Today I’m joined by Lauren Wilson Reeves, GM at Wilson Kia. We discuss her path from plastic surgery technician to high-powered GM, the untapped potential of having more women on the sales floor, how her open-door leadership bridges the gap between employees and executives, and more. This episode is brought to you by: 1. Cox Automotive - Omnichannel isn’t a buzzword anymore—it’s the playbook winning dealers are running. In a world where the buyer journey is more fragmented than ever, the most su...
Aug 19, 2025•32 min
Today's show features: David Spisak, President/CEO of Disruptive Growth Solutions, LLC Steven Adragna, General Manager at CDG Recruiting This episode is brought to you by: Prime Dealer Equity Fund - Prime Dealer Equity Fund is providing a limited number of accredited investors with $100,000 or more the rare opportunity to invest directly into franchised auto dealerships; the offering can only be made via the Private Placement Memorandum under Regulation 506(c). Led by seasoned operators with dee...
Aug 18, 2025•59 min
Welcome to Industry Spotlight—a focused series hosted by Sam D’Arc, highlighting standout dealerships and innovative companies, and exploring the trends driving success in today’s automotive market. Today, Sam sits down with Trent Waybright, Vice President of Pre-Owned Operations for Kelley Automotive Group, and Patrick Janes, AVP of vAuto Inventory Solutions. This episode of the Car Dealership Guy Podcast is brought to you by vAuto: vAuto - As the industry’s premier provider of end-to-end inven...
Aug 17, 2025•37 min
Today's show features: Roland Lynn, Executive General Manager of Dan Davis Nissan, Clay Cooley Nissan Dave Rogers, Fixed Ops Director at Piazza Auto Group This episode is brought to you by: Lotlinx - Get the best possible market advantage on every vehicle transaction. Optimize operations and boost profits using artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning. Learn more @ https://lotlinx.com/ Plug – The only wholesale auction built for EV’s, making used EV buying fast, transparent, and profi...
Aug 15, 2025•57 min
Today I’m joined by Vishal Vadodaria, CEO of AutoEngage. We dive into the product obsession Vishal learned under Steve Jobs, why a major public dealer group bet early on his AI tech, how Agentic AI is poised to reshape the future of the car business and much more. This episode is brought to you by: 1. CDK Global - CDK SimplePay is the only payment solution that's built into CDK solutions for unrivaled reliability and financial efficiency. To learn more or schedule a demo visit @ http://www.CDK....
Aug 14, 2025•45 min
Today's show features: Jim Elder, General Manager of The Suburban Collection Jimmy Douglas, CEO of Plug Joe Pistell, Founder of AutoMagicLabs.ai This episode is brought to you by: Lotlinx - Get the best possible market advantage on every vehicle transaction. Optimize operations and boost profits using artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning. Learn more @ https://lotlinx.com/ Plug – The only wholesale auction built for EV’s, making used EV buying fast, transparent, and profitable. If yo...
Aug 13, 2025•58 min
Today I’m joined by Josh Potts, CEO of Mac Haik Automotive Group. We dive into how living in his car at 17 sparked his journey into auto retail, his rapid rise to GM at one of Houston’s top dealerships, and how he built a $500M empire by balancing accountability with culture — and so much more. This episode is brought to you by: 1. CDK Global - CDK SimplePay is the only payment solution that's built into CDK solutions for unrivaled reliability and financial efficiency. To learn more or schedule ...
Aug 12, 2025•1 hr 4 min
Today's show features: Cole Frankman, Dealer Principal/Owner of Frankman Motor Company This episode is brought to you by: Lotlinx - Get the best possible market advantage on every vehicle transaction. Optimize operations and boost profits using artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning. Learn more @ https://lotlinx.com/ Check out Car Dealership Guy’s stuff: CDG News ➤ https://news.dealershipguy.com/ CDG Jobs ➤ ...
Aug 11, 2025•52 min
Today's show features: Brian Kramer, EVP, Dealer Growth & Success at Cars Commerce Dennis Gingrich, Sales & Finance Director at The Niello Company Nino Sita, General Manager at Lindsay Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram This episode is brought to you by: Haig Partners – Public retailers cite it. National media trusts it. Dealers rely on it. The Haig Report® sets the standard for dealership M&A data and trends in auto retail. Read it at https://haigpartners.com/haig-report/ DataScan – What i...
Aug 08, 2025•58 min
Today I’m joined by Alex Vetter, CEO of Cars Commerce. We unpack why consumers are getting shellshocked in the service lane, reveal the CRM blind spots from retail research to retail shopping behavior, and explore why 95% of car buyers still start their journey on third-party websites—plus much more. This episode is brought to you by: 1. CarNow - Tired of tools that promise the world but don’t deliver? CarNow isn’t one of them. One store switched to CarNow's full platform and went from a 3% to 3...
