The Benefits of Association Membership With Tony DeSimone, Executive Director at New England Tire and Service Association (NETSA)

Tony DeSimone is Executive Director at New England Tire and Service Association (NETSA) and Business Development Manager at TD Consultants. He has led NETSA to be a well-known, active, and growing association representing thousands of members. Tony previously served as president of NETSA before becoming executive director in February 2018.

In this episode…

If you own a tire and auto repair shop, are there advantages to being a member of a tire association? According to Tony DeSimone from the New England Tire and Service Association, there certainly are! Those benefits include regular updates on national and local legislation, the ability to affect legislation that impacts the industry, trade show participation, and other events. For further insight on how these associations are helpful, check out this episode of Gain Traction!

On this episode of Gain Traction, Tony joins Neal Maier and Matthew Peters to discuss what the New England Tire and Service Association does for its members, local and national legislation that affect the tire industry, and how NETSA is involved in impacting it. They also preview an upcoming trade show in Connecticut and get Tony’s insights on a fifty-year career in the business. Don’t miss it!

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn: 

• Tony DeSimone details his journey of more than fifty years in the tire business
• What is Tony currently focused on with NETSA?
• How the pandemic positively impacted legislation affecting the tire industry 
• How an association can benefit an industry by being a factor in the legislative process
• Tony previews an upcoming trade show in Connecticut
• What is the best advice Tony has received during his time in the industry?

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Tony DeSimone on LinkedIn 
• New England Tire and Service Association 
• Tire Industry Association
• Right to Repair
• Tim Winkeler on LinkedIn
• Matthew Peters on LinkedIn 
• Neal Maier on LinkedIn
• Tread Partners

Transcript

Announcer:

Welcome to the Gain Traction podcast, where we feature top automotive entrepreneurs and experts and share their inspiring stories. Now let’s get started with the show.

Neal Maier:

Hi, this is Neal Meyer here, along with Matt Peters, we’re host of Gain Traction where we talk with top automotive business leaders about their journeys. We’ve had the great fortune to interview lots of founders, CEOs, and executive directors with some great stories, and you’re sure to recognize today’s guest. Before we jump in with today’s guest, this episode is brought to you by Tread Partners. Tread Partners is the home of Retread, our new customer re-engagement program. By using targeted digital ads and communications, we’ll help you win back your best lost customers and even guarantee a 10 X ROI. So what are you waiting for? Visit us at treadpartners.com. Today we’re joined by Tony DeSimone, the executive director of NETSA, the New England Tire Dealers Association. Tony’s led NETSA to be a well-known, active and growing association representing the interest of thousands of members. Tony, welcome to Gain Traction.

Tony DeSimone:

Thank you. I appreciate you having me.

Neal:

Well, Tony, let’s get started by talking a little bit about you and about NETSA. How did you get here?

Tony:

Well, I started in the tire business back in 1972 and back in Buffalo, New York. And my journey’s brought me into New England when I was at the time working for BF Goodrich when it was actually BF Goodrich and in Springfield, Massachusetts, and heard about the New England Tire Dealers Association and decided we should be a member and started participating back then. And that was probably around 1986.

Went to the shows, the trade shows, and then my journeys took me elsewhere. And then when I came back and was back in New England, rejoined the association and when I was working for Continental in covering this area, I was also a member and then was invited to join the board as a board member and did. Served in the capacity of secretary a little later. And then as president and then when my predecessor, who was more responsible for the success of this organization than I was, Dick Cole decided to retire while I was president. We went on a search and we’re having trouble finding a replacement and then I was asked to take that position over and that was, I believe back in 2000, at the end of 2017. So I’ve been doing it ever since and just love what I do. Keeps me busy with the dealers that I’ve known for several years and keeps me active in the trade, which I love the tire business. It’s been good to me and like to give back. So this has been quite a happy marriage for me and hopefully for NETSA.

Neal:

Oh, I’m sure. So from 2017 to now, that’s been a busy six or seven years you. You’ve gotten to see quite a bit in that. Talk to us a little bit about NETSA and what you’re up to.

Tony:

Well, like I said, I took over a very successful organization that was well run by my predecessor. And so we were financially very sound, had good membership, had a great trade show going, which we’ll talk about a little later. And things were rolling quite well. I think part of my goals when I took over was to try to update NETSA. We still were doing a lot of things in the old paper world and we’ve pretty much, I’ve updated our website now, online payments, put everything more or less on a computer so we’re a lot more mobile, a lot easier transition. When we transitioned from Dick Cole to me it took a van and an S U V to move all the paperwork from Maine to New Hampshire where I was located. So when my replacement takes over, I’ll hand them a laptop.

Neal:

I love it.

