ST. LOUIS AUTO DEALER'S ASSOCIATION

What ST. LOUIS AUTO DEALER'S ASSOCIATION does

SLADA is a not-for-profit regional trade association founded in 1907 that represents approximately 100 St. Louis-area new car and truck dealers. It operates on a two-tier membership model: Dealer Membership, which gives area dealers access to the annual St. Louis Auto Show, advertising in the show program, training, free meeting facilities, community outreach, and a monthly newsletter; and Associate Membership, offered across five pricing tiers to vendor companies seeking access and exposure to the dealer network.

The association's principal revenue engine beyond recurring dues is the annual St. Louis Auto Show — the largest automobile event in the St. Louis metro, featuring more than 500 new vehicles from 25+ manufacturers under one roof at America's Center, with ticketing operated through Ticketmaster. A secondary commercial offering is Optimum Dealer Services, a preferred-vendor program that vets and negotiates pricing for dealer members across categories including F&I income development, payment processing, oil and chemicals, and marketing. The SLADA Charitable Foundation, established in 2008, runs additional revenue-generating and goodwill events such as the Blood Sweat & Gears run and a Charity Golf Tournament, and has cumulatively raised over $750,000 and donated nearly $250,000 to local charities. The organization employs approximately 6 staff at its 13616 Manchester Rd headquarters in St. Louis, Missouri, and lists national partners including Ally, Cox Automotive, Zurich, Carfax, Manheim, and Santander among its associate members.

There is no proprietary technology platform underlying SLADA's operations; distribution is event-driven (the Auto Show), digital-light (the website's "Find a Dealer" locator and a dealer-locator with 10–500 mile radius and 24-brand filtering), and relationship-driven for the Optimum Dealer Services vendor channel. The organization functions as a classic industry association: aggregating a fragmented dealer base into a single bargaining, marketing, and community-engagement entity, monetizing that aggregation through dues, events, and vetted-vendor referral economics.

Name

ST. LOUIS AUTO DEALER'S ASSOCIATION

Legal name

Saint Louis Auto Dealers Association

Website

https://stlautos.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1907

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

SLADA is a not-for-profit regional trade association, founded in 1907, representing approximately 100 St. Louis-area new car and truck dealers through dealer and associate memberships, the annual St. Louis Auto Show, and the Optimum Dealer Services preferred-vendor program.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

St. Louis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: SLADA generates revenue through dealer and associate membership fees, providing members access to events, training, networking, advertising opportunities, and preferred vendor discounts through Optimum Dealer Services.
2. St. Louis Auto Show: The annual auto show generates revenue through ticket sales and advertising within the show program. Dealers receive free tickets and program ad placements as member benefits.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

SLADA is a not-for-profit trade association that provides membership, networking, and event services to approximately 100 St. Louis area new car and truck dealers. Its core offerings include dealer and associate membership programs, the annual St. Louis Auto Show, the SLADA Charitable Foundation, member meeting facilities, education and training, and the Optimum Dealer Services preferred vendor program.

