Berni Benoit shares a smile with three former bosses: Rick Gauthier, Ken Graydon and current President and CEO John White.
After more than 35 years on the job, working with three different presidents, Berni Benoit, has retired from the Canadian Automobile Dealers Association.
Benoit is well known to dealers across the country, as she brought a dynamic spark of life to the auto dealer world. She helped organize countless dealer events and association meetings, and helped edit and produce the organization’s dealer communications like the print and now digital versions of CADA Newsline.
Officially, she was the Executive Assistant to the association’s President and CEO, but unofficially, for many she was the organization’s go-to person, troubleshooter, problem-fixer, and event planner. For many years, she even stuffed envelopes after hours so that this single mom could earn a little extra money to raise her beloved son Jonathan.
Born and raised in Newfoundland, and known to most as simply, “Berni” this feisty, firebrand could hold her own in an industry filled with strong characters, and never hesitated to call it like she saw it. In short, she was a fierce advocate for dealers, working within an association that itself is a fierce advocate for dealers.
Industry leaders, work colleagues, current boss John White, and two of her former bosses, Ken Graydon and Rick Gauthier, with whom she worked alongside for 20 years attended her retirement luncheon in June and shared memories and provided their best wishes.
“I hired her. She appeared as a young, fresh-faced innocent girl from Newfoundland. She wouldn’t have said “equine-feces” if her mouth was full of it,” said Ken Graydon, in an interview at the luncheon. “But that only lasted a little while then she became Berni, always into everything always stirring stuff up. She was really fun to work with. All the dealers across Canada knew her, and liked her because she would do anything for them. They always knew about Berni at CADA, and she was good for CADA. If they had a problem — all they had to do was call.”
Former CADA Chairman Ron Loveys passes on his retirement wishes.
During his remarks, Gauthier also had praise for Berni and her contribution to the association and the industry. “It’s a really special day today. Ken Graydon made reference that Berni is now going to become her own boss. My experience has been that she’s been the boss,” said Gauthier, to laughs from the room. “She has always had a firm hand in the direction of CADA, and the successes of CADA.”
Gauthier said when he arrived at CADA he had lots of ideas about what to do with the association, but didn’t know much about its history. “Berni had the history, she had the philosophy down pat. She provided tremendous guidance which helped shape my own vision and my own policy decisions going forward. I owe you so much to you,” said Gauthier.
Benoit is well known to dealers across the country, as she brought a dynamic spark of life to the auto dealer world.
“35 years is an incredible milestone for anybody,” said Huw Williams, CADA’s Director of Public Affairs in an interview at the event. “But Berni’s contribution to the organization is measured by much more than the years she served. It’s measured by the relationships she has had with dealers across the country. I’ve literally heard from hundreds of dealers about the impact she’s made and how much they are going to miss her. I think that’s going to be her legacy.”
“You are all here today because you are a special part of my life,” said Benoit in her closing remarks. “We all had the same goal. To serve the dealers and provide guidance to our President and to protect him always. In the end, we all ended up working as a team.”
Benoit is retiring to the Ottawa area where she is starting the next chapter of her life with her partner Ted. “I am very much looking forward to taking on my next journey.”
Canadian auto dealer wishes her all the best in her well deserved retirement.
Benoit and Huw Williams, CADA’s Director of Public Affairs.
