NEW ORLEANS, Jan. 25, 2025 — Assurant, Inc., a leading global business services company that supports, protects and connects major consumer purchases, including automobiles, donated $30,000 through the Assurant Foundation to the National Automobile Dealers Association Foundation’s Workforce Initiative during NADA Show 2025 this week in New Orleans.
The NADA Foundation Workforce Initiative promotes the value of dealership career paths and facilitates access to educational resources.
Assurant Global Automotive Executive Vice President and President Jeff Strickland presented the contribution to Annette Sykora, NADA Foundation chairwoman, and Andy Koblenz, NADA Foundation executive director, on the NADA Live Stage at NADA Show 2025. In his remarks, Strickland noted the importance of advancing diversity, equity and inclusion within the automotive retail and service industry.
“The demand for automotive employees with high-tech skills will continue to grow as new automotive technology, including electric vehicles and greater connectivity, continues to evolve,” said Strickland. “We have stood with our dealers for 60 years, helping them find new ways to thrive as the automotive retail landscape evolves. Through this ongoing support, we’re pleased to help bring up the next generation of service technicians for those dealerships.”
The NADA Foundation’s Workforce Initiative was launched in 2018 to address the shortage of service technicians through promotion of the job benefits and improved access to resources about programs, scholarships, and opportunities. In recent years, the NADA Foundation has broadened the initiative to enhance recruitment of all dealership roles and within all departments. The centralized resources offer a brand-neutral tool for recruiting talent and sparking an interest in dealership careers.
"We are encouraged with the positive outcomes we've achieved through this initiative and thankful to our industry partners like Assurant for their support,” said Sykora. “Our dealership teams are the cornerstone of our success as dealers. The tools provided by this program are instrumental in helping us attract, hire, develop and retain top talent within our dealerships."
Since 2020, the Assurant Foundation has committed $165,000 to the NADA Foundation.
For more details, visit nadafoundation.org.
