Feature image above – (L to R) John Gastman, Matt Gastman, and Logan Gastman.
Logan Gastman, 22, is a third-generation leader at Roanoke Motors in Roanoke, Illinois. He recently graduated from the prestigious NADA Academy in Washington, D.C. Proud to be representing Illinois and his Central Illinois dealership, he is a member of Academy class N402, which included 33 students from around the country.
“It was a true honor to be able to complete this program and to learn from the Academy teachers who are the best in the auto business,” Gastman explains.
Learning the Business
Like Gastman, all Academy students are sponsored by a dealership that covers the cost of the course and travel expenses. Students typically include successors like Gastman, but also include staff like General Managers, Service Managers, Office Managers, and other department employee leaders with a drive to commit to the curriculum, course work, and the auto dealership industry.
The NADA Academy program is taught over a 10-month period with students traveling to D.C. for approximately four days every six weeks. In between, they return to their home dealership to perform their jobs. The Academy course sections include Financial Management, Parts Management, Service Management, Vehicle Inventory and Marketing Management, Vehicle Sales and Associate Management, and Business Leadership.
“As a college accounting major, I enjoyed the finance courses, but I really appreciated being exposed to the fixed operations side, like parts and service, and learned more about how those fit into the overall business,” Gastman says. “I also enjoyed the culture curriculum because employees today want different things from employers than they have in the past.”
Student Bonding
Gastman also enjoyed creating lasting bonds with other Academy students and had the opportunity to connect fellow Illinois Academy students with U.S. Representative Darin LaHood (R-IL) who greeted the Academy class on the steps of the U.S. Capitol one day after class.
The full list of recent NADA Academy graduates from Illinois includes:
- Derick Anderson, General Manager, Mike Miller Auto Park, Peoria
- Doron Benjamin, Manager, Currie Motors, Frankfort
- Tony Borgic, Sales Manager, Gateway Truck and Refrigeration, Collinsville
- Nikki Gaieck, Manager, Fair Oaks Ford Lincoln, Naperville
- Logan Gastman, Manager, Roanoke Motor Company, Roanoke
- Jordan Hale, Manager, Ford Square, Mt. Vernon
- John Jepson, Manager, Northwest Trucks, Palatine
- Bret Kruse, Truck Centers, Inc., Troy
- Joseph Moore, Corporate Sales and Finance Director, Napleton Cadillac, Northbrook
- Raymond Scarpelli, Sales and Marketing Director, Ray Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram, Fox Lake
- Joe Schlauch, Fixed Operation Manager, Loeber Motors, Lincolnwood
- Mark Schmidt, Sales Consultant, Roy Schmidt Honda, Effingham
- Ben Scribner, General Sales Manager, Honda of Downtown Chicago, Chicago
- Nicholas Skwierczynski, General Manager, Al Piemonte Chevrolet, East Dundee
IADA Professional Series
For dealership leaders who may not be able to make the time or travel commitment to the NADA Academy, the IADA has created an Academy program of its own. Dubbed the NADA Professional Series, it has proven to be the most efficient and affordable way to offer this best-in-class training to dealership managers without having to fly to other parts of the country and spend extra nights in hotels. The Series covers all critical areas of running a dealership, including Office Management, Parts Management, Sales Management, and Service Management.
With the success of the inaugural classes, the IADA plans to continue hosting the series at the IADA office in the future. If you have any questions about entrance requirements or content, feel free to contact the IADA or click the link below.
