On the Dash:
- Dealers must engage actively with NADA to navigate evolving industry challenges and regulatory changes.
- Balancing short-term policy issues with long-term strategic planning is critical for sustaining dealership growth.
- Collaboration with NADA leadership ensures franchised dealer systems remain competitive and future-ready.
Pennsylvania dealer Rob Cochran officially assumed the role of National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) chairman on Thursday at the 2026 NADA Show, telling thousands of attendees that dealer involvement is more critical than ever amid unprecedented industry change.
“As we look at our business model… we are managing more variables, more uncertainties, and more transformation than at any point in our history,” Cochran said during his Main Stage address.
Cochran, a second-generation dealer who began his automotive career in 1987 after graduating from Carnegie Mellon University, has led the family-owned No.1 Cochran business for more than three decades. The enterprise now operates 35 dealerships representing 20 brands, 12 collision centers, and a wholesale parts distribution center across Western Pennsylvania and Eastern Ohio.
During his speech, Cochran outlined two main priorities for his chairmanship: effectively managing current policy and regulatory challenges while addressing long-term strategic issues in automotive retail. He praised NADA’s leadership and reaffirmed the organization’s commitment to protecting the franchised-dealer system.
“I am excited to be working with this group,” he said. “All of us… will work together to continue to protect what makes our system the best in the world while positioning ourselves to thrive in the next era of automotive retail.”
Cochran succeeds Tom Castriota, owner of Castriota Chevrolet in Hudson, Florida, and has served on the NADA Board representing Pennsylvania since 2020. His tenure as chairman comes as dealers navigate complex policy issues, shifting consumer behaviors, and an evolving automotive retail landscape.
