All Podcast Episodes

Today I'm joined by Husband and Wife, Kelly and Rob Ruth of Bob Ruth Ford. Married 24 years, Rob and Kelly built the dealership together while he worked bell-to-bell, 78-hour weeks, and she ran the household solo, raising their kids largely on her own. Kelly reveals the role she played long before it had a title, shaping personnel decisions from behind the scenes and backing Rob's zero-revenue media bet on nothing but belief before any money came in. Topics: 05:45 Why Growth Meant...

Today's show features: - Shane Helms, Founder / CEO at TrueView Media Group - Shelley Pratt, Director, Media, Activations, and Business Intelligence at Nissan USA - Kristin Coleman, Vice President Marketing at AutoNation - Mario Diez, CEO at Peer39 This episode is brought to you by: Experian – Experian Automotive helps marketers identify and engage high-value auto shoppers, strengthen customer loyalty, grow service revenue, and activate 1,100+ automotive audiences across 30+ advertising pl...

In this episode of the Industry Spotlight, joining host Sam D'Arc are Bill O'flanagan, Dealer Principal at Reedman Toll Auto Group, and Todd Kaminski, Head of Direct Markets at Zurich North America to discuss the one interview question that predicts almost everything about whether a new hire will thrive or wash out, and why building a culture of transparency and daily accountability is the real fix for automotive's turnover problem. O'Flanagan shares his go-to interview question, "Who was you...

Today's show features: - Glenn Lundy, President at 800% Elite Automotive Club - Brian Benstock, Vice President & General Manager at Paragon Honda and Paragon Acura - Kyle Coleman, President & CEO, Coleman Automotive Group This episode is brought to you by: The Presidio Group – Today’s episode is brought to you by The Presidio Group, one of the automotive industry’s leading buy-sell advisors. Visit Presidio’s new Research & Reports portal for M&A insights, blue sky multiples, exclusive bench...

Today I'm joined by Matt Leone, CEO at DriveCentric. Matt breaks down why one dealer group ditched a $100,000 Salesforce contract they were barely using, why building your own software rarely pays off the way it promises, and why the next fight in the industry is over who actually owns the customer relationship. Topics: 06:00 The Referee Analogy For Software. 11:50 Consolidation Isn't Happening. 18:30 You're Replacing 7 Vendors. 24:50 Why They Sell You A Car Post-Purchase. 3...

Today's show features: - Jay Law, Head of Partnerships at Car Dealership Guy - JB Burnett, Executive General Manager at Preston Automotive Group - Robert Ebin, Director of Legal Affairs at KPA - Jeff Pister, Executive Manager at Honda Marysville This episode is brought to you by: Presidio – Today’s episode is brought to you by The Presidio Group, one of the automotive industry’s leading buy-sell advisors. Visit Presidio’s new Research & Reports portal for M&A insights, blue sky multiples, ...

Today I'm joined by Kelley Stumpe, Founder & CEO at The Car Mom. She has built the largest online following of car-buying moms in the country, and she has never taken a dollar from a manufacturer to do it. That refusal has gotten her blacklisted from press events and cut off from loaner cars, but it has also made her the most trusted voice family car shoppers turn to. Topics: 04:00 The Most Car Seat-Friendly SUV. 06:30 Selling To Women Isn't Different. 09:30 The Seven-Door C...

Today's show features: - Charlie Spradlin, General Manager at Art Moehn Auto Group - John Murphy, Used Vehicle Director at Holler-Classic Automotive This episode is brought to you by: Presidio – Today’s episode is brought to you by The Presidio Group, one of the automotive industry’s leading buy-sell advisors. Visit Presidio’s new Research & Reports portal for M&A insights, blue sky multiples, exclusive benchmark data with NCM Associates, dealer sentiment, and analysis of the trends shaping ...

Today's show features: - Ryan Downing, Dealer Principal / Owner at Ross Downing Auto Group - Jay Trivedi, Dealer Principal/Owner at Jay's Chevrolet GMC This episode is brought to you by: Haig – Haig Partners – When it comes to selling your life’s work, trust the only advisors who have built a reputation for maximizing value for family-owned dealerships. The team at Haig Partners has achieved record-setting values across multiple franchises and has represented more owners in the sale of their...

Today I'm joined by Nick LaSorsa, Director at LaSorsa Auto Group. Nick runs two very different stores in the New York metro, and he lays out the exact playbook he uses to keep both profitable heading into 2026. He explains how a single hiring platform audit uncovered more than $15,000 in wasted spend, why he cancels every vendor contract the day he signs it, and how a mobile fleet service built around school bus recalls became one of the highest-margin corners of his business. Topics: 03:00 ...

Today's show features: - Dennis Gingrich, Sales & Finance Director at The Niello Company - Dave Thomas, Director, Content Marketing at CDK Global - Pat Malloy, General Manager at Patriot Chevrolet Of Limerick This episode is brought to you by: Haig Partners – When it comes to selling your life’s work, trust the only advisors who have built a reputation for maximizing value for family-owned dealerships. The team at Haig Partners has achieved record-setting values across multiple franchises a...

Today I'm joined by Perry Watson IV, President of NAMAD. Dealership consolidation is accelerating, and the price of entry to ownership has never been higher. Perry breaks down the numbers behind it, including how over 40 percent of new vehicle sales at some brands now come from minority consumers, and why one manufacturer doubled a dealer's sales volume within two years just by getting ownership representation right. Topics: 01:25 Consolidation's Hidden Downside. 02:00 The Academy Training N...

