F&I Management and Technology Magazine's fourth annual F&I Dealer of the Year award will be presented to the winning dealership at the National Automobile Dealers Association’s annual convention in Las Vegas on Monday, Feb. 2.

The presentation will be made at a 12 noon press conference in Room N233 of the Las Vegas Convention Center, which hosts the NADA Convention.

The finalists for this year's award are B.J. McCombs of Red McCombs Superior Pontiac, San Antonio, Texas; David Wilson of South Bay Toyota, Gardena, Calif.; and Alex Hafer of Koons Chevrolet, White Marsh, Md.

The award, which recognizes excellence in the dealership finance and insurance office, is co-sponsored by Life of the South and Go Big! Software.

According to CEO Edward J. Bobit, the purpose of the F&I Dealer of the Year Award is to recognize dealer principals who practice professionalism in the development of an extraordinary F&I department. “Winning F&I departments show high numbers for both customer satisfaction and for per-unit F&I profits,” Bobit said.

The first year’s award went to David Conant, dealer principal of Norm Reeves Honda in Cerritos, Calif. Ron Tonkin Chevrolet of Portland, Ore., took home the second annual award. Ron, Ed and Brad Tonkin accepted the second annual award on behalf of Tonkin Family of Dealerships. The third annual award was won by David Ferraez, whose Ferraez Auto Group placed an incredible four dealerships in last year's F&I Top 100: #3 Green Brook Pontiac-Buick-GMC, Green Brook, N.J; #11 Northshore Buick-Pontiac-GMC, Malden, Mass.; #16 Woburn Buick-Pontiac-GMC, Woburn, Mass.; and #20 Danvers Chevrolet-Buick-Pontiac, Danvers, Mass.

Marks of a Winner

“Winning dealerships demonstrate broad success in all phases of F&I, including successful training programs; by-the-book identification and selling techniques; respect for customers' legal and ethical rights; and supporting a profitable F&I department which maintains a high CSI level,” said Publisher David Gesualdo of F&I Management and Technology Magazine.

“Our past winners have shown the kind of commitment and dedication to excellence that we look to recognize each year in awarding F&I Dealer of the Year,” said Steve Elliott, executive editor of F&I Management and Technology. “We're very much looking forward to recognizing another deserving dealership this year.”

About F&I Management and Technology Magazine

F&I Management and Technology reaches about 17,500 auto dealer principals and their F&I departments. It was founded in 1998 by Edward J. Bobit, and is one of 20 trade magazines produced by Bobit Publishing Co., based in Torrance, Calif.

For more information on F&I Management and Technology Magazine, visit www.fandimag.com. For advertising opportunities, call David Gesualdo at (310) 533-2569 or e-mail david.gesualdo@bobit.com. For editorial information or press releases, e-mail steve.elliott@bobit.com or fax (310) 533-2503.

For more information on Bobit Publishing, visit www.bobit.com or call (310) 533-2400.