Tony:

And so it will be a lot easier to do. And so we continue to work on that, try to continue to update us and get us more into the 21st century here. So that’s been my direction. And then of course in the middle of all that, we go and hit this thing called COVID. So that really put a quash on things in 2020. Both of our big events, our trade show, and our golf tournament were canceled. Those are obviously big sources of income on how we pay the bills. And we got back in the fall late in ’21, we kind of flip-flopped the golf tournament and the trade show. Had the golf tournament in early June and the trade show in August and it was just okay.

Neal:

Sure.

Tony:

It was probably the worst event we put on, but people were still reluctant to get out. And then last year we went back to our normal schedule and we increased the number of vendors we had, increased the number of participants. So we’re optimistic that 2023 will get us back to where we were pre COVID as far as attendance and vendors.

Neal:

Yeah, it’s been quite a journey the past several years for associations. I have no doubt.

Tony:

And associations as well as our members too.

Neal:

Absolutely.

Tony:

Everybody’s been affected by that. So especially during the 2020 when the big shutdown was in place. So fortunately for us, we were classified as essential industries, so we were able to maintain our businesses staying open, but still help was difficult and a lot of places had to closed for weeks at a time when COVID ran through their places of business.

Neal:

Oh, yes. Well, in that process, I’m sure the needs of the membership didn’t slow down. It ramped up in there and I know legislatively there’s always something going on. So talk a little bit about NETSA and your work with legislation.

Tony:

Well, that was one of the silver linings of COVID, it shut down the legislation too, so that was a plus. So we had a pretty easy couple of years there because the legislators couldn’t get together. But in my humble opinion, I think this is one of the tasks that NETSA performs for our member locations that is really essential with our partnership with TIA, we get weekly updates on what’s going on a national level, but especially on the local level. So we have access to all the bills that are coming up before the committees for all the New England states, and we monitor that closely for anything that has to do with the tire or automotive service industry. When the right to repair came up a few years ago in Massachusetts, we got behind that effort and got a lot of our members involved and supported it raising signatures and recording commercials and attending the mass legislature meetings.

And we overwhelmingly got that passed in Massachusetts by well over 70% of the voters. Now that effort has turned to Maine and being headed up by Timlin Winkler from V I P Auto Service, who is also one of our board members. And so we’re getting behind that.

We’ve already raised over 60,000 signatures to get that on the ballot up in Maine as well. So that’s our big focus. But we have legislation going on in Connecticut for an extended producer responsibility bill affecting scrap tire collection. And originally that was submitted by the legislature and the bill, it was like 28 or 30 pages long and was just terrible. I mean, trying to read through it was terrible, but trying to figure out what they expected of the tire dealers and that were collecting scrap tires was just, you just couldn’t do it. So we got involved in that and asked them to delay it and they gave us the opportunity and we’ve been working with TIA, the US Tire Manufacturers Association and the Recycler Association, and we’ve got the bill down four and a half pages, and we’re going to be talking about that Monday at 10 o’clock on a Zoom call with the Connecticut legislature.

So still, we’re not happy about it, as an association for our members, because it puts all the burden on the tire dealers that are already doing a fine job of properly disposing of scrap tires and it’s going to put a burden on the taxpayer obviously, because he’s already paying for scrap tire disposal anywhere from like three 50 a tire to $6 a tire, and now we’re going to add another $2 to that, that’s going to go to the state, but we figure this is the best of a bad deal.

Neal:

I think that Connecticut situation is a perfect example of the benefits an association can bring to the legislative process because I’m sure from a legislator’s perspective, it’s really hard to write legislation to impact an industry that you may not fully understand. And where the association can really come in handy is to help them understand the real life applications.

Tony:

Correct. And not only from the legislative standpoint, but I guarantee you that our members, as well as the non-members that are in our industry, had no idea this was going on in that state legislature. So without our input, without the help from TIA and the other organizations that we partnered with, there’d be no knowledge of it. And even with the communication part of it, our mom and pop locations, they’re knee-deep, especially in today’s marketplace with helping either a premium, there’s not enough bodies to go around to run your business, let alone to monitor what’s going on in these legislatures. So that’s one of the really great benefits of the association that we are out there looking out for the independent tire dealer.

Neal:

Now watching out and digesting those bills that’s a key part of your support, I’m sure. Well, I know that there’s a really exciting event on the horizon. NETSA’s had a longstanding trade show, so that’s coming up. Tell us what’s happening.

Tony:

Correct. We’re absolutely excited about that. We believe we’ll get great attendance. It’s going to be held March 31st and April 1st at Mohegan Sun in Connecticut. Great resort and casino. Our keynote speaker’s going to be Tom Tucker, formerly of the Auto Care Association, and he’s now with the glass company who’s, having a senior moment, I can’t think of the name of his new company, but he’s going to be our keynote speaker. We’re going to have a seminar put on by one of our members, Tire Tutor, about website placement with Google and how to get better search capabilities. And then we’re going to have two seminars Saturday. That’s what takes place Saturday morning. Then we’re going to devote two seminars with Advanced Auto leading the way, and we’re actually going to have an automobile there, and they’re going to have participation, not only from them but from Hunter, and possibly one other company that are going to demonstrate calibrating for ADAF systems.