Today's show features: - Brian Baker, President Automotive at Stream Companies - Zach Slabinski, Director of Retail Ready at Stream Companies - Brian Hoang, CEO & Co-founder at Mia Labs - George Ripley, VP at International Association of Auto Theft Investigators This episode is brought to you by: Haig Partners – When it comes to selling your life’s work, trust the only advisors who have built a reputation for maximizing value for family-owned dealerships. The team at Haig Partners has achi...

Today's show features: - Don Hall, President and CEO of Virginia Automobile Dealers Association - Alan Haig, President of Haig Partners - Aaron Zeigler, President of Zeigler Auto Group - Grant Cardone, CEO of Cardone Capital This episode is brought to you by: Podium – Most AI is a black box. Podium's is yours to control — and it increases conversion by upwards of 26%. Check it out at http://podium.com Check out Car Dealership Guy’s stuff: CDG Circles ➤ https://cdgcircles.com/ CDG News ➤ ...

Today I'm joined by Scott Traylor, Vice President at Mia Labs. Scott breaks down how voice AI is pulling $8,000 to $30,000 a month in after-hours revenue at stores where customers used to just hit a voicemail, why service advisors are letting calls go unanswered on purpose, and how Mia became the first voice AI company approved by General Motors for their co-op program. If you think AI is still a future conversation, Scott makes the case that you're already in the same moment as when someo...

In this episode of the Industry Spotlight, joining host Sam D'Arc are Mike Martucci, General Manager at Jim Ellis Kia, and Kevin Esmezyan, Chief Product Officer at Matador AI to discuss how conversational AI is turning a three-person sales team handling 700 leads a month into a machine that doubles close rates and books service appointments at nearly 90% — while most dealers are still missing after-hours calls and watching customers drive to the competition. Mike walked into a store with a li...

Today's show features: Yossi Levi, CEO of Car Dealership Guy Alex Lawrence, CEO & Co-Founder of EV Auto Sam Hatch, General Manager at JRR Motor Sales This episode is brought to you by: Podium – Most AI is a black box. Podium's is yours to control — and it increases conversion by upwards of 26%. Check it out at http://podium.com Check out Car Dealership Guy’s stuff: CDG Circles ➤ https://cdgcircles.com/ CDG News ➤ https://news.dealershipguy.com/ CDG Jobs ➤ https://jobs.dealershipguy.com/ C...

Today's show features: - Matt Haiken, Dealer Principal and President at Prestige Collection Auto Group - Damon Egan, Service Director at Sherwood Ford - Luis Malespin, Parts Director at Premier Hyundai This episode is brought to you by: Zurich – Zurich Advisor IQ is Zurich’s AI-driven training and coaching platform built to help F&I teams perform more consistently and sell more effectively — using real transaction data, not theory. By analyzing actual F&I transactions, Zurich Advisor IQ hel...

AJ McGowan, VP of Research and Development at Reynolds & Reynolds. He breaks down why fragmented software platforms are quietly limiting what AI can see and do, uses a service drive scenario to show how a fully connected system could surface a high-value trade opportunity in real time, and explains why Reynolds is investing in its own hardware infrastructure to make that scale. Topics: 03:25 Why Auto AI Is Different. 06:45 Real AI Vs. Gimmicks. 08:45 Why Reynolds Is Buying Hardwar...

Today's show features: - Jameson Riley, General Manager at Riley Volvo Cars Stamford - Eric Barbosa, VP of Variable Operations at Plaza Motors This episode is brought to you by: Zurich – Zurich Advisor IQ is Zurich’s AI-driven training and coaching platform built to help F&I teams perform more consistently and sell more effectively — using real transaction data, not theory. By analyzing actual F&I transactions, Zurich Advisor IQ helps identify behaviors and trends influencing results, delive...

Today I'm joined by Paul J Daly and Kyle Mountsier, Co-founders at More Than Cars. Paul and Kyle break down exactly how a single exposed API key can hand a hacker access to an entire dealer management system, why dealerships are uniquely at risk given the volume of sensitive customer data they store, and what the best operators are doing to build securely before the first major breach hits the industry. Topics: 00:25 Dealerships' Most Under-Resourced Dept. 02:40 Why Auto Ads Are T...

Today's show features: - Vic Keller, Founder and CEO at Experience Ventures - Namu Keys, Senior Product Marketer, Digital Retail at CDK Global - Sam Vesely, Director of Marketing & Public Relations at Ford of Cookeville This episode is brought to you by: Zurich – Zurich Advisor IQ is Zurich’s AI-driven training and coaching platform built to help F&I teams perform more consistently and sell more effectively — using real transaction data, not theory. By analyzing actual F&I transactions, Zur...

Today's show features: - Matt Bowers, Owner of Matt Bowers Automotive Group - Vince McIsaac, Director of Parts Operations at Hawk Auto Group - Jim Sabino, Fixed Operations Director at All American Ford This episode is brought to you by: OPENLANE – OPENLANE is getting ready for DealerFest 2026, its biggest customer event of the year. For the entire month of July, earn points for every transaction you make on OPENLANE, and redeem them for incredible prizes! Make sure you’re ready for the rock...

Today I'm joined once again by Alan Haig, President at Haig Partners. Dealer profits fell 16% in the first quarter of 2026, yet the number of dealerships changing hands surged 39% over the same period last year. Alan breaks down the capital stockpile dealers built during the COVID era, why franchise values have held steady despite softer earnings, and which brands represent the best buying opportunities right now. Topics: 00:20 Buy-Sells Boom As Values Drop. 01:45 The Profit Number Dealers ...