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Franchised Dealers Podcasts

50+ Dealerships Later: The Car Business Lessons of an Industry Legend  | John Bergstrom, Executive Chairman of Bergstrom Automotive
Aug. 26, 2025

50+ Dealerships Later: The Car Business Lessons of an Industry Legend…

Today I’m joined by John Bergstrom, Executive Chairman of Bergstrom Automotive. We discuss his legendary 50 year career in the car business, the exponential growth curve his dealership empire is on, Why he has no plans for re...

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From the Sales Floor to the GM’s Chair: Her $1M Kia Journey (And What It Took) | Lauren WIlson Reeves, General Manager of Wilson Kia
Aug. 19, 2025

From the Sales Floor to the GM’s Chair: Her $1M Kia Journey (And What…

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 ...

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From Dead Weight to Cash Flow: The Transfer Fix for Aging Cars | Industry Spotlight
Aug. 17, 2025

From Dead Weight to Cash Flow: The Transfer Fix for Aging Cars | Indu…

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...

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"You Don't Know What You Don't Know": The Mindset Shift Behind a $500M Auto Empire | Josh Potts, CEO of Mac Haik Automotive Group
Aug. 12, 2025

"You Don't Know What You Don't Know": The Mindset Shift Behind a $500…

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 $50...

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The Dealer Hacking ChatGPT: The Prompt Strategy That Doubled Close Rates | Josh Clinton, General Manager of Cape Coral CDJR
Aug. 5, 2025

The Dealer Hacking ChatGPT: The Prompt Strategy That Doubled Close Ra…

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...

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Cut Costs, Go Viral: Taverna INFINITI's Repeatable Formula for Dominating Their Local Car Market | Industry Spotlight
July 31, 2025

Cut Costs, Go Viral: Taverna INFINITI's Repeatable Formula for Domina…

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 ...

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“Ego Doesn’t Sell Cars” – 30 Years of Brutal Truths on Leadership & Humility | Jeff Laethem, President of Ray Laethem Buick GMC
July 29, 2025

“Ego Doesn’t Sell Cars” – 30 Years of Brutal Truths on Leadership & H…

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 p...

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The Road To 40 Stores Within 10 Years – Proven Frameworks To Scale Effectively | Kyle Coleman, CEO of Coleman Automotive Group
July 24, 2025

The Road To 40 Stores Within 10 Years – Proven Frameworks To Scale Ef…

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. T...

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45 Years Running Top Dealerships: Howard Tenenbaum’s Brutal Truths for Today’s Operators | Howard Tenenbaum, President of Keyes Automotive Group
July 22, 2025

45 Years Running Top Dealerships: Howard Tenenbaum’s Brutal Truths fo…

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...

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"Customers Calling the Service Dept is a Sign of Failure" — Inside How the Best Dealerships Are Evolving | Industry Spotlight
July 17, 2025

"Customers Calling the Service Dept is a Sign of Failure" — Inside Ho…

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 ...

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“Innovate Or Evaporate”– How Small Dealer Groups Can Win In Ultra-Competitive Markets | Richard Lupo, Fixed Operations Director at Apple Tree Automotive
July 15, 2025

“Innovate Or Evaporate”– How Small Dealer Groups Can Win In Ultra-Com…

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, a...

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Becoming Canada’s #1 VW CPO Dealer: What’s Working, What’s Broken, and Where Profit Is Slipping Away | Greg Smith, VP Operations at Leavens Automotive Group
July 3, 2025

Becoming Canada’s #1 VW CPO Dealer: What’s Working, What’s Broken, an…

Today I’m joined by Greg Smith, VP operations at Leaven Automotive Group. We dive how he became the #1 Volkswagen CPO dealer in Canada, why he’s mystery shopping his own stores every month, his loss-leader strategy behind auc...

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Cracking the Code on Scalable Customer Care in the Car Business | Industry Spotlight
June 19, 2025

Cracking the Code on Scalable Customer Care in the Car Business | Ind…

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 ...

