Trainor elected SCADA President

NEWBERRY — Joe Trainor, owner of Stokes-Trainor Chevrolet Buick GMC, has been elected President of the South Carolina Automobile Dealers Association (SCADA) for the 2025-26 term.

Trainor was inducted June 9. He has served on the SCADA Board of Directors since 2003, when he was first elected as a Director. In 2022, he was elected Vice President on the Executive Committee and became Treasurer in 2023 before becoming 1st Vice President in 2024.

Trainor was born at St. Francis Hospital in Charleston, growing up primarily in Charleston and Charleston Heights. Trainor has also lived in Mississippi, Utah and Southern California during his father’s Air Force tours.

After graduating from Garrett High School in 1978, Trainor attended the University of South Carolina before returning home to begin his career.

In March of 1981, he began what would become a lifelong career in the automobile business, starting in sales at Bob Sumersett. Trainor returned to Charleston in 1997 to work with the Stokes Automotive Group, and later that year, he and his partner, Ed Stokes, purchased the Newberry store that would become Stokes-Trainor Chevrolet Buick GMC.

Since taking the helm, Trainor and his team have more than doubled the store’s previous sales volume while consistently earning General Motors’ Mark of Excellence Award across all franchises. The dealership has also received numerous additional GM awards and remains a benchmark for excellence in small-market operations.

Trainor and his wife, Carla, have called Newberry home for the past 28 years, where they raised their sons, John Wesley (JW) and Sam – both of whom now work alongside their father in the dealership. His oldest son, Joseph IV, lives in Mount Pleasant and is also part of the family business. Trainor stays involved in the community, serving in leadership roles with the United Way of the Midlands, the Newberry Chamber of Commerce, the Newberry Hospital Foundation, Colony Lutheran Church, the Newberry Rotary Club, and Newberry College. He has been recognized for his service and leadership with honors including the Newberry County Economic Ambassador Award, Rotarian of the Year, the Jake and Mildred Fulmer Humanitarian of the Year Award, and a Letter of Appreciation from Newberry County Physicians for his work at Newberry Hospital.