Pub. 1 2021 Issue 2

6 MONTANA AUTOMOBILE DEALERS ASSOCIATION EVP’S MESSAGE BRUCE KNUDSEN EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT GOVERNMENT RELATIONS BKNUDSEN@MTADA.COM I 406.461.7680 Bruce Knudsen Executive Vice President M TADA recently sponsored its 107th Annual Convention in Helena, Montana. It’s been a long time since we could do anything this big in person, and maybe that increased my appreciation for getting together. But pandemic or no pandemic, it was a great experience. MTADA dealers are a wonderful group, and the convention was a success. You could feel an enormous amount of positive energy in the room when we were all together. The board and executive board members were able to meet in person, we had two exceptionally good speakers to teach and entertain us, and everyone had many networking opportunities. Our 108th Annual Family Convention will be held June 9-11, 2022, in Billings, MT. We look forward to seeing you and your family there! We’ve worked hard on this issue of our magazine. I want to tell you about some of the articles you will find in this issue of the magazine: • Jim Taylor Sr. won the Eagle Award. We thought you would like to learn more about him and his remarkable career. Jim served as a U.S. Marine, and in addition to being a person of high moral character, he is an astute businessman who has been a vital force for good in his community. Maybe that dedication to making life better for other people comes from his strong spiritual life. He has never stopped learning, even though he has had to deal with some interesting challenges in his life. Also, Jim is a devoted family man and a fine musician. • Wade Rehbein is a new Executive board member. If you don’t know him already, this article introduces you to him. This down-to-earth man comes from the service side of the dealership business. He is committed to running his business well and strengthening the community around him. We know he will do a great job on the board because of the admirable way Wade approaches everything he does and the perspective and skill set he brings to the table. • Governor Gianforte wants to reduce the difficulty of doing business in Montana. He has given the responsibility for that effort to Lt. Governor Juras. We reached out to her office to find out more about the specifics. Like other business owners, dealers have a strong interest in anything that helps them keep their businesses strong so they can continue to do the good work they have always done. This article will help you better understand what is happening on the state level to improve your ability to do business in the great state of Montana. • MTADA leadership wants to help you reduce the cost of health care, and we have organized a new trust to make that happen. You can get to know Jacquelyn Gomes, our new insurance consultant, and find out why we chose her to partner with us. I have had an excellent relationship with her for many years, and we are confident she is the right person to help us give dealership members the best possible insurance choices. • Recreational marijuana is now legal in Montana, but the change in law presents problems for all businesses, including dealerships. This article will tell you what you need to know. Even though marijuana legalization is a new challenge for every business owner, the laws are clear about ground rules to keep the workplace safe. That is tremendously reassuring. That’s just a sampling of some of the articles you will find. Everyone wants the pandemic to be over, but it isn’t clear right now what’s ahead. What I do know, is dealers are flexible, they can handle pretty much every challenge you can imagine. As we come to the end of the summer season and begin looking forward to the coming months, please know that I am dedicated, as always, to helping you and serving the dealer community of Montana. We are stronger together than we are apart, and it is an honor for me to be part of this association. I enjoy working with you, and I hope you will contact me if there is anything I can do to help you better run your business. If we all continue to look out for each other’s best interests, the future could not be brighter. As always, feel free to reach out to me anytime.