ALLIANCE, NAAA PART WAYS

Effective Jan. 1, 2001, the relationship between the American Agents Alliance and the National Auto Agents Alliance (NAAA) was officially terminated according to a resolution reached by the Alliance Board of Governors on Nov. 30. The resolution was the culmination of an ongoing dialogue between the NAAA and the Alliance with regard to the former’s direction and goals. According to the Alliance, the 1996 passing of its founder Don Stewart, who was deeply involved in the early leadership of the five-year-old NAAA, contributed to a loss in direction for the national organization. Alliance President Herb Jones stated that the decision to withdraw from the NAAA was a difficult one for the Alliance Board of Directors, which decided in the end that monies used on behalf of the NAAA could be better utilized to fund the Alliance’s legislative and regulatory lobbying efforts in California. In a later development, the NAAA elected one of its co-founders, James W. Holthaus of Denver, Colo., as its new president. Holthaus replaces Jack Ellis of Houston, Texas.