2008 Officers and Directors Elected at 48th Annual Convention

Kohala Coast, HI — The 2008 officers and directors for the Hawaii Automobile Dealers Association (HADA) were installed October 4, 2007 at the Hapuna Beach Resort, Kohala Coast, island of Hawaii, during the association’s 48th annual convention.

HADA is composed of the state's 77 franchised new car dealerships and an additional 80 associate members whose businesses are affiliated with the retail automotive industry.

Serving out the second of their two-year terms, or elected this year to the 2008 board of directors at the general meeting are: Wayne De Luz, president; Stan Masamitsu, president-elect; Nick Cutter, vice president; Joe Nicolai, secretary; Ron Hansen, treasurer; Bill van den Hurk, Morrie Stoebner and Jack Jackson, Oahu directors; Dennis Short and Dave Chun, at-large directors, Eric Fukunaga, immediate past president.

Elected from their respective islands are James Hanley, Kauai director; Jerry Cousin, Hawaii director; and Damien Farias, Maui director.

Joe Hanley, the separately-elected National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) representative, was also installed on the 2008 HADA board of directors.

The installation ceremony was conducted by Carl Bonham, Ph.D., the featured speaker at the convention. The Director of the University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization reassured dealers during the general meeting address that the Hawaii economy was indeed slowing in growth, with turndowns in some segments, but that in those segments, a “soft landing” was anticipated.

HADA president De Luz, launching into the second year of his two-year term, congratulated the association for pioneering multi-track training for dealership general managers and senior managers here in Hawaii.

Hanley, the state’s NADA director, announced that three members of Hawaii congressional delegation, Senator Daniel K. Akaka, Congresswoman Mazie Hirono and Congressman Neil Abercrombie have signed on as co-sponsors of the HADA-supported “Total Loss Disclosure” proposed legislation which would prevent underwater “Katrina cars” from working into the Hawaii market with clean titles.

The bill would require insurance companies to use a national registry to post the vehicle identification numbers (VIN) of all vehicles declared total loss by water damage or other causes.