Franchised Dealers Podcasts

Today I’m joined by Daniel Kim, Director of Operations at Barnes Crossing Auto Group. His journey from tech entrepreneur to dealership operations leader, the promises and pitfalls of AI BDCs, why he insists his team stay on the phones and much 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. Do more than generate and respo...

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 Preston Stewart, National Variable Operations Director of Napleton Automotive Group, and Rudy Nieto, CEO of MavSign. This episode of the Car Dealership Guy Podcast is brought to you by MavSign. MavSign - the secure offsite closing platform for automotive dealers and lender...

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 retirement – and much more. This episode is brought to you by: 1. Impel - Impel AI helps you drive loyalty with proactive, personalized service outreach that scales seamlessly. From service milestones to recall alerts and tailored incentives, Impel makes service outreach fee...

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 ...

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 in...

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 ...

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://...

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 Conten...

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 t...

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...

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...

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 voicemail...

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 schedu...

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 auction purchases and much more. This episode is brought to you by: 1. Uber for Business - With Central, you can request a ride on behalf of your customers even if they don’t have the Uber app. If you’re ready to reduce the costs associated with maintaining shuttles and limit...

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 Scott Traylor, Vice President of Sales at Mia, and Tom Eggers, CMO of Covert Auto Group. This episode of the Car Dealership Guy Podcast is brought to you by Mia: Mia - Your 24/7 AI receptionist who speaks like a human, not a robot. No more "press 1" - just natural conversa...

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, how he built dealership-wide trust—and more. This episode is brought to you by: 1. Cox Automotive - From virtual assistants and gen AI to automation and predictive insights, learn which AI solutions are right for your dealership. Learn more by downloading “Artificial Int...

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 rule that drives customer loyalty 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 @ CDK....

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 coach was the catalyst unlearning bad habits and much more. This episode is brought to you by: 1. Toma - If your BDC or Service Advisors are buried in calls, it’s time for a smarter solution. Toma builds custom AI agents that answer 100% of your dealership’s inbound calls and ...

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 reality of tariffs—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.com/sim...

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” kill sales culture — and more. This episode is brought to you by: 1. Kenect AI – The platform auto dealers are using to gather reviews, generate leads, and improve their online reputation, all powered by AI @ http://www.kenect.ai 2. CarGurus - maximize your pe...

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 Kimberly Scogin, Controller at Hudson Management Group, and Shane Bigelow, CEO of CHAMP Titles. This episode of the Car Dealership Guy Podcast is brought to you by CHAMP Titles: CHAMP Titles - In automotive retail, everything moves fast — except vehicle titling. Consumers ...

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 dealers to sell on DealerClub, and 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 registration fees, pre‑popu...

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-the-scenes strategy powering his used car empire. This episode is brought to you by: 1. OPENLANE - The world’s best online dealer marketplace for used cars, bringing you exclusive inventory, simple transactions, and better outcomes. Learn more @ https://www.openlane.com/ 2....

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 Yuriy Demidko, Chief Information Officer at DPFox; and Matthew Muilenburg, Chief Product Officer at Impel. This episode of the Car Dealership Guy Podcast is brought to you by Impel. Impel AI - Impel AI helps you drive loyalty with proactive, personalized se...