A new beginning for us in 2011

But most of the players remain the same

By the time this magazine lands in your hands, the smell of paint in our new offices will be gone. For now, as I type this out, it is still very much in the air.

We are starting the New Year with lots of changes at our end — changes that will help us serve your needs better, and in some ways, make us more like you.

Up until the end of November 2010, we were published by a company called CLB Media, which also published a large number of other magazines, most of which were outside the automotive industry. For me personally, this meant dividing my time between
our automotive industry work, and a number of other markets.

Finding the time to be as fully-immersed in the automotive industry as I would have liked was difficult. Not so anymore!

Through 2010 CLB Media Inc. was sold in three parts. I, along with my partner Todd Phillips, retained the automotive titles we had in CLB Media, and formed a new company called Universus Media Group Inc. We’re now publishing Canadian auto dealer and Affaires automobiles magazines under this new structure and ownership.

Our newly-painted offices will likely be familiar to dealers across the country. We’ve moved into 85 Renfrew Drive in Markham, Ontario, which many of you will recognize as the home of CADA, OADA and TADA. We’ve published this magazine in partnership with CADA since its launch in 2004. Being physically closer to our CADA partners will help us stay even closer to the news, events and issues that you face in your stores.

We also have some important additions to our team, including David Adams, the president of the Association of International Automobile Manufacturers of Canada (AIAMC). David will be writing a column in every issue of Canadian auto dealer. He has been writing for another industry magazine for the past few years, but felt we were a better outlet for him. We certainly agree!

We will be creating new events in 2011 as an important means of bringing you information that is not ideally suited to the printed page. Our new address will make this easier as there is a great conference room at 85 Renfrew we can put to use. Many of you will be familiar with the room, as it has been a location for industry meetings for many years.

We’ve already started in there, videotaping a new roundtable series developed with Dennis DesRosiers and Chuck Seguin. These roundtables will bring experienced industry players together to discuss in detail many key topics Canada’s dealers face. Look for coverage of the first of these roundtables in this issue and online.

We’ll also be hosting a regular lunch and learn series bringing interesting speakers and viewpoints on a range of topics, including social media and more. These informal sessions are a useful way to turn a lunch hour into a source of new ideas and tools. We’ll promote the dates, and if you’re available, drop in.

Look too for a new series of editorial features called Lessons from the Laureates. We’ll be speaking in depth to past CADA Laureate winners about their successes and their misses. These features will be informative and entertaining.

I mentioned that in some ways, this change makes us more like you. I have always admired the entrepreneurial spirit that really defines Canada’s car dealers. It seems only fitting that I have now joined your ranks as a business owner, not simply a business operator.

On behalf of the whole team at Canadian auto dealer, we wish you a happy and prosperous New Year. We’ll do our part to help you with information and insights that will make your lives a little easier.

 

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