THE FALL IS ALWAYS a busy time for events in the automotive industry. For me personally, one recent event really stood out in particular. The New Car Dealers Association of BC’s conference and gala dinner in September provided a chance to celebrate the career of a very special dealer, and in doing so, get back in touch with a small portion of this individual’s history that I share in.
For only the third time in their history, the association gave out a lifetime achievement award. The recipient was Tom Harris, a prominent dealer based out of Vancouver Island. Tom is in very esteemed company, considering the two previous winners are Marnie Carter and Jim Pattison.
What about my personal connection?
Tom Harris was the Canadian Automobile Dealers Association (CADA) Chairman at the time I first proposed the idea for Canadian auto dealer magazine. The path to launching the magazine started with an initial meeting with Rick Gauthier, CADA’s President and CEO. I introduced the idea to Rick over lunch, and he immediately saw merit in it.
The next step involved introducing the idea to the CADA Chairman. With the Chairman’s blessing, we would then take it to the full CADA board.
That is how I found myself in the Ritz Carlton outside Detroit, Michigan on a crisp and sunny fall day back in 2004. Tom Harris, Rick Gauthier and I sat around a very small table in Tom’s hotel room, and I shared my vision for the magazine and what it could become for Canada’s dealers. Tom loved the idea. In fact, it clearly resonated with his entrepreneurial nature because he became very passionate, clearly eager to push forward and get it done. It was a great chance to see the drive that has obviously helped Tom get a lot done over the years.
The rest is history. The magazine is preparing to celebrate ten very successful years of publishing. Tom’s role in the magazine’s first stages make him forever a part of “our little project,” as we called it.
The gala evening was also special for me as it represented the first fruits of our new collaboration with the New Car Dealers Association of BC. As I’ve mentioned in this space, we’ve moved Kristina Alexiou, our Associate Publisher, to Vancouver. She is now based out of offices we’re renting from the association. Both our organizations see this as an opportunity to deepen our work together and we’ve certainly hit the ground running. We worked with their staff and CADA to create three videos that formed a central component of the Lifetime Achievement Award ceremony. Given my small connection to Tom’s history, it meant a lot to be able to create the video assets that delivered some of his career highlights and personal messages of congratulations.
All in all, a very special evening.
So Tom, congratulations again! And congratulations to Blair Qualey and his team for putting together a great event, and a very special evening.
