Northwood advantages from charity public sale, to honor 5 sellers throughout NADA
Together with highlighting the successes of a traditional automobile public sale that raised cash for the college, Northwood College introduced on Tuesday that it’s going to honor 5 vehicle sellers from throughout the USA with its annual Vendor Training Award on the Nationwide Automotive Sellers Affiliation conference in Dallas later this month.
This yr’s honorees embody:
• Jamar Brinkley, seller principal, Renaissance Automobiles, Roanoke Rapids, N.C.
• Rik Fregia, vp, Courtesy Automotive Group, Danville, Ailing.
• Chris Saraceno, vp and associate, Kelly Automotive Group, Melbourne, Fla.
• Brandon Tomes, proprietor/basic supervisor, Tomes Auto Group, McKinney, Texas
• Kevin Vanatta, proprietor, Newberry Motors, Inc., Newberry, Mich.
Since 1972, Northwood has acknowledged house owners and seller principals within the automotive advertising area who’ve made noteworthy, particular person contributions to public or non-public training inside or outdoors of the trade.
“This marks our 51st yr of recognizing excellent sellers and group leaders who’ve made important contributions to the trade and to efforts to create the subsequent era of automotive leaders,” Northwood president Kent MacDonald mentioned in a information releae. “We’re particularly pleased with this yr’s honorees, and sit up for celebrating them later this month.”
The awards will probably be offered at a particular breakfast on Jan. 28 on the Hyatt Regency in Dallas. Attendees will embody college students, alumni and automotive company of Northwood College.
The college additionally shared extra biographical details about every of the honorees.
Jamar Brinkley
Brinkley is the founder and managing associate of Renaissance Fairness Group and president of The Renaissance Firms. Incorporating all he has discovered over an in depth profession with two main automotive teams, he shaped Renaissance Automobiles in 2016 with a robust want to be substantive within the automotive trade. He started his profession with one of many nation’s main automotive retailers. He excelled early on on account of his management, salesmanship, and give attention to buyer satisfaction.
A mentor helped him acquire expertise and confidence as a basic supervisor, and the dealerships flourished beneath his management. Brinkley believes mentorship is important as a result of a mentor could be a sounding board for sharing concepts and somebody with whom you possibly can talk and search recommendation.
With Brinkley’s success, he was capable of buy his personal dealership after working Renaissance Automobiles for a number of years. Placing his belief in a better energy, Brinkley bought an present retailer and rebranded it as Renaissance Nissan. As a testomony to his skills, he was lately acknowledged as one in every of Automotive Information’ 40 Beneath 40.
Rik Fregia
Fregia is the vp of the Courtesy Automotive Group in Danville, Illinois. Fregia began his automotive profession working for a Ford dealership owned by his father. When Ray Fregia Sr. retired and offered his retailer, Rik Fregia teamed up along with his brother, Ray, who had lately purchased his first dealership.
Supporting native organizations, Fregia has served as a board member for the Crystal Lake Chamber of Commerce and Deer Crossing. He additionally serves as chair of the New Hope Baptist Church Scholarship Committee, which helps seniors from the native highschool pursuing a university diploma.
Fregia’s dedication to his group has earned him recognition with the Satisfaction in Crystal Lake Award, McHenry County Greatest Beneath 40 Businessman Excellent Achiever Award, Automotive Information’ 40 Beneath 40, and the Presidential Award of Excellence.
Chris Saraceno
Saraceno is a enterprise government, actual property investor, speaker and chief. He’s the founding father of the web group DealerElite.com and co-founder of the coaching firm Workforce Builders Inc. He’s a former advisory board member for Autotrader, DealerRater, Rent the Winners, and Cemboo Movie Distribution.
Saraceno started his automotive profession in 1984 and joined The Kelly Automotive Group in 1989. In 2009, he turned a associate with the group.
Saraceno has been a featured speaker at quite a few conventions and has revealed a whole bunch of articles each on-line and in enterprise magazines. One in every of his items is The Idea of 5, created to assist people of all walks of life determine the 5 theories that propel them into happiness and prosperity. The Idea of 5 is predicated on deciding on mentors within the 5 most vital areas of an individual’s life: spirituality, marriage, parenting, enterprise and finance, and well being. So highly effective is that this concept that Elgie Brilliant, chair of Northwood College’s Automotive Advertising and marketing/Administration Program, incorporates it into his educating curriculum.
Brandon Tomes
Tomes is president and director of Brandon Tomes Subaru, and vp of Bob Tomes Ford and Brandon Tomes Volkswagen of McKinney, Texas.
