Pennsylvania Automotive Association

What Pennsylvania Automotive Association does

The Pennsylvania Automotive Association (PAA) is a member-owned trade association founded in 1919 and headquartered in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, representing franchised new car, truck, and powersports dealers across the Commonwealth. It serves over 1,000 franchised dealers and approximately 1,400 total members, including associate members such as used-car dealers, body shops, auctions, vendors, banks, accountants, and notaries. PAA operates two specialized divisions — Pennsylvania Truck Dealers (PTD, est. 1975) and Pennsylvania Powersports Dealers (PPD, est. 2023) — each governed by its own board of directors.

PAA's service portfolio centers on five recurring revenue streams: (1) membership dues from franchised and associate members; (2) insurance brokerage commissions through its wholly-owned PAA Insurance Agency (PAAIA), offering health, life, dental, vision, and disability coverage; (3) title and registration services with 40+ personnel processing PennDOT documents, temporary plates, inspection stickers, and dealer-plate renewals; (4) fee-based education and training (notary certification at $99/$119, webinars at $49, agent services training, Freon/Mobile A/C certification, Red Flags training); and (5) partnership-program revenue from a curated network of 20+ vendors (Reynolds & Reynolds, Dealertrack, VinSolutions, KPA, Sunoco, FedEx, Zurich, ComplyAuto, etc.) offering members discounted services. The association sustains a dedicated legislative advocacy function that has built Pennsylvania's dealer franchise law protections into one of the strongest in the United States, funded in part through a PAC.

The association is governed by a Board elected from voting franchised members, with an executive team led by President Chad Marsar, Executive VP Mark Stine, General Counsel Brian Murren, and CIO Jeff Dorsey. Four regionally-assigned field managers conduct in-person dealer outreach, supported by a members-only web portal, a 24/7 online hotline, and an insurance call center. Distribution is fully domestic and limited to Pennsylvania, with two physical offices (Harrisburg HQ and East Norriton). Supporting entities include the PAA Foundation (technician tool grants) and PAA Dealer Services (paadps.com, online supply store).

Name

Pennsylvania Automotive Association

Legal name

Pennsylvania Automotive Association

Website

https://paa.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1919

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Pennsylvania Automotive Association is a member-owned trade association founded in 1919 that represents franchised new car, truck, and powersports dealers across Pennsylvania through legislative advocacy, insurance brokerage, title services, education, and group purchasing partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Harrisburg

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: PAA generates revenue through membership dues from franchised new car, truck, and powersports dealers as well as associate members including used car dealers, body shops, auctions, vendors, banks, accountants, and notaries.
2. Insurance Agency Services: PAA Insurance Agency acts as a full-service insurance broker offering health, life, dental, disability, and vision insurance plans to member dealerships. Revenue generated through commissions from insurance carriers.
3. Education and Training: PAA provides fee-based training programs including notary training ($99 for members, $119 for non-members), webinars ($49 per session), agent services training, compliance reviews, and Freon/Mobile A/C certification.
4. Title Services: PAA Title Department provides title processing services for PennDOT documents, temporary plates, inspection stickers, and dealer plate renewals. Services include Priority Title Service, Dealer Titles, Lien Verifications, and Research Services.
5. Partnership Programs: PAA partners with various vendors (Reynolds & Reynolds, VinSolutions, Sunoco, FedEx, etc.) to provide discounted services to members, generating referral or partnership revenue.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Pennsylvania Automotive Association (PAA) is a statewide nonprofit trade association founded in 1919 that represents franchised new car, truck, and powersports dealers in Pennsylvania. It sells membership and member services including legislative and regulatory advocacy, dealer education and training, motor vehicle title processing, and group insurance brokerage, delivered through its member-owned subsidiaries PAA Dealer Services, PAA Insurance Agency, and the PAA Foundation.

Product overview

The Pennsylvania Automotive Association (PAA) is a trade association serving as the unified voice for over 1,000 new car, truck, and powersports dealers across Pennsylvania. Rather than a software platform, PAA provides a portfolio of member services organized around three core pillars: (1) Legislative Advocacy representing dealers before state government, (2) Group purchasing programs that deliver economies of scale through insurance, partnership programs, and title services, and (3) Education and Training including PennDOT-certified title training, notary courses, and professional development. The core member service suite includes Membership Services (providing access to all PAA benefits), Legislative Advocacy, Education & Training programs, Title & Registration Services (processing titlework for PennDOT), the Insurance Agency (offering health, life, dental, vision, and disability coverage), Tool Grants program, an Online Store for dealer supplies, and Partnership Programs (affinity discounts on vendor services). Annual events including the PAA Fall Conference and PTD Convention complement the service portfolio. The association operates specialized divisions for truck dealers (PTD, established 1975) and powersports dealers (PPD, established 2023), each with their own boards and executive directors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• PAA Insurance Agency: Full-service insurance broker offering health, life, dental, disability, and vision insurance to member dealerships.
• PAA Foundation
• PAA Title Services