Product overview

SLADA (St. Louis Auto Dealers Association) is a not-for-profit trade association serving approximately 100 new car and truck dealers in the St. Louis area since 1907. The organization operates as a membership-based association offering two core membership types: Dealer Membership and Associate Membership (with five levels). The main products and services include the annual St. Louis Auto Show (the region's largest auto event with 500+ vehicles from 25+ manufacturers), the SLADA Charitable Foundation (which has raised over $750,000 for local charities since 2008), member meeting facilities with audio/visual equipment, and dealer services through Optimum Dealer Services (providing preferred vendors for F&I, payment processing, and other dealer needs). Additional offerings include education and training programs, community outreach initiatives, and a dealer locator tool.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• SLADA Dealer Membership Annual membership program for new car and truck dealers in the St. Louis area providing access to the St. Louis Auto Show (free tickets and program ad), advertising opportunities, education and training, free meeting facilities, community outreach participation, monthly newsletter, and discounted vendor products via Optimum Dealer Services.
• SLADA Associate Membership Five-level annual membership program for companies offering products and services to auto dealers (F&I, marketing, finance, insurance, technology, auctions), providing access to area dealers and exposure through SLADA events, communications, and the St. Louis Auto Show.
• St. Louis Auto Show Annual automobile event held at America's Center featuring more than 500 new cars, trucks, SUVs and luxury vehicles from over 25 manufacturers; the largest automobile event in the St. Louis area. Tickets sold through Ticketmaster.
• SLADA Charitable Foundation Nonprofit foundation that hosts events (Blood Sweat & Gears run, Charity Golf Tournament, Auto Show Charity Gala) throughout the year to maximize charitable contributions back to the St. Louis community. Has raised over $750,000 since inception and donated nearly $250,000 to local charities.
• SLADA Meeting Facilities Two meeting rooms (Board Room seating 13-16 and Conference Room seating 40-50) available to members at no charge, featuring audio/visual equipment, Internet access, and a food prep area, for training sessions, sales meetings, and other events.
• Optimum Dealer Services SLADA's preferred vendor program that connects dealer members with vetted vendors offering premium products and services including F&I Income Development, payment processing, oil and chemicals, and marketing, with negotiated competitive pricing for association members.
• Education and Training Education and training opportunities hosted by SLADA for dealers and dealership staff, including NADA presentations and federal advertising updates.
• Find a Dealer Online search tool allowing consumers to find SLADA member dealers by address/ZIP code and radius (10-500 miles), with brand filtering across Acura, Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Dodge, Fiat, Ford, GMC, Honda, Hyundai, Jeep, Kia, Lexus, Lincoln, Maserati, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Ram, Scion, Subaru, Toyota, Volkswagen, and Volvo.

Named customers23 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Optimum Dealer ServicescoreGTM or Marketing PartnerOptimum Dealer Services is SLADA's recommended partner program that connects dealer members with vetted vendors. The program reviews and selects premium partners across categories including F&I Income Development, payment processing, and oil and chemicals, negotiating competitive pricing for association members.
• Ally BankminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAlly Bank is listed as a SLADA partner, providing financial services potentially related to automotive dealer services.
• ZurichminorGTM or Marketing PartnerZurich is listed as a SLADA partner, providing insurance solutions for automotive dealers.
• TicketmasterminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTicketmaster is the ticketing partner for the St. Louis Auto Show, handling ticket sales for the annual event.
• American Red CrossminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAmerican Red Cross is the charity partner for the Blood Sweat & Gears event benefiting the St. Louis Auto Show. Donations can be made directly to the American Red Cross through the event page.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Kansas City Automobile Dealers Association: Regional auto dealer association serving the Kansas City metro, the closest geographic peer to SLADA. Runs an overlapping model with dealer members, associate members, and member services in an adjacent market.
• National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA): National trade association representing franchised new-car dealers across the U.S., the direct upstream parent body of state and regional auto dealer associations like SLADA. Operates the same membership, advocacy, and training model at national scale.
• Greater Chicago Automotive Dealers Association: Regional dealer association serving the Chicago metro area with membership, advocacy, and signature auto show programming. A larger-scale version of the same model SLADA runs in St. Louis.
• Detroit Auto Dealers Association: Regional trade association representing Detroit-area new-car dealers and producer of the North American International Auto Show. Direct functional peer running the same dealer-association playbook in a major auto market.
• Missouri Automobile Dealers Association: State-level trade association representing Missouri new-car dealers. Operates the same model as SLADA - dealer membership, associate members, advocacy, and training - at state scope rather than metro scope.
• Philadelphia Automobile Dealers Association: Regional dealer association running the Philadelphia Auto Show and serving dealers in the Philadelphia metro. Same dealer-association model, event-driven revenue, and membership structure as SLADA.

Regional players

• Greater Houston Automobile Dealers Association: Regional dealer association serving the Houston metro with membership, dealer services, and event programming. Comparable structure to SLADA but operating in a different, larger Sun Belt market.
• Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex Auto Dealers Association: Regional dealer association serving the DFW metro with membership and event programming. Comparable in structure to SLADA but operating in a different regional market with different scale.
• Atlanta Automobile Dealers Association: Regional trade association representing Atlanta-area franchised dealers with membership, advocacy, and signature auto show. Same playbook as SLADA, applied in a Southeast regional market.
• Greater New Orleans Automobile Dealers Association: Regional dealer trade association representing new-car dealers in the Greater New Orleans area. Operates the same dealer membership, associate member, and event model as SLADA at smaller regional scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/st.-louis-auto-dealer's-association

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 record

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 ST. LOUIS AUTO DEALER'S ASSOCIATION