CANADIAN AUTO DEALER ADVERTISERS AND CONTRIBUTORS SHARE FAVOURITE MEMORIES AND REFLECT ON THE ROLE THE MAGAZINE HAS PLAYED
Congratulations Rick Gauthier & Niel Hiscox on 10 years of supporting the automotive industry through Canadian auto dealer! The insights you share and the events you report on help shape our industry and keep us all well informed. Our world is certainly brighter because of everything you both accomplish. Cheers!
Your friends at Quorum DMS
Congratulations on your remarkable 10 years. We wish you continued success as you celebrate this important milestone. You have shown dedication and commitment towards the automobile industry. Keep up the great team work and wishing you more success in all the coming years!
Denis Dessureault, Montreal Automobile Dealers Corporation
As Canadian auto dealer celebrates its 10th anniversary with this edition, I’d first like to congratulate Niel Hiscox and Todd Phillips at Universus Media Group for putting together a stellar communications tool with Canadian auto dealer.
While at times I think I contribute to a “magazine,” in truth I am part of a much larger media platform that includes a digital version of the hardcopy magazine, unique Ted Talk video interviews with industry leaders, and real time coverage of news related to the automotive industry from within Canada, and around the world.
I’ve had the opportunity to write for Canadian auto dealer for five of the 10 years the magazine has been around.
Writing for another industry publication at the time, I finally succumbed to the ongoing lobbying from my good friend, Rick Gauthier, to come and write for Canadian auto dealer in 2010.
True to his nature, Rick is usually the first guy I hear from each month whether it be a phone call, email, or a hand-written note commenting on my contribution to the latest issue.
Those comments from Rick and others are helpful, and keep me motivated to continue writing on weekends and evenings, in addition to the responsibilities of my day job.
However, writing for CAD has also assisted me significantly in my role as the President of the Global Automakers of Canada. Managing a trade association with a small staff, 14 of the world’s most respected automakers as members and attempting to address a myriad of public policy issues and challenges, often leaves me feeling “an inch thick and a mile wide” on many issues.
Reading and researching for the pieces I pull together for CAD provides me with greater insight and understanding into issues currently facing the industry. This assists me in bringing a value-added perspective to these issues in my job.
It’s been a pleasure working with Niel and Todd especially, but also getting to know the other columnists as well, and the varied unique and informed perspectives that they have on our industry over the last five years.
David Adams
Wow… I can’t believe how fast time has flown by and that Canadian auto dealer is celebrating its 10th anniversary.
I am sending you my heartfelt wishes and congratulations to all of your dedicated staff and contributing journalists/columnists. This is certainly a huge milestone and one worth celebrating!
My initial interaction was with Todd Phillips, Editorial Director, and his dedicated team when the magazine covered an article about the Toyota Evergreen Learning Grounds Program at George Brown College’s child care centre in Toronto. This was part of the Evergreen environmental programs to build better and green communities.
Later, I enjoyed a very exclusive one-on-one interview with Todd, where he profiled me on my extensive automotive professional activities since 1965 and my best customer relations practices to resolve customers’ critical concerns.
Based on feedback from readers, this publication has so much to offer by covering every aspect of the automotive industry, from innovative technology, to techniques, tools and tutoring. The magazine serves the needs of our automotive industry coast-to-coast, representing a virtual automotive encyclopedia and a reference guide to manage automotive dealership operations in the most effective and professional ways.
All of the contributors of Canadian auto dealer are highly professional, and their invaluable input is truly admired by everyone related and riding on the “Wheels of our progressive economy.”
I truly believe that the award-winning Canadian auto dealer magazine is an esteemed and unbiased publication, catering to the needs of our automotive industry by providing a wide range of coverage and focusing the real time activities of our Canadian automotive dealers network.
From editorials to editing, I consider the content in the print magazine, website, e-newsletter, digital editions, educational and promotional videos, are ranked among the best automotive publications produced in the world.
Mohammad Shahzad
Mohammad Shahzad
DMT Development Systems Group would like to extend a huge congratulations to Niel Hiscox and Rick Gauthier on an outstanding 10 years of publishing Canadian auto dealer!
Canadian auto dealer has continuously played a vital role in bringing the key players in Canada’s automotive industry together and facilitating lively dialogue between manufacturers, dealers, and vendors in an ever-changing industry.
From everyone at DMT, we wish you many more years of continued success!
Final Coat would like to congratulate Rick Gauthier and Niel Hiscox on their contributions to our industry through Canadian auto dealer. We’ve had the privilege of working with Niel on several projects. Niel’s engagement and industry knowledge combined with his stellar communication skills have been a tremendous help to our organization.
Chuck Seguin
Time certainly has flown by, and the magazine is now bigger and better. The car business has been through a very interesting transformation, and it will continue to do so for many, many years. Dealers are outstanding business people, passionate, real risk takers and are remarkably creative. This mirrors my view of Canadian auto dealer. Lots of innovation and creativity and a real passion for the car business. I am proud to have been part of every issue since the magazine began and look forward to a continuing relationship. Happy 10th anniversary!
Chuck Seguin
I am thrilled to offer my hearty congratulations to my business colleagues and friends, Rick Gauthier and Niel Hiscox, as they celebrate the 10th anniversary of Canadian auto dealer.
