ORLANDO, Fla. — US Equity Advantage (USEA) has received the top-ranked Diamond award in Auto Dealer Today’s 2018 Dealers’ Choice Awards program, which recognizes the industry’s best product and service providers. It is USEA’s fourth consecutive top ranking in the six years since biweekly payments was added as an award category. The company also earned the second-place Platinum award in 2014.

“Congratulations to US Equity Advantage for their fourth consecutive Diamond award in the biweekly payments category. To have earned that level of recognition from dealers is an extraordinary achievement,” said Auto Dealer Today’s associate publisher, Tariq Kamal.

This year’s 14th annual Dealers’ Choice Awards were based on a survey open to dealers and dealership personnel throughout the month of May. Participants submitted write-in votes in 34 categories, scoring auto retail vendors, suppliers and finance sources on quality, value, customer service, and whether they would recommend the company to another dealer.

“Even if every dealership in America is on its roster, a company must outduel its competition in every regard to complete the uphill climb to the winner’s circle,” according to Auto Dealer Today. “Some companies seem to manage this Herculean feat year in and year out.”

USEA CEO Robert Steenbergh credited the company’s growth, innovation, and agent and dealer partners for this year’s award. “We grew our national footprint to 37 states this past year with the addition of Mississippi, New York, Tennessee, and Washington, D.C.,” said Steenbergh. “We also launched an esignature enrollment feature designed to help dealerships meet consumer demand for a high-tech, high touch car-buying experience and introduced a new performance-based rewards program that offers finance managers the opportunity to make bonus income in addition to their standard commissions.”

“We are grateful for our longstanding dealer partnerships nationwide who have enabled us to provide car buyers with greater value and an exceptional experience through the entire customer lifecycle, from helping them better afford their loan payment and purchase additional F&I products to trading out earlier and returning to the dealer in a positive equity position,” Steenbergh added. “Our success and this award are also due, in part, to the collaborative relationships with our agent partners who work closely with us to provide training and support to finance managers.”