. “As a college accounting major, I enjoyed the finance courses, but I really appreciated being exposed to the fixed operations side, like parts and service, and learned more about how those fit into the overall business,” Gastman says. Bringing Leadership Home (L to R) John Gastman, Matt Gastman, and Logan Gastman. 8 Illinois Automobile Dealer News
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