a look back on the year

As my term in office as 2025/2026 CATA Chairman comes to an end, and I transition to Chairman of the 2027 Chicago Auto Show, I would like to reflect on the many challenges we faced and the many achievements we had during this past year.

The CATA Standing Committees are the engines that drive the CATA, so I will begin here.

The Government Relations and Lobbying Committee, chaired by Emir Abinion, worked vigorously in concert with IADA to push our legislative agenda forward. In addition to making almost $200,000 in contributions to state and local legislators, and working a phone bank to encourage our dealers to give permission to NADA PAC to solicit contributions, our Committee attended numerous events, lunches, golf outings, and fundraisers, even hosting a cocktail reception for Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias in our headquarters building. CATA representatives traveled to Washington in September and to Springfield in May to meet key federal and state legislators, and hosted a dinner in Springfield for many of those. Unfortunately, our two major Illinois legislative proposals this session, an amendment to the Illinois Motor Vehicle Franchise Act restricting direct sales by legacy manufacturers and an amendment to increase the cap on Documentary Fees by $100 failed to pass. However, we feel this is a temporary setback, and the CATA is committed to advocating for these two measures in forthcoming legislative sessions. The CATA Board is also heavily invested in the challenge by the majority of Volkswagen dealers in the state challenging Volkswagen for surcharging dealers for lawful warranty reimbursement. The CATA is working with IADA on this matter, and has committed to pay up to $150,000 for legal fees.

The Auto Show Committee, chaired by Jason Roberts, again put on a truly spectacular Chicago Auto Show. Beginning with our Chicago Drives Electric preview event in October, which achieved a media reach of 462.5 million, the 2026 Chicago Auto Show welcomed 1,200 attendees on Media Preview Day, followed by a First Look for Charity Gala that raised over $2 million for participating charities, and finally the Auto Show itself was attended by over 212,000 visitors. ABC, WGN, and CBS each produced TV specials from the Show floor, and national coverage was provided on Fox Business Network. All in all, the Chicago Auto Show continues as the premier consumer show in the country and a media and public relations home run for the manufacturers and CATA dealers alike.

The Civic and Dealer Relations and First Look for Charity Committee, chaired by Jerry Haggerty, not only worked to put on the fabulous First Look for Charity Gala, with a 2026 Chevrolet Equinox and a 2026 Toyota Land Cruiser given away to fortunate winners, but also coordinated CATA support for the Drive for the Troops fundraising that took place in July for the benefit of the USO, raising over $71,000 each of the last two years, Additionally, the Committee shepherded the Chicagoland Dealers Care program, which matches dealers’ contributions to their favored local charities.

The Employee Relations Committee, chaired by Dan Marquardt, helped guide CATA dealers through negotiations with Local 701, reaching a four-year extension of the CBA without a strike. The Committee also worked with SESCO to provide employment advice to our dealer members.

The Drive Chicago Committee, chaired by Jared Wickstrom, continually updates and refines the DriveChicago.com website in its efforts to be the definitive website for vehicle purchases in the Chicagoland area.

The Member Benefits Committee, chaired by John Crane, seeks to find vendors who can provide added value to our dealer members. Each of these potential candidates is carefully researched and vetted by the Committee before being recommended to our dealers.

The Finance, Pension, and Audit Committee, chaired by Ryan Kelly, continually monitors CATA revenue and expense, ensuring that all potential revenue streams are examined, expenses incurred are reasonable, and there is no waste.

The Media Strategy Committee, chaired by Fred Marks, analyzes and develops all the potential media streams for events like Drive for the Troops, Chicago Drives Electric, the Chicago Auto Show, and the First Look for Charity Gala, while directing over $445,000 in paid adverting funding combined with over $1.6 million in bonus weight provided by our media partners.

Finally, the Nominating Committee, chaired by Ryan Kelly, is charged with finding exceptional candidates for the CATA Board of Directors. Again, this year the Committee proposed five candidates of high expertise and integrity to run for four vacancies on the CATA Board of Directors.

I want to express my gratitude to the CATA Chairpersons who served before me and to my eleven fellow CATA Directors, especially retiring Directors Dan Heller, Dan Marquardt, and Kelly Webb Roberts, all of whom have been major contributors to the CATA.  As most of you are aware, Dan Marquardt was the principle promoter of the warranty language that has proved beneficial to us all, and the Board of Directors has unanimously agreed to appoint Dan an Honorary CATA Director and Legislative Affairs Liaison, working hand in hand with the Government Relations and Lobbying Committee Chairman.

Also, I want to thank the entire CATA staff, ably led by President Jen Morand, for their enthusiasm, innovation, diligence, expertise, and tireless efforts in everything they do. I am thrilled for our Executive Vice President, Chris Konecki, who will be transitioning to become General Manager of McCormick Place.  We look forward to interacting with Chris for years to come, and thank him for his outstanding service to the CATA.  Also, thanks to Dennis O’Keefe, our General Counsel, whose experience, wealth of knowledge, and sage advice is invaluable; and to Scott Marquardt and Chip Humes, our lobbyists, for their staunch efforts in advancing our legislative agenda.

I welcome new CATA Directors Tom Conlin, Jeff Hopkins, and Chris Weck, and I congratulate my friend and fellow Director Steve Phillipos on his election as 2026/2027 CATA Chairman. Steve will bring exceptional expertise, vision, and good judgment to his role in leading this wonderful organization.

Sincerely,

Ryan Kelly

CATA Chairman 2025/2026

Linked here is a summary of the actions taken by the CATA Board of Directors over the past year.