Over the course of the last 10 years, both Rick and Niel have been instrumental in bringing insightful and educational journalism to the Canadian automotive industry.
I wish them all the success as they embark on the next 10 years of Canadian auto dealer.
Alan Bird
Gerry Malloy
“There’s a real need for a magazine that’s just for dealers and nobody else is meeting that need!” That was the crux of the pitch Niel Hiscox made when he enlisted me to be the first editor of Canadian auto dealer – even before it had a name.
It was also the core of his vision for what this magazine could be and has been from its inaugural issue 10 years ago.
Unlike other publications that try to be all things to all people, catering as much to OEMs, enthusiasts and customers as to dealers, this one is hard core. It’s focused solely on the new-vehicle dealer and the people that run the dealership, with the goal of helping them all do their jobs better. CADA president Rick Gauthier also recognized that need and was equally enthusiastic about the prospects for the magazine. But even the best ideas have to be sold.
So, about six months before that first issue, we put together a prototype of what we envisioned, complete with articles by star contributors such as Chuck Seguin and Jim Bell, who would become part of the magazine’s editorial backbone. Then we printed several hundred copies for distribution to members of the potential audience — dealers — and to potential advertisers, for their feedback.
As evidenced by the fact that we’re now celebrating Canadian auto dealer’s 10th anniversary, that feedback was highly positive.
The inaugural issue varied very little in format from the sample and, while the magazine has grown and evolved to be better in every way since then, it still maintains the same core purpose and values.
I’m extremely proud, as well as thankful, to have been part of that initial effort and to have been its editor for its formative years.
Congratulations to Niel and Rick on their foresight, to Todd Phillips who came on board as Editorial Director a few years later, and to all the editors and contributors who have developed the magazine into the unique and essential industry resource that it has become. Well done all!
Gerry Malloy
Michael Hatch
Writing for Canadian auto dealer magazine is one of the most fun and rewarding parts of my role as CADA Chief Economist. To be just a small part of such a great publication is a huge honour for me, and is a responsibility I take very seriously.
I love getting feedback from readers — it lets me know that at least someone out there is reading what I have to say, and the extra time it takes to email or pick up the phone to provide feedback is always hugely appreciated.
As a writer you constantly have to find new ways to convince your readers to spend the 15 minutes it takes to read a column. This is no small feat in today’s world of constant media and over-booked schedules.
So the voice I am given in the magazine is something I try my best to live up to every issue, with my (sometimes unique) take on relevant economic trends that affect us all in one way or another.
Thank you to the staff and editors at Canadian auto dealer for giving me my monthly column inches — I work hard every issue to ensure they are not wasted.
Michael Hatch
To the Team at Canadian auto dealer:
All of us at Reynolds and Reynolds (Canada) Ltd. congratulate you on the 10th anniversary of Canadian auto dealer. Over the past decade, new car dealers have turned to your publication as a trusted source of information and insight about the dealership business and the changing world of automotive. We wish
you continued success for the next 10 years – and beyond.
Jacques Béchard (left) and Steve Chipman (right)
Congratulations to Rick Gauthier, President & CEO of CADA and Niel Hiscox, president of Universus Media, for this great achievement. CCAQ is proud to be part of this success story with the French version Affaires Automobiles in the province of Québec. We have a great collaboration with our Quebec editor Linda Nadon, who delivers a quality magazine to our dealers.
Jacques Béchard, CEO of CCAQ
RBC Automotive Finance would like to congratulate Canadian auto dealer magazine on celebrating 10 years in the automotive business. At RBC, we value our business relationship and wish you much continued success.
“Hi Paul, I loved that article you had in Canadian auto dealer…” This is a statement I hear often and in fact I hear it more about the articles I write for Canadian auto dealer magazine than any other magazine I write for. I think it’s a testament to how loyal the reader base is and equally important the kind of readers that are attracted to Canadian auto dealer magazine. The readers of this publication have proven to be progressive and always in search of new and creative ways to excel at what they do.
I have heard from dealer principals, sales managers, marketing managers and Internet managers from all across Canada that read every issue, and this makes it worth writing for this publication. If you enjoy the articles then show your support by sharing these articles on the social media site of your choice and tag me. Keep reading, keep learning and keep prospering.
Paul Potratz
Monte Weis
Writing for Canadian auto dealer has been a great experience to share ideas and listen to dealers across Canada.
It is very satisfying when my articles contribute to the dialogue, especially when there are countering views and opinions.
It has happened slowly over time, but the transformation of the automotive retail facility — a fancy word for “dealership” —is quite extraordinary.
I started my career in the mid-90s, and I would never have imagined back then the facilities that are being built today. Depending on who you speak with, this is both a positive and a negative development. Of all the articles I have written, the most attention and engagement from dealers was directed towards “Tables for Tablets.” It is still very unclear how digital will evolve alongside DMS’s.
It will be interesting to see the impact on bricks and mortar once transactions become primarily electronic. My hope is that dealers continue to give me ideas, arguments and inspiration to keep writing about facilities and the impact they have on customers, employees and the bottom line.
Monte Weis