After graduating from Southern Methodist College’s Cox College of Enterprise, he joined his household enterprise full-time in September 2007. However his studying didn’t cease there, as he’s a graduate of NADA’s Vendor Candidate Academy and the NCM Associates’ Normal Administration Government Program.
He has obtained quite a few skilled accolades through the years. Most lately, he was a finalist for Subaru Retailer of the yr in 2020. His group has achieved 10 consecutive “Love Promise Buyer Dedication Awards,” Subaru’s highest retailer award, and so they additionally earned Ford’s highest award, the President’s Award, in 2020.
His household’s philanthropic contributions have been substantial, and he has a confirmed report of being dedicated to giving again to the group by means of the McKinney Rotary Membership’s Tutorial Excellence Program and the Texas Chamber Music Ensemble program. Moreover, many McKinney college students are motivated by the varied incentives that Tomes offers to the native faculties for college kids with glorious marks.
Kevin Vanatta
Vanatta is the proprietor/basic supervisor of Newberry Motors. As one in every of six boys whose father handed away when he was 13 years outdated, Vanatta’s childhood and teenage years have been influenced by his grandfather, who owned and operated an auto service storage and fueling station. Formed by these experiences, Vanatta’s pure inclination was to determine a profession within the automotive retail trade.
In 1992, he had the chance to purchase out his employer, the seller principal of Normal Motors and Daimler Chrysler dealerships in Newberry, Mich. Since then, he has constructed a life there, elevating his household, rising his enterprise, and serving his group.
Vanatta’s dedication to the Newberry group contains serving as president of the Newberry Space Chamber of Commerce, Ambassadors Membership, and Kiwanis Membership. He’s additionally a St. Gregory’s Catholic Church member, serving on the Parish Finance Council. Moreover, he serves as a member of the Tahquamenon Training Basis. This group offers monetary assist for faculty bills to graduating highschool seniors who’ve maintained a grade level common of three.5 or increased all through their highschool careers.
Public sale of traditional vehicles raises $2.37M for Northwood
A traditional vehicle assortment donated by a beneficiant couple to Northwood College fetched greater than $2.3 million throughout an public sale on Friday in Florida.
Michael and Dianne Morey of Mount Nice, Mich., pledged 35 autos from their automotive assortment, and the vehicles have been auctioned off at Mecum Auctions in Kissimmee, Fla. The public sale raised greater than $2,371,000 to assist Northwood College and The Northwood Thought.
“Mike and Dianne’s unbelievable present will probably be without end remembered by Northwood College,” MacDonald mentioned. “We now have retained a 1958 Chevrolet Corvette to show on campus as a reminder of the Morey’s generosity and American innovation.”
In 1983, the Moreys believed they may construct a wooden chipper higher than anybody else. Mike left his job, invested in a small workshop, and with six staff and a small working price range, constructed the Mannequin 100 Brush Bandit, a 12-inch capability disc-style chipper. Based mostly on the success of the Brush Bandit, Bandit Industries was created, and Dianne actively joined the corporate.
Bandit designed and launched the world’s first self-propelled observe entire tree chipper in 1990 and continues to be a pacesetter on this trade phase. Bandit operates a community of greater than 180 seller places worldwide, and it presently has 725 staff.
In 2018, the Moreys offered the corporate to their trusted staff, slightly than accepting two provides to promote from non-public companies.
“The Moreys are stellar examples of how ingenuity, persistence and dedication pave the best way for achievement in a free-market society,” mentioned Justin Marshall, chief growth and engagement officer for Northwood College. “Every automobile the Morey household donated was a part of their household story, and the story now evolves with Northwood College inspiring the desires of younger entrepreneurs from all through the world.”
On the finish of Friday’s public sale, Mecum Auctions introduced that two of the Morey autos have been the highest two automotive gross sales of the day.
The 1967 Shelby GT500 Fastback offered for $330,000, and the 1970 Plymouth Hemi Cuda offered for $275,000. The shock of the day was a 1981 Teledyne Continental Cheetah, promoting for $65,000 (which was effectively past its appraised worth).
Northwood College mentioned it’ll make the most of as much as $1 million of the money proceeds to boost the campus expertise. The remaining proceeds will probably be used to construct the college’s endowment to create new scholarship alternatives for Northwood college students.
The Moreys beforehand famous they’re happy their traditional automobile assortment will assist assist younger women and men who need to work laborious, construct one thing of their very own, and positively affect the communities they name house.
“Northwood College is a particular place, stuffed with great college students, and we’re thrilled to assist their mission,” they unhappy.
Should you’re occupied with supporting the college, go to https://www.northwood.edu/development/give.
