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McLean, Va., April 12, 2006 – Richard Graham, owner of Graham-Chevrolet-Saab, in Santa Barbara, Calif., was selected as one of four national finalists for the Dealer Innovation Award, presented by USA TODAY and the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA).  

The USA TODAY Dealer Innovation Award, conducted in association with NADA, recognizes dealers who took a leadership role in the use of technology to improve their business operations. 

Recognizing the inefficiencies of traditional parts inventory systems, Graham developed and installed automated vertical parts carousels.  Sections of the carousels can be adjusted to accommodate various size parts, as needed.  The system reduced the time needed to find, retrieve and deliver parts, resulting in a 23 percent increases in parts counter sales.

USA TODAY is the nation’s top-selling newspaper, with a total average daily circulation of 2.3 million.  It is published via satellite at 36 locations in the USA and at four sites abroad, and is available worldwide.  USA TODAY is published by Gannett Co. Inc. (NYSE: GCI).

The National Automobile Dealers Association, founded in 1917 and based in McLean, Va., represents approximately 20,000 new car and truck dealers holding nearly 43,000 separate franchises, domestic and international.

(Editor’s Note:  For a photo, please e-mail rwhite@nada.org)

Click here to view full-page Dealer Innovation Award advertisement honoring the winner and three finalists (PDF file).

Contacts:

Related Releases on the Dealer Innovation Award Winner and Finalists:

Andrew G. Budd (winner), Warrenton, Va.
Steven R. Ewing, Smyrna, Ga.
John G. Rickards, Mechanicsburg, Pa.