The Automotive Distribution Network welcomed U.S. Representative Darren Soto (D-FL9) to the group’s recent national convention at the Walt Disney World Swan & Dolphin Resort in Orlando.
On Saturday afternoon, Congressman Soto toured the 65,000-square-foot Manufacturers Expo with David Prater, Network president, stopping along the way to meet with Mike Fitzgerald, vice president and general manager for Innova Fleet Services, who outlined the realities of vehicle telematics pertaining to diagnostic data access.
Afterward, the congressman met with Prater as part of a roundtable discussion regarding the auto care industry’s need for the same access to repair information as the car manufacturers, along with Gary Whidby, director of political affairs for the Auto Care Association; Steve Tucker, the Network’s vice president of marketing; David Honig, president of Jacksonville-based The Parts House; and David Segal, president of Automotive Supply Associates (ASA) in Concord, New Hampshire.
“I appreciate Congressman Soto for meeting with us to address these issues that are vital to not only ensure the industry’s future but also to secure the automotive consumer’s right to direct their vehicle’s diagnostic data to independent repair shops. Independence and freedom of choice epitomize everything the Network represents,” said Prater.
