#10 | April 22, 2020 | View PDF of Full Issue | Subscribe
In This Issue

  • 2020 WANADA Open Cancelled
  • Auto Sales Deemed "Essential" in New Federal Guidance
  • Financial Support for Businesses Available in Several Local Counties
  • Face Masks the New Normal as States Develop Re-Opening Plans
The 2020 WANADA Open, which had been scheduled for mid-June, has been cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. WANADA will have an announcement later in the year regarding the 2021 WANADA Open, including location and timing details.

The cancellation, while necessary, is nevertheless disappointing. WANADA would like to thank the members of its Special Events Committee in helping organize the event, which would have been once again held at the Trump National Golf Club in Loudoun County.

The Special Events Committee consists of the following members, who represent WANADA member dealers and Kindred-Line members: chairman Tom Parsons, B&R Associates; Dwayne Cannon, JM&A Group; Tom Layden, BG Products; Jennifer Parsons, DARCARS; Peter Reilly, Councilor, Buchanan & Mitchell, LP; Sam Weaver, Chevy Chase Cars; and ex-officio member Kevin Reilly, Alexandria Hyundai.

We would also once again like to thank our 2019 WANADA Open sponsors for their continued support. 

Those sponsors include the following: ACV Auctions; Ally Bank; Architects Group Practice; Automate; B&R Associates; Baker Tilly; Bank of America; BB&T Bank; BG Products; BMO Harris Bank; BSC America/Bel Air Auto Auction; Carfax; Charapp & Weiss, LLP; Chesapeake Contracting Group; Chesapeake Petroleum & Supply Co.; Councilor, Buchanan & Mitchell, LP; DHG Dealerships; Doyle Construction; Effectv; Enterprise Rent-a-Car; Hargrove; Helion Technologies; JM&A Group; The Keats Group at RBC Wealth Management; M&T Bank; NBC Sports Washington; Penney Design Group; Porter Construction; SunDun Office Refreshments; SunTrust; UHY LLP Certified Public Accountants; WANADA Insurance Brokerage & Trust; WellNet; Yoffe Exposition Services; and Zurich.
Upcoming Events
News to Us
Late last week, the  U.S. Department of Homeland Security  added auto sales to its list of services that comprise the country's "critical infrastructure workforce." This decision does not impact any of the state and local safety regulations that WANADA dealers must follow at this time – including  Executive Order 53  in Virginia, and the various  state  and  local ordinances  in Maryland. 

That being said, WANADA appreciates that the federal government has joined  Maryland  in recognizing that auto sales are an essential component of America's transportation infrastructure. Auto sales in Virginia are able to continue under Executive Order 53's requirement that businesses limit their occupancy to no more than 10 patrons at a time. There are no new auto dealerships in the District of Columbia.

WANADA appreciates the hard work that the National Automobile Dealers Association and other industry advocates put into securing this guidance change. While the authority on business openings (or closures) ultimately falls to state governments, it has already been a boost for dealers in states like Pennsylvania, where Gov. Tom Wolf and state legislators just reached an agreement to allow car sales online , following several weeks where dealerships’ sales operations were shuttered entirely.
While Congress advances a rescue package to replenish the Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program and Economic Injury Disaster Loan advance fund, local small businesses who have been impacted by COVID-19 might also have additional financial resources available to them.

Last week, Montgomery County began accepting applications for the Public Health Emergency Grant Program , which will provide up to $75,000 in grant funds for certain small businesses and non-profits who employ a majority of their staffers and make a majority of their revenue in the county. According to the program’s FAQ page , applicants can qualify for the county support in addition to other state and federal resources that have been made available in the past six weeks.

Prince George’s County is also accepting applications for its COVID-19 Business Relief Fund , which will provide low-interest loans (and up to $10,000 in grant funding) to for-profit businesses based in the county who have also sought federal and state aid. The county has also published an FAQ page about the program’s eligibility requirements.

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors has also announced a Small Business Recovery MicroLoan Fund , which will begin accepting applications on April 28. The recovery fund will offer up to $20,000 in zero-interest loans, repayable for as long as six years, for county-based businesses with 50 or fewer employees, who have been negatively impacted by the COVID-19 crisis.
Last week, The White House announced a three-phase guidance for gradually restoring normal business and social gathering functions across the country. These guidelines are not binding, and the responsibility for loosening restrictions will fall to state authorities; what is clear in the Washington area is that face masks are likely to be a key component of any resumption of normal business activities.

In Maryland, Gov. Larry Hogan has issued a statewide executive order requiring all retail store patrons and riders on public transit to cover their faces with cloth masks while using these services. Nearly every county in the Maryland part of the Washington suburbs has issued their own directive , requiring employers to provide their essential workers with face coverings at worksites. Many of the local ordinances include potential criminal penalties for non-compliant businesses, and local authorities in Maryland are empowered to close businesses who are not adhering to the state and local regulations around social distancing .

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser has issued similar guidance on face masks , mirroring Gov. Hogan’s executive order, though as of now it’s unclear as to precisely what legal enforcement authority is contained in her order.

Similarly, Gov. Ralph Northam of Virginia has strongly encouraged , but not required, patrons and employees to wear face masks inside businesses during this pandemic. Northam’s Executive Order 53 allows businesses like dealerships and repair facilities to remain open, provided that they limit the number of patrons in the stores and that all their employees adhere to strict social distancing guidelines. Virginia localities including Arlington County have encouraged face-mask adoption in retail businesses, but in the commonwealth almost any legal enforcement of this type would have to come from Richmond.

That said, as states look towards their re-opening plans – and as states like Georgia, South Carolina, and Tennessee actually begin implementing them – it is reasonable to infer that the states in our region will require workplace face masks for some time. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp’s announcement that some non-essential businesses could re-open as soon as this week included a guidance that workers use masks and gloves , and that they adhere to strict social distancing guidelines .

Whenever D.C., Maryland, and Virginia get back to somewhat normal new operations, it seems clear that the emphasis on social distancing, face mask use, and ample access to hand sanitizing, will be part of our new normal for many months to come.