Ryan Jones, general manager of Marv Jones Honda in Maple Ridge, has accepted a position on the board of directors for the Canadian Automobile Dealers Association.
CADA is the national association for franchised automobile and truck dealerships that sell new cars and trucks.
It represents 3,200 dealers, employing more than 140,000 people, in what is a key sector of Canada's economy.
Ryan Jones, also a shareholder at Marv Jones Honda, graduated from Georgian collage Barrie, Ont. with a degree in marketing management in the auto industry.
"He has been involved in our family business his entire life – emptying garbage cans and sweeping the shop in 1991," said Marv Jones, dealer owner. "He has progressed through the entire business – parts department, service department, new car sales, used car sales, business office."
Post university, Ryan Jones managed Performance Honda in Chilliwack until it was sold.
He was also a director on the board for B.C. Motor Dealers, as part of which he travelled on a trade mission to China with Premier Christy Clark.
BCMD runs the program that requires the licensing of all automobile salespersons in B.C. It also operate the "scrap it" program and liaises with different ministries at the provincial level.
Jones also spearheaded a project to attract young executives to the auto industry, hosting job fairs on behalf of the automobile industry.
He introduced a program at BCIT, along with the minster of labour and small business, for an extension to an apprenticeship program for automotive technicians . Furthermore, Jones gave a key note speech at last year's Vancouver Auto Show.