Listed here are this 12 months’s Seller Training Award honorees

Northwood College will honor 5 car sellers from throughout the US with its annual Seller Training Award on the Nationwide Automotive Sellers Affiliation (NADA) conference in Dallas, Texas.

This 12 months’s honorees embrace:

• Jamar Brinkley, seller principal, Renaissance Automobiles, Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina

• Rik Fregia, vp, Courtesy Automotive Group, Danville, Illinois

• Chris Saraceno, vp and accomplice, Kelly Automotive Group, Melbourne, Florida

• Brandon Tomes, proprietor/common supervisor, Tomes Auto Group, McKinney, Texas

• Kevin Vanatta, proprietor, Newberry Motors, Inc., Newberry, Michigan 

Since 1972, Northwood has acknowledged house owners and seller principals within the automotive advertising subject who’ve made noteworthy, particular person contributions to public or personal schooling inside or outdoors of the trade.

“This marks our 51st 12 months of recognizing excellent sellers and group leaders who’ve made important contributions to the trade and to efforts to create the subsequent technology of automotive leaders,” stated Northwood President Kent MacDonald. “We’re particularly happy with this 12 months’s honorees, and stay up for celebrating them later this month.”

The awards might be offered at a particular breakfast on Saturday, January 28, on the Hyatt Regency in Dallas, Texas. Attendees will embrace college students, alumni and automotive visitors of Northwood College.

Additional biographical data for the honorees might be discovered under:

Jamar Brinkley is the founder and managing accomplice of Renaissance Fairness Group, LLC and president of The Renaissance Corporations. Incorporating all he has realized over an in depth profession with two main automotive teams, he shaped Renaissance Automobiles in 2016 with a powerful need to be substantive within the automotive trade. He started his profession with one of many nation’s main automotive retailers. He excelled early on because of his management, salesmanship, and concentrate on buyer satisfaction.

A mentor helped him achieve expertise and confidence as a common supervisor, and the dealerships flourished below his management. Brinkley believes mentorship is crucial as a result of a mentor could be a sounding board for sharing concepts and somebody with whom you possibly can talk and search recommendation.

With Brinkley’s success, he was in a position to buy his personal dealership after working Renaissance Automobiles for a number of years. Placing his belief in a better energy, Brinkley bought an present retailer and rebranded it as Renaissance Nissan. As a testomony to his skills, he was lately acknowledged as considered one of Automotive Information’ 40 Underneath 40.

Rik Fregia is the vp of the Courtesy Automotive Group in Danville, Illinois. Fregia began his automotive profession working for a Ford dealership owned by his father. When Ray Fregia Sr. retired and offered his retailer, Rik Fregia teamed up along with his brother, Ray, who had lately purchased his first dealership.

Supporting native organizations, Fregia has served as a board member for the Crystal Lake Chamber of Commerce and Deer Crossing. He additionally serves as chair of the New Hope Baptist Church Scholarship Committee, which helps seniors from the native highschool pursuing a school diploma.

Fregia’s dedication to his group has earned him recognition with the Delight in Crystal Lake Award, McHenry County Finest Underneath 40 Businessman Excellent Achiever Award, Automotive Information’ 40 Underneath 40, and the Presidential Award of Excellence.

Chris Saraceno is a enterprise government, actual property investor, speaker and chief. He’s the founding father of the web group DealerElite.com and co-founder of the coaching firm Workforce Builders Inc. He’s a former advisory board member for Autotrader, DealerRater, Rent the Winners, and Cemboo Movie Distribution.

Saraceno started his automotive profession in 1984 and joined The Kelly Automotive Group in 1989. In 2009, he grew to become a accomplice with the group.

Chris has been a featured speaker at quite a few conventions and has revealed lots of of articles each on-line and in enterprise magazines. Certainly one of his items is The Idea of 5, created to assist people of all walks of life establish the 5 theories that propel them into happiness and prosperity. The Idea of 5 is predicated on deciding on mentors within the 5 most vital areas of an individual’s life: spirituality, marriage, parenting, enterprise and finance, and well being. So highly effective is that this principle that Elgie Vibrant, chair of Northwood College’s Automotive Advertising and marketing/Administration Program, incorporates it into his instructing curriculum.

Brandon Tomes is president and director of Brandon Tomes Subaru, and vp of Bob Tomes Ford and Brandon Tomes Volkswagen of McKinney, Texas.

After graduating from Southern Methodist College’s Cox Faculty of Enterprise, he joined his household enterprise full-time in September 2007. However his studying didn’t cease there, as he’s a graduate of the NADA “Seller Candidate Academy,” and the NCM Associates’ Common Administration Govt Program.

He has acquired quite a few skilled accolades through the years. Most lately, he was a finalist for Subaru Retailer of the 12 months in 2020. His workforce has achieved 10 consecutive “Love Promise Buyer Dedication Awards,” Subaru’s highest retailer award, and so they additionally earned Ford’s highest award, the President’s Award, in 2020.

His household’s philanthropic contributions have been substantial, and he has a confirmed document of being dedicated to giving again to the group via the McKinney Rotary Membership’s Tutorial Excellence Program and the Texas Chamber Music Ensemble program. Moreover, many McKinney college students are motivated by the varied incentives that Tomes offers to the native faculties for college students with glorious marks.

Kevin Vanatta is the proprietor/common supervisor of Newberry Motors Inc. As considered one of six boys whose father handed away when he was 13 years previous, Vanatta’s childhood and teenage years have been influenced by his grandfather, who owned and operated an auto service storage and fueling station. Formed by these experiences, Vanatta’s pure inclination was to determine a profession within the automotive retail trade.

In 1992, he had the chance to purchase out his employer, the seller principal of Common Motors and Daimler Chrysler dealerships in Newberry, Michigan. Since then, he has constructed a life there, elevating his household, rising his enterprise, and serving his group.

Vanatta’s dedication to the Newberry group contains serving as president of the Newberry Space Chamber of Commerce, Ambassadors Membership, and Kiwanis Membership. He’s additionally a St. Gregory’s Catholic Church member, serving on the Parish Finance Council. Moreover, he serves as a member of the Tahquamenon Training Basis. This group offers monetary assist for faculty bills to graduating highschool seniors who’ve maintained a grade level common of three.5 or larger all through their highschool careers.