Thank you to our dealers, sponsors and guests for making this year’s meetings a success!

Our 2026 TAA Fall Regional Meeting series concluded in Memphis on Tuesday. Major goals of these meetings are sharing key issue updates affecting your businesses, while ensuring TAA remains a strong voice representing your interests. We shared updates on federal and state legislative matters, key industry topics and invited area lawmakers to share their perspectives.

We also want to recognize and thank our lawmakers who joined us: Tennessee Representative Tim Hicks (Johnson City), Tennessee Senator Bo Watson (Hixson), as well as Tennessee Senator Ed Jackson (Jackson) and Tennessee Senator Brent Taylor (Memphis). We also want to thank Hao Nyugen from ComplyAuto who provided great insight on the latest from the FTC.

Successful events, like our regional meetings, don’t just happen. They require the hard work of a lot of folks, including our TAA Operations Manager, Kelly Barber. TAA Chairman Lonnie Cobb and I wish to express our gratitude to our sponsors, whose support helped make this year’s meetings possible. (See list below)

TAA is proud to congratulate Billy Walker, president of Walker Chevrolet in Franklin, on being named Tennessee’s nominee for the 2027 TIME Dealer of the Year award. Billy is a respected leader in Tennessee’s automotive industry, and we congratulate him on this well-deserved recognition!

Billy is one of a select group of 48 dealer nominees from across the country who will be honored at the 110th annual National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) Show in Orlando, Florida, on February 19, 2027.

Billy began learning the automotive business at age 14 by working in various roles at his father’s dealerships. He earned a bachelor’s degree in business from Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro in 1980 and completed the GM School of Merchandising and Management in Detroit that same year. After graduating, Billy began working full time at Walker Chevrolet. His experience in numerous dealership positions allowed him to learn the business from the ground up before becoming dealer principal in 1995.

Billy has been actively involved in TAA, serving on the Board of Directors, Executive Committee and as a regional vice chairman. In those roles, he has advocated before local and state officials on issues affecting automobile dealers and their customers. In 2026, Billy received the Robert V. Weaver Award, TAA’s highest honor recognizing dealer leadership and community involvement. 

Beyond the dealership, Billy has been a member of the Franklin Rotary since 1990 and has demonstrated a longstanding commitment to his community. Through Walker Chevrolet, he supports Williamson County youth sports, local events and programs benefiting residents throughout the area.

The TIME Dealer of the Year award is one of the automobile industry’s most prestigious and highly coveted honors. The award recognizes the nation’s most successful auto dealers who also demonstrate a long-standing commitment to community service.

To read the full press release from TIME, click here.

Tennessee Department of Revenue and its vendor have been working on updates to the state’s lien and titling system. Beginning on or around July 1, 2026, the state will begin implementing changes that will primarily affect how lenders record new liens on vehicles and how a lender can more simply release a vehicle lien. With the creation of “electronic lien” for lenders, this change will simplify the process for lenders to record and release vehicle liens. Representatives from the state and vendors walk through the changes in Webinar below the recording is 33 minutes.

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Webinar Link (33 minutes)

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EZ Tag User Guide Below

On behalf of the Tennessee Automotive Association, we want to express our sincere appreciation to all our sponsors of the 2026 Tri-State New Car and Truck Dealers Convention. This year’s event was nothing short of amazing, with a record-breaking attendance that would not have been possible without your financial contribution. The high level of energy throughout the convention was felt at each event. The tradeshow was the best ever, with the exhibit hall packed full of dealers and sponsors sharing information about the industry. Know that your support is the foundation that enables us to produce a first-class convention of this magnitude. The sponsorship dollars help us provide the speakers and networking events in a great environment where our members and partners can truly connect and build relationships.