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You Can’t Be a Leadership Fraud: How Shane Wood Built Dealership-Wide Trust | Shane Wood, GM at Bruce Titus Automotive Group
June 17, 2025

You Can’t Be a Leadership Fraud: How Shane Wood Built Dealership-Wide…

Today I’m joined by Shane Wood, General Manager at Bruce Titus Automotive Group. We dive into why a shortage of Ford technicians is pushing dealerships into economic warfare, how a service drive bottleneck kills profitability...

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The Truth About Culture, Cash Flow & Customers—From a Dealer in the Trenches | Anthony Marino, President of Marino Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram
June 10, 2025

The Truth About Culture, Cash Flow & Customers—From a Dealer in the T…

Today I’m joined by Anthony Marino, President of Marino Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram. We dive into his P&L sheet and get a raw view at what drives his business, How he calculates a good investment vs. a wasted expense, the culture...

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The Secret To Scaling: Taking A Single Point To Regional Powerhouse | Ben Faricy, President at The Faricy Boys
June 3, 2025

The Secret To Scaling: Taking A Single Point To Regional Powerhouse |…

Today I’m joined by Ben Faricy, President at The Faricy Boys. We get into his game plan for expanding across Southern Colorado, why he's starting to let go and give his GM's permission to succeed, how hiring a leadership coac...

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How Subaru Quietly Took Over the Northeast—And Lessons for Dealers from Its Billionaire Distributor | Ernie Boch Jr., CEO of Subaru of New England
May 20, 2025

How Subaru Quietly Took Over the Northeast—And Lessons for Dealers fr…

Today I’m joined by Ernie Boch Jr., CEO of Subaru of New England. We go behind the scenes of his billion-dollar Subaru distribution empire, how he’s influencing Subaru’s design strategy, his #1 message to dealers facing the r...

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The Road To 900 Cars Per Month: How One Dealer Is Pushing His Team To Sales Excellence | Brad Wise, Executive Manager at Ferman Chevrolet Mazda
May 6, 2025

The Road To 900 Cars Per Month: How One Dealer Is Pushing His Team To…

Today I’m joined by Brad Wise, executive manager at Ferman Chevrolet Mazda. We dive into his mission to sell 900 cars a month, why he’s handing out hundreds in cash to his service team five times a day, how “energy vampires” ...

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Industry Spotlight: The New Playbook For Vehicle Titling: How One State is Leading the Charge
May 4, 2025

Industry Spotlight: The New Playbook For Vehicle Titling: How One Sta…

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 ...

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Why a 2x Auction Founder Is Flipping the Wholesale Script—And Paying Dealers When They Sell Cars | Joe Neiman, President of DealerClub
May 1, 2025

Why a 2x Auction Founder Is Flipping the Wholesale Script—And Paying …

Today I’m joined by Joe Neiman, President of DealerClub, part of the Cars Commerce ecosystem. We dive into the details behind his $25M exit, how reputation-based wholesale is shaking up the auction block, why he’s paying deal...

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4x'ing Used Car Sales: This Franchise Dealers Ultimate Pre-Owned Playbook | JR Toothman, Dealer Principal at Toothman Ford
April 29, 2025

4x'ing Used Car Sales: This Franchise Dealers Ultimate Pre-Owned Play…

Today I’m joined by JR Toothman, Dealer Principal at Toothman Ford. We break down how he’s quietly 4x’ing used car sales—his secret acquisition playbook, the hailstorm that led to his biggest sales day ever, and the behind-th...

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Industry Spotlight: Why Most Dealers Fail at Lead Follow-Up—And How Tech Closes the Gap
April 24, 2025

Industry Spotlight: Why Most Dealers Fail at Lead Follow-Up—And How T…

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 ...

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"GMs Don’t Get Finance": How This Operator Uses F&I to Outrun the Market | Chase Channell, General Manager of Victory Honda Jackson
April 22, 2025

"GMs Don’t Get Finance": How This Operator Uses F&I to Outrun the Mar…

Today I’m joined by Chase Channell, General Manager of Victory Honda Jackson. We get into how he went from college dropout to GM by 25, why mastering finance separates good GMs from great ones, and why he still personally des...

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Industry Spotlight: Who Killed The Loaner Car– And Why Service Customers Don’t Miss It
April 17, 2025

Industry Spotlight: Who Killed The Loaner Car– And Why Service Custom…

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 ...

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