Products and services

• PAA Membership
• Legislative and Regulatory Advocacy
• Dealer Education and Training
• Motor Vehicle Title Services (PAA Dealer Services)
• Dealer Insurance Brokerage (PAA Insurance Agency)
• PAA Foundation Community Programs

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Reynolds & ReynoldscoreTechnology or IntegrationReynolds Document Services provides legally reviewed automotive F&I compliance documents. PAA members receive 10% discount. They partnered to create The LAW Pennsylvania F&I Library - a standard set of F&I documents for Pennsylvania dealers.
• PAAIA (PAA Insurance Agency)coreTechnology or IntegrationPAAIA provides bonds for dealers including notary services with bond, state application fee, and official stamp for $140.92.
• Environ EnergyminorOthersSince 2008, Environ Energy (formerly APPI Energy) provides data-driven procurement solutions to reduce and manage electricity and natural gas supply costs for PAA members.
• Miller Environmental Group (MEG)minorOthersProvides environmental and facility maintenance solutions including 24/7 emergency response, site remediation, waste transportation, industrial cleaning, and facility maintenance. 2-4 hour response time.
• ZurichminorOthersZurich provides F&I solutions and vehicle protection products for dealerships. Serves over 2,800 franchised dealers across the U.S.
• SunocominorOthersPAA Fleet Fuel Program featuring Sunoco Ultratech Fuel provides 6 cents off per gallon at Sunoco locations through SunTrak or Sunoco Universal cards.
• American Fidelity Assurance CompanycoreOthersProvides long-term disability programs and Section 125 plan installation for PAA members. Section 125 allows pre-tax premium purchases lowering employee taxes.
• CompuspectionscoreTechnology or IntegrationComplete PA State Safety Inspection recording software application creating MV431, MV480, MV431-SI and Failed logbooks with barcode scanner and management dashboard.
• FedExminorOthersPAA members receive up to 50% off expedited shipping and 45% off 2-day shipping through FedEx Advantage program.
• VITUcoreTechnology or IntegrationVITU Online Registration and Title platform for electronic titling and registration services in Pennsylvania.
• UniFirst CorporationminorOthersUniform and workwear programs provider. PAA preferred workwear and first aid vendor offering free evaluation of current programs.
• Gallagher/AM TrustminorOthersWorkers Compensation Program for PAA members through Gallagher/AM Trust.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• New York State Automobile Dealers Association (NYSADA): State-level automotive dealer association serving franchised dealers in New York. Direct functional peer to PAA — same member-driven trade association structure, legislative advocacy, insurance, and education services — and historically one of the most active state dealer bodies nationally.
• New Jersey Coalition of Automotive Retailers (NJ CAR): New Jersey state dealer trade association representing franchised dealers. Closely comparable to PAA in northeastern U.S. regional dynamics and dealer-franchise advocacy focus.
• Texas Automobile Dealers Association (TADA): Texas state-level franchised dealer association providing advocacy, education, and member services. Directly comparable to PAA in mission, structure, and service portfolio (insurance, training, government relations).
• California New Car Dealers Association (CNCDA): State-level dealer association for California franchised new car dealers. Same trade-association model as PAA but operating in the largest U.S. auto market, making it a useful scale-comparable peer.
• Florida Automobile Dealers Association (FADA): Florida state dealer trade association offering parallel services to PAA including legislative advocacy, education programs, and member benefit programs for franchised dealers.
• Automobile Dealers Association of Indiana (ADAI): Indiana state dealer association delivering the same member-services portfolio as PAA — legislative representation, education/training, dealer-benefit programs — at a comparable mid-sized scale.
• Virginia Automobile Dealers Association (VADA): Mid-Atlantic state dealer association structurally comparable to PAA — neighboring Virginia dealers face similar PennDOT-adjacent regulatory dynamics and DMV/Pennsylvania-region dealer concerns.

Broad incumbents

• National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA): National-level trade association representing franchised new car dealers in the U.S. Same membership model and franchise-law advocacy mandate as PAA, but operating at the federal level across all 50 states rather than single-state.

Emerging players

• American International Automobile Dealers Association (AIADA): U.S. trade association representing nameplate dealerships of international brands. Adjacent niche within the dealer-association ecosystem that PAA engages with on federal advocacy matters.
• National Powersports Dealer Association (NPDA): National-level association for powersports dealers. Directly relevant given PAA's 2023 launch of the Pennsylvania Powersports Dealers (PPD) Board to represent this specific segment at the state level.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/melaniestinepaa
• Facebookfacebook.com/paautomotiveassociation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pennsylvania-automotive-association

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Pennsylvania Automotive Association