The NJ CAR NextGen Committee was formed in 2015 with a handful of young dealers and the goal to provide a new perspective to the wide variety of issues facing the New Jersey auto retailing industry. Through networking events and political outreach, this group was able to provide fresh insight on the auto industry and the changes it has continued to endure.
Many of the original Committee members ultimately served on the NJ CAR Board of Trustees and Executive Committee, with several serving in all of the Officer positions. This was one of the primary objectives in the formation of the NextGen Committee. NJ CAR sought to engage younger dealers who were growing up in the business and could take on a larger role as the existing slate of officers and trustees began to retire and/or sell their franchises.
From 2018–2022, the NextGen Committee had a lull in its participation. NJ CAR felt it was imperative to recommit ourselves to building a strong NextGen Committee. With the help of NJ CAR Dealer Liaison Anne Smith, and lots of outreach, we were able to grow the active NextGen Committee back to more than 10 members. A chairperson was elected to help guide the initiatives of the group and act as a liaison between the Executive and NextGen committees.
The Committee members attend the NextGen retreat each January as well as quarterly board meetings, the NJ CAR Annual Meeting, the NADA Washington Conference and other business and social events. This past year, the Committee hosted Steve Greenfield, author of The Future of Automotive Retail and CEO of Automotive Ventures. Steve shared some thoughts on what to expect over the next two to five years in the auto retail space and how to confront these anticipated challenges head-on.
The current NextGen lineup includes Chairman Thomas DeFelice, III of Circle BMW; Doug Burke of Burke Motors; Jason, Adam, and Josh Elkins of Elkins Chevrolet; John Johnson, III of Johnson Auto Group; David Kull of Burns Kull Automotive; Chris Preziosi, Jr. of World Auto Group; Paul Sansone III of Sansone Jr.’s Auto Mall; and Jay Schwartz of Schwartz Mazda. These dealers are focused on the future advancement of their businesses in this ever-changing industry.
If you, or someone you know, is interested in getting involved with the NJ CAR NextGen Committee, please contact me at bdatello@njcar.org.
Breanna Datello is the Director of NJ CAR Services and is also the staff representative to NJ CAR NextGen Committee. She can be reached at bdatello@njcar.org.
