Six top megas form Internet association

Six Western groups on the Ward's Dealer Business Top 100 Mega-dealers roster are charter members of the new Internet Auto Dealers Marketing Assn. (IADMA).

Headquartered in Denver, the IADMA has a nucleus of charter in the Denver, Kansas City and Phoenix markets. All are privately owned and have stayed apart from the publicly owned consolidators.

IADMA Executive Director Rodney J. Couts says a wide-ranging expansion is planned for the e-commerce initiative.

"The Navidec Inc., entity running the DriveOff.com sales-generating website is based in Denver," says Mr. Couts, who previously headed the National Vehicle Leasing Assn. "But first members have dealerships in the Midwest as well as the Rocky Mountain states. We are already a major player in the e-commerce field."

Megadealers on the 1998 Top 100 with charter credentials in the IADMA include:

V.T. Inc., owned by Cecil and Larry Van Tuyl, with 35 stores; Larry H. Miller Group, principal Larry H. Miller, 34 stores; Burt Automotive Network, principal Lloyd G. Chavez, seven stores; Earnhardt's, principal Hal J. Earnhardt III, three stores; Midway Auto Team, principal Thomas D. Irwin, two stores: and Chapman Automotive Group, Jerry B. Chapman, nine stores.

The V.T., Earnhardt, Midway and Chapman groups all own top-performing dealerships in the Phoenix market, as does another charter member, Lund Cadillac, with two stores. V.T. is based in Shawnee Mission, KS, and Larry Miller in Murray, UT.