Auto Dealers Honored by New York Mayor

After a terrible year for most US car dealers, better days are coming as sales have increased throughout America. Good news doesn’t stop here: at a special ceremony exactly one hundred years after the founding of the Greater New York Automobile Dealers Association, New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg presented the Association's Board of Directors with a proclamation announcing February 24, 2010 as 'Greater New York Automobile Dealers Association Day'.

The presentation took place in the Blue Room at City Hall. GNYADA has been praised by Mayor Bloomberg for its commitment to improving the auto industry and the community, as well as its dedication to education and training to ensure a highly-skilled workforce throughout the last century.

"On February 24, 1910, a group of New York automobile retailers realized that in order to shape and steer the retail industry it was necessary to work together. William Kouwenhoven, Burt Phillips, Joseph Rourk, Clifford Bishop, and I. Cleveland Kirkham presided over the first meeting of the Brooklyn Motor Vehicle Dealers Association at 1384 Bedford Avenue in Brooklyn, which began a 100-year journey of support and advocacy for the retail auto industry in greater New York. This newly formed Association subsequently became the Greater New York Automobile Dealers Association," said Brian Miller, GNYADA chairman.

"Today, as GNYADA celebrates its 100th birthday, it stands as one of the leading organizations of its kind. We survived the Great Depression, two World Wars, as well as the oil crisis of the 70s, and we will continue to persevere through the current economic crises. The retail dealers that make up this Association are the entrepreneurs who epitomize the American Dream, and have helped transform the way New Yorkers live, work and play," continued Miller.