In the fast-paced world of an independent dealership, wearing multiple hats is a badge of honor. But when one of those hats is "Finance Manager," the stakes for your business skyrocket.

A recent multi-state lawsuit against a major installment lender serves as a sobering reminder: it’s not the products you sell that create risk, it’s the process you use to sell them. From "loan packing" allegations to rushed electronic signatures, the spotlight is back on how disclosures are handled behind the desk.

Independent dealers across Washington are navigating a business environment that seems to grow more complicated by the day. Rising operating costs, increased theft and vandalism, changing regulations, and tighter margins all land on the shoulders of small business owners who are simply trying to run their stores responsibly and serve their communities.

If you operate a dealership in Washington, this bill may not mention you by name, but it touches closer to home than you might think.
Senate Bill 6031 and its companion, House Bill 2394, would create a stand-alone crime of insurance fraud in Washington and classify it as a Class B felony. The legislation expands how insurance fraud is defined, modernizes enforcement tools, and extends the statute of limitations for prosecuting complex schemes.

With 20 days remaining in the 2026 Washington State legislative session and with three major deadlines passing for bills to advance in the last three weeks, the Legislature now begins a several week sprint to complete the state’s supplemental budget. This will be a challenge with a large budget deficit, and Democratic leadership’s efforts to pass an 9.9 percent income tax focused on persons with annual personal or combined income exceeding $1 million. This is the most politically charged issue of the session, with last session’s dramatically large tax increases starting to give a few majority Democrats some pause — and others some energy to reduce some of those 2025 tax increases. 

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There are few industries that reflect the American dream quite like the car business.
It is built on grit and long hours, on shaking hands and keeping your word, on earning trust one
customer at a time. It is built by people willing to take risk, work harder than expected, and
stand behind what they sell. When done right, it becomes more than a business. It becomes a
legacy.

J.T. Curry built that kind of legacy.

It is with heavy hearts to announce that our executive director