By Laura Withers

Ed Tonkin loves cars. He’s been passionate about them since he was a boy, growing up in his dad’s dealerships in Portland, Oreg., where the advertising slogan is “all for the love of cars.” For 50 years, the family’s affinity for autos has not faltered. So it’s fitting that Tonkin is taking on the job of NADA chairman—a position his father, Ron, held in 1989—as America’s love affair with cars is poised to be reignited after a cool 2009.

With the industry expected to make modest improvements in 2010, Tonkin says NADA must help ensure the recovery is unencumbered so dealers can get back to business. That means keeping a close eye on federal legislation affecting the auto industry, making sure credit is flowing, and fostering open communications with members and manufacturers. “It’s our job to make sure dealers are well represented in Washington and nationwide so we can get back to selling cars and trucks and making our customers happy,” he says.

Tonkin earned a law degree from the University of Washington, and this knowledge will help lead the association through many legislative and regulatory challenges in 2010. He became a new-car dealer in 1981 and now runs the family’s dealerships with his brother Brad. Ron Tonkin Automotive has 15 dealerships, which sell and service as many brands, as well as Aprilia and Ducati motorcycles.

Learning from his father

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Tonkin is the second chairman in as many years to follow in his father’s footsteps and become NADA chairman. Outgoing chairman John McEleney’s father, Warren McEleney, led the organization in 1971. The industry has undergone many changes since Ron Tonkin was at the helm 21 years ago, when NADA was at odds with automakers over fleet subsidies and strict dealer improvement programs. But Tonkin says he has learned a lot from his dad. “I’ve always liked to be a part of shaping things,” Tonkin says. “My father taught me that if you’re going to get involved, you have to be actively involved.”

During his father’s term, Tonkin was on the Project 2000 committee, which projected what the industry and the association might look like in 2000. Since then, Tonkin has held a number of leadership positions. He has represented Oregon’s new-car dealers on NADA’s board of directors since 2002. And he has chaired the association’s Legal and Regulatory Affairs and Information Technology committees.

Developing partnerships

As vice chairman of NADA in 2009, Tonkin was part of a team of dealers that participated in numerous meetings at the Treasury Department, White House, and Congress, in the run up to the bankruptcies of Chrysler and GM. Those meetings set the stage for what Tonkin hopes will become a true partnership between the automakers and their dealers.

“With new ownership and new people in charge, GM and Chrysler have a golden opportunity to craft new relationships with their dealers,” he says. Going forward, Tonkin says NADA will focus on relationship building—both with manufacturers and the federal government. Keeping credit flowing is also a priority, he says, as is making sure dealers whose franchises were terminated in 2009 get fair treatment.

Most of all he wants dealers to get excited again. “Dealers are the most resilient people on Earth,” he says. And with many new products on the horizon, there’s much to look forward to. “It’s time for us to look forward with a sense of optimism, Tonkin emphasizes, “because the future is bright.”

Laura Withers is a public affairs writer at NADA.