Aug 07, 2025•29 min
Today's show features: Matt Lasher, Director of Marketing at West Herr Automotive Group Brian "BK" Koprowski, CEO of DataScan This episode is brought to you by: Haig Partners – Public retailers cite it. National media trusts it. Dealers rely on it. The Haig Report® sets the standard for dealership M&A data and trends in auto retail. Read it at https://haigpartners.com/haig-report/ DataScan – What if your audits kept up with your inventory? Most dealers are stuck with audits that lag behind...
Aug 06, 2025•1 hr
Today I’m joined by Josh Clinton, GM of Cape Coral CDJR. We dive into how he doubled his close rate using simple AI prompts, the headwinds Stellantis is facing after cutting key models, the evolving role of the salesperson in an AI-driven landscape, and much more. This episode is brought to you by: 1. Lotlinx - Get the best possible market advantage on every vehicle transaction. Optimize operations and boost profits using artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning. Learn more @ https://lo...
Aug 05, 2025•56 min
Today's show features: Chuck Turck, Fixed Ops Director at Classic Cadillac and Subaru David Cerqueira, Service Director at Benzel-Busch Motor Car This episode is brought to you by: Haig Partners – Public retailers cite it. National media trusts it. Dealers rely on it. The Haig Report® sets the standard for dealership M&A data and trends in auto retail. Read it at https://haigpartners.com/haig-report/ Check out Car Dealership Guy’s stuff: CDG News ➤ https://...
Aug 04, 2025•57 min
Today's show features: Jason Graciano, Partner & General Manager of White Plains Honda Kevin Wruck, General Manager of Dahl Hyundai Mazda Subaru La Crosse This episode is brought to you by: Drive For Life Foundation – Join us in making a difference at the 43rd Drive for Life Gala on Thursday, September 25, 2025—celebrating over four decades and $6.3 million raised for impactful causes. Sponsors make this legacy possible, and your support directly fuels our mission. Visit https://www.drivef...
Aug 01, 2025•1 hr 15 min
Welcome to Industry Spotlight—a focused series hosted by Sam D’Arc, highlighting standout dealerships and innovative companies, and exploring the trends driving success in today’s automotive market. Today, Sam sits down with Matt Hogan, General Manager of Taverna INFINITI North Miami, and Omar Mohammad, CEO of Nomad Content Studio. This episode is brought to you by: Nomad Content Studio - $3.50 per lead. $105 per car buyer. That’s what an Infiniti store in Florida is getting using Nomad Content ...
Jul 31, 2025•33 min
Today's show features: Jack Hollis, Managing Partner of Accrual Equity Partners Jim Keffer, CEO of Keffer Auto Group This episode is brought to you by: Drive For Life Foundation – Join us in making a difference at the 43rd Drive for Life Gala on Thursday, September 25, 2025—celebrating over four decades and $6.3 million raised for impactful causes. Sponsors make this legacy possible, and your support directly fuels our mission. Visit https://www.driveforlifefoundation.com/sponsors.htm to becom...
Jul 30, 2025•59 min
Today I’m joined by Jeff Laethem, President of Ray Laethem Buick GMC. We dig into why "ego doesn't sell cars"—and how Jeff learned that lesson the hard way, why Buick might be on the brink of a major comeback, what made him pull the plug on Stellantis stores in the heart of metro Detroit—and much more. This episode is brought to you by: 1. Cox Automotive - Omnichannel isn’t a buzzword anymore—it’s the playbook winning dealers are running. In a world where the buyer journey is more fragmented tha...
Jul 29, 2025•40 min
Today's show features: Joe Kichler, Senior Vice President, Digital and Supply Chain at Cox Automotive Joel Bassam, President of Easterns Automotive Group Yuriy Demidko, Senior VP / Chief Information Officer at Fox Motors This episode is brought to you by: Drive For Life Foundation – Join us in making a difference at the 43rd Drive for Life Gala on Thursday, September 25, 2025—celebrating over four decades and $6.3 million raised for impactful causes. Sponsors make this legacy possible, and your ...
Jul 28, 2025•58 min
Today's show features: David Thomas, Director, Content Marketing at CDK Global Dennis Gingrich, Sales & Finance Director at The Niello Company Jesse Hill, Corporate Director of F&I Operations at Safford Brown Automotive Group This episode is brought to you by: OPENLANE – The world’s best online dealer marketplace for used cars. This August, OPENLANE is spinning up an entire month of excitement with DealerFest 2025. The more you buy and sell, the bigger prizes you earn. Never used OPENLAN...
Jul 25, 2025•1 hr 14 min
Today I’m joined by Kyle Coleman, CEO of Coleman Automotive Group. We unpack his bold plan to scale to 40 stores in 10 years, the frameworks driving rapid growth, why investing in top talent is non-negotiable and much more. This episode is brought to you by: 1. Authenticom – DealerVault connects over 12,500 dealerships across 100+ DMS systems, offering both dealers and vendors secure, standardized, and compliant data. With Record Recharge, we validate and cleanse records daily—so your team can m...