And so it’s going to be pretty informative. Last year we devoted the seminars to hybrid and electric vehicles and we wound up with standing room only. We set up for a hundred participants and we filled the chairs and had people standing in the background. So we hope to do the same. Now we’re actually going to move it onto the showroom floor because we’re going to have a car to demonstrate on. So it’s hard to get that into a meeting room. We also will end the affair Saturday night with our Hall of Fame dinner. We’re pleased to induct this year, Ryan McKeagan from Mohawk Rubber Cells, and Jim Melvin Jr. From Melvin Tire Pros and just sold his business to Mavis. So he is now retired, but both excellent businessmen who grew their businesses and second generations and will join both of their fathers in the Hall of Fame.

Neal:

That’s fantastic.

Tony:

They kind of need, yeah, so that’s kind of special. So we’re looking forward to that. It’s a great way for people to meet vendors, talk to suppliers, talk to each other, and get some good information from our keynote speaker at the luncheon, and then get some excellent training the next morning at the seminars. And we provide this service. It’s all free. We don’t charge our members and we don’t charge non-members. Everybody is welcome to attend and it’s a good time and everybody usually enjoys himself and Mohegan Sun is just a beautiful place and when the show is over, plenty of other things to occupy your time there. So we’re looking forward to that.

Neal:

That sounds like fantastic event and with a little luck may even have some good weather by then.

Tony:

Well, yeah, we’ve run the gauntlet on that as well. We’ve had it in snow storms and in great weather. We kind of look for that happy medium. We don’t want the snowstorm, but we don’t want it to be too nice either. That first nice weekend no one wants to come and walk around and look at the vendor. So we kind of like those hazy days where it’s not great out, but not stormy either.

Neal:

That’s right.

Tony:

They all want to come inside.

Neal:

That makes perfect sense.

Tony:

Just opposite of what we want in September for our golf tournament.

Neal:

That’s it. That’s it. I’m sure you’ll trade one for the other.

Tony:

Absolutely.

Neal:

Well, Tony, you’re like most of our guests, you’ve spent a large portion of your career in and around the tire business. I’m sure in that process you’ve received a ton of advice. Thinking back, what’s the best piece of advice you’ve received?

Tony:

Well, it was quite a few years ago, and someone told me when riding a dead horse, by all means dismount. And I thought it was quite clever and really pertinent, especially at the time I was in sales. And we so often spend a lot of time with a customer who just is not going to come around and it’s okay to take a no and move on because when you’re riding a dead horse, you’re not getting anywhere and there’s a lot of other horses in the corral, you might as well start looking elsewhere. You could revisit it at some later date, but I always thought, I always remember that and the advice I’ve given my children and my grandchildren as well and will do so with my great-grandchildren too. So sometimes you just got to accept the no and move on.

Matt Peters:

Good advice.

Neal:

I agree. I agree. I think is not giving up forever, but sometimes your efforts are better spent elsewhere.

Tony:

Absolutely. And that works whether you’re on the road, a wholesale salesman, or even in the retail arena. Sometimes you have to fire a customer and it just doesn’t pay to spend good time on a bad road.

Neal:

Of course, of course. Well, Tony, I appreciate it. And today we’ve been joined by Tony DeSimone, Executive Director of NETSA. Tony, where can our listeners learn more about NETSA and the trade show?

Tony:

They could find us at netsa.org, so N E T S A.org. We’ll be short posting all the events up there shortly. The dates will be up there probably this week. And then we’ll have the events that are going to take place posted on there as well. And then also we have our upcoming scholarship too. Just a quick note on that.

Neal:

Please.

Tony:

We’ll be giving out at least 19 scholarships this year, and in 2023 we will go over the half a million mark in scholarships that we’ve given out in 20 years. So we’re quite proud of that as well.

Neal:

That’s fantastic.

Tony:

This year we’ll have one lucky recipient that will up that scholarship from 2000 to 5,000. We’ll take all the recipients, put their names in a hat and draw one out, and they’ll get bumped up to 5,000 in celebration of our half a million mark.

Neal:

That’s fantastic. Congratulations.

Tony:

Thank you.

Neal:

And we will put links to everything in our show notes as well.

Tony:

Very good. Appreciate that.

Neal:

And congratulations on all the good work you’ve done and looking forward to good things to come.

Tony:

Thank you. Appreciate you having me here.

Neal:

Thank you, Tony.

Tony:

You have a great day.

Matt:

Thank you, Tony.

Announcer:

Thanks for listening to the Gain Traction podcast. We’ll see you again next time and be sure to click subscribe to get future episodes.

• Gain Traction
• Gain Traction Podcast
• Matthew Peters
• Neal Maier
• New England Tire and Service Association
• Tony DeSimone
• Tread Partners

Transcript