Overland Park, KS – NCM Associates (www.ncm20.com), a leading provider of automotive 20 group, retail operations consulting, training, and operations Benchmark® analysis services to franchised and independent auto dealers, today announced it has awarded its first General Management Executive Program (GMEP) scholarship on behalf of the National Association of Minority Automobile Dealers (NAMAD). Dwayne Ferguson, Director of Operations for Cadillac of Orange Park, Florida, is the recipient of the award and will be joining his fellow GMEP class members for the first session of the 11-session dealer development program beginning in March.
Dwayne Ferguson has been named the first recipient of the NCM Institute’s NAMAD Scholarship, and will receive fully-paid tuition for the year-long General Management Executive Program. Ferguson, Director of Operations for Cadillac of Orange Park (Jacksonville, Florida), holds several undergraduate degrees in Business, Political Science and Finance and an MBA in Global Management. He is also a graduate of the NADA Dealer Academy. When asked on the application about his expectations for the course, Ferguson noted, “I just want to be the very best at what I do. Especially when I walk into a dealership…. Not lacking in skills or confidence.” According to his sponsor, Andrew Ferguson, Dwayne is being groomed as a potential dealer principal and wants to “sharpen his craft” through the GMEP.
The National Association of Minority Automobile Dealers, or NAMAD, has been helping to increase the opportunities for ethnic minorities in all sectors of the automotive industry since 1980. NAMAD Executive Director, Damon Lester, has worked closely with the NCM Institute over the past year to establish the scholarship and set the criteria by which applicants are chosen. “I am very pleased with the educational opportunity we are able to provide through this scholarship and extremely proud of all the candidates who applied,” Lester said. “Of all the high-achieving applicants we reviewed, Dwayne stood out because of his passion for the business, his deep appreciation for learning, and his professional and personal achievements thus far in his career.”
The 2013 GMEP scholarship for NAMAD is a first for the NCM Institute. Paul Faletti Jr., NCM’s president and chief executive officer, said the decision to support the minority-owned dealership community with a scholarship grant was as a result of NCM’s long-time commitment to helping minority-owned auto dealers. “For the past several years, NCM has been privileged to be chosen as the preferred provider of 20 Groups, training and consulting services to General Motors Minority Dealer Development,” Faletti said. “In addition, NCM’s participation in recent NAMAD member conferences offered NCM first-hand exposure to NAMAD’s commitment to providing exceptional educational services for its members,” he added.
Garry House, director of the NCM Institute, expanded on the recent alliance with NAMAD: “We’ve participated with NAMAD for the past two years in its annual Member Conference,” House said. “By conducting educational sessions on topics NAMAD and NCM agreed were critical to the success of its membership, we found the two organizations closely aligned in our mission to assist dealers in improving the profitability of their dealerships.” House explained the decision to support NAMAD with a scholarship for the NCM Institute’s most exclusive professional development program, GMEP, would be an excellent way for the company to demonstrate its commitment to helping all minority dealers succeed.
The General Management Executive Program is designed to equip current and future automotive dealership executives for long-term success in retail automotive management. With emphasis in dealership financial and operational best practices, the program’s objective is to build a solid executive leadership foundation in order to strengthen dealership operating performance today, and sustain the long-term viability of the retail auto industry. For information about the General Management Executive Program and the NAMAD scholarship, contact the NCM Institute at 866.756.2620.
About NCM Associates, Inc.
NCM Associates, Inc. is the originator of the automotive industry 20 Group peer collaboration process and has been providing dealership Benchmark® analytics, Education and Retail Operations Consulting services to the industry since 1947. Located in Overland Park, KS, NCM provides a robust suite of services designed to drive dealership profitability using its proven, operations-focused Benchmark® for Success program with new and pre-owned U.S. automotive dealerships, as well as with dealerships in more than 20 other industries. NCM Associates is proud to be 100% employee-owned. For more information about NCM Associates, visit www.ncm20.com or call 800.756.2620.