Jul 24, 2025•54 min
Today's show features: Luke Reymer, Student at Automotive Business School of Canada Quin Garcia, Managing Director at Autotech Ventures This episode is brought to you by: OPENLANE – The world’s best online dealer marketplace for used cars. This August, OPENLANE is spinning up an entire month of excitement with DealerFest 2025. The more you buy and sell, the bigger prizes you earn. Never used OPENLANE before? New dealers can earn up to $2,500 in credits. Learn more at openlane.com/dealerfest ....
Jul 23, 2025•51 min
Today I’m joined by Howard Tenenbaum, President of Keyes Automotive Group. We dive into his 45-year run leading top dealerships, why survivorship bias distorts the industry, how a Tony Award barely cracks his top achievements, why 7 stores keep him busier than 15 ever did and more. This episode is brought to you by: 1. Widewail – Power your reputation engine with Widewail. Go Google-first. Our approach is proactive: mostly automated, sometimes manual. The perfect blend of high tech, high touch. ...
Jul 22, 2025•54 min
Today's show features: Alex Lawrence, CEO fo EV Auto Michael Oz, Owner of DriveOz.com Don Hall, President of Virginia Automotive Dealers Association This episode is brought to you by: OPENLANE – The world’s best online dealer marketplace for used cars. This August, OPENLANE is spinning up an entire month of excitement with DealerFest 2025. The more you buy and sell, the bigger prizes you earn. Never used OPENLANE before? New dealers can earn up to $2,500 in credits. Learn more at openlane.com/de...
Jul 21, 2025•1 hr 2 min
Today's show features: Jeff Swickard, CEO of Swickard Group Glenn Lundy, President of 800% Elite Automotive Club This episode is brought to you by: Meet Mia: Your 24/7 AI receptionist who speaks like a human, not a robot. No more "press 1" - just natural conversations for sales, service, and support. She handles everything from car shopping to appointment scheduling in multiple languages, while integrating with your systems. Never miss another lead. Visit https://carguymedia.com/3GIt5hO to get...
Jul 18, 2025•1 hr 2 min
Welcome to Industry Spotlight—a focused series hosted by Sam D’Arc, highlighting standout dealerships and innovative companies, and exploring the trends driving success in today’s automotive market. Today, Sam sits down with Paul LeBlanc, Service Director at Longo Toyota, and Derek Simonds, Executive VP Automotive at Numa. This episode is brought to you by: Numa - In the world of dealerships, service is everything — but it’s also where everything breaks down. Missed calls, unreturned voicemails,...
Jul 17, 2025•33 min
Today's show features: Ed Roberts, COO of Bozard Ford Lincoln Justin Zane, SVP at OPENLANE Farzad Mesbahi, Content Creator, Ex-Tesla This episode is brought to you by: Meet Mia: Your 24/7 AI receptionist who speaks like a human, not a robot. No more "press 1" - just natural conversations for sales, service, and support. She handles everything from car shopping to appointment scheduling in multiple languages, while integrating with your systems. Never miss another lead. Visit https://carguymedia...
Jul 16, 2025•1 hr 12 min
Today I’m joined by Richard Lupo, Fixed Operations Director at Apple Tree Automotive. We dig into why he’s training master techs from the ground up, how streamlining the online service flow drove a 10x jump in appointments, and how Apple Tree goes toe-to-toe with powerhouse neighbors — and more. This episode is brought to you by: 1. CDK Global - CDK SimplePay is the only payment solution that's built into CDK solutions for unrivaled reliability and financial efficiency. To learn more or schedule...
Jul 15, 2025•41 min
Today's show features: Curtis Biggs, General Manager of New Roads Mazda Alex Perdikis, CEO of Koons Motors, Inc. This episode is brought to you by: Meet Mia: Your 24/7 AI receptionist who speaks like a human, not a robot. No more "press 1" - just natural conversations for sales, service, and support. She handles everything from car shopping to appointment scheduling in multiple languages, while integrating with your systems. Never miss another lead. Visit https://carguymedia.com/3GIt5hO to get s...
Jul 14, 2025•54 min
Today's show features: Chase Channell, General Manager of Victory Honda Jackson Michael L. Wood, General Manager of Checkered Flag/Jaguar Land Rover This episode is brought to you by: Impel – Dealers everywhere are delivering concierge-level customer experiences with Impel's AI Operating System. Learn how to ditch disjointed customer engagement at https://impel.ai/CDG Interested in advertising with Car Dealership Guy? Drop us a line here: https://cdgpartner.com...
Jul 11, 2025•1 hr
Today I’m joined by Royce Neubauer, CEO of Auto Hauler Exchange. We dive into how dealers are footing the bill for shipping delays in unexpected ways, how smart operators are turning logistics into a profit center, why fraud is on the rise in the vehicle transport game and much more. This episode is brought to you by: 1. DLRdmv – Dealers, are you still stuck using outdated interstate titling methods? DLR50 from DLRdmv modernizes out‑of‑state titling by providing 24/7 sales tax, title, and regist...
Jul 10, 2025•30 min