From best practices to unconventional solutions, the second annual Fixed Ops Journal Forum offered attendees content they can put to work to elevate the service department’s contribution to the overall operation today while preparing for the retail model of tomorrow. This event featured inspiring keynote speakers and panel sessions designed to make a dealership’s service department a top performer – along with many opportunities for attendees to network and learn from peers and sponsors.
Retail Forum: NADA Join Automotive News on Friday, February 14 at the Encore Hotel in Las Vegas to find out how some legendary retailers are successfully facing transitions in the industry – from leadership and succession planning to facilities, ideas and technologies. Confirmed speakers include: · Cheryl Miller, the new CEO of AutoNation · John & Tim Bergstrom of Bergstrom Automotive · Mike Maroone, William Knowles & John Hoctor from Maroone USA · Don & Eric Flow of Flow Automotive · Ron Frey, Founder of RL Frey Inc · Abigail Kampmann, CEO of Principle Auto · David Hult, CEO of Asbury Automotive Group · Marc Fecker, CEO & Co-Founder of Robo Retail LLC
Welcome and networking reception until 7:30pm
Registration opensContinental breakfast and networking
Special DealerPRO Session: Profit Builders Workshop featuring Don Reed, CEO of DealerPRO Training Attendees at this hands-on two-hour session will learn to identify and review primary causes of poor performance, discover hidden profit opportunities, set goals for profit improvement and strategize new processes to reach those goals.
Networking break
Welcome Dave Versical, Chief of Editorial Operations, Automotive NewsRandall Tallerico, Chief Marketing Officer, Urban Science
Richard Chitty, Retired Parts and Service Chief, Toyota Motor Sales USAA Conversation With Dick Chitty Dick Chitty is credited with creating the philosophy that 30 years ago helped make Lexus the industry benchmark for service excellence – and customer satisfaction. One of his guiding principles: “People will help support what they create.” He will share his philosophy on setting a direction and allowing individual service departments to chart their own path toward that goal.
Solutions Session Mark Hargreaves, Service Manager, Gator Chrysler Jeep DodgeTrain Your technicians to Write service estimates Why should technicians write service estimates? Because it puts the person who knows the vehicle best in charge of selling service. And at the same time, it leads to a better-informed customer with more options. Veteran service manager Mark Hargreaves will share the strategies he has used over the years to train mechanics on writing a great estimate so that the additional services requested increases – in a system that can be boiled down to five key words. Sarah Vantine, BDC Director, Scott Clark Auto GroupHow a Service BDC Rescued Our Shops Sarah will share her experience and insights in creating a service business development center for her company’s Honda, Nissan and Toyota stores. Before, services advisers were overrun, phones went unanswered and customers walked away. Now, two of every three customers have appointments. Tully Williams, Fixed Operations Director, The Niello CompanyFocus on the Hours, Not the DollarsThe self-described fixed ops junkie will discuss the switch in perspective that transformed his career. He contends that any service manager seeking to boost margins will benefit from hearing his story.
Lunch
Alan Starling, President, Starling Automotive GroupWhat Serving Disney Customers Taught Me About Auto ServiceAlan has spent years in automotive and will talk about how his experience serving Disney employees and executives has shaped how he manages the dealer service experienceCecil Sims, Vice President of Fixed Operations, Mercedes-Benz of BirminghamWhen college football coach Nick Saban became part-owner of Mercedes-Benz of Birmingham, he said he wanted to maintain the same level of excellence with his dealership customers as he has with his University of Alabama teams. Cecil will discuss how that mindset applies to parts and service.
Max Lowenbaum, Vice President of Sales, Hireology
Jason Levine, Executive Director, Center for Auto SafetyOn the Front Lines of SafetyMuch of the “performance” discussion in fixed ops is focused on repair orders, and unfilled capacity and other measurements. But there’s an often-overlooked dynamic: safety. Jason Levine will discuss the critical public service role that service-department employees play in completing recalls, addressing maintenance issues and responding to technical service bulletins. It’s time, he says, to elevate the conversation about the value of a well-maintained vehicle.
Tom Kane, Parts and Service Director, Universal Nissan, Hyundai, GenesisThe 'Best' Way to Customer PayToday’s consumers want choices. They’re used to “Good-Better-Best” offerings in all sorts of retail environments. Kane will explain why such a strategy works in dealership service departments, too. When managed properly, it can increase traffic, boost margins and inspire “yes” responses to service recommendations while helping dealerships better compete with the aftermarket.
Coaches, CorneredLee Harkins, Owner, M5 Management ServicesDon Reed, CEO, DealerPRO TrainingAlmog Veig, Director, Fixed Operations, David Lewis & AssociatesThese three coaches have more than a century of fixed ops experience. But will they be a match for the Fixed Ops Journal Forum audience? Attendees will have a chance to put the experts on the spot with their most pressing questions during a lively, interactive discussion.
Mark Colosimo, Vice President, Data & Analytics, Urban ScienceThe Future Viability of Dealership Service: Industry Trends and Your Perceptions Many dealers are worried about changes to their service business with the evolution of electric vehicles, different buying behaviors, and mobility options. Mark will investigate what current data and industry leaders are suggesting will happen by the year 2030 and mathematically assess how this is likely to affect service revenues. You will also be invited to weigh in on what you think the future holds.
Nate Chenenko, Director, Carlisle & Company Inc.It's widely believed that electrified vehicles will need less service, threatening dealer and OEM profits. But this view misses part of the equation. Carlisle & Co.’s research suggests that any negative impact may be mitigated because EV owners actually prefer franchised dealers over independent repair shops or service chains because of the high-quality promise that dealers can make. Nate will present insights from Carlisle’s consumer sentiment survey while addressing the changing dynamics of service retention.
Anthony Rodio, CEO, YourMechanicThe Future of Service in the Era of Shared MobilityConsumer expectations for convenient, accessible services are higher than ever. As the public moves from personal ownership to shared mobility, both consumers and the companies that enable flexible sharing and ownership models require a more agile approach to auto care. Rodio -- whose company urges customers to “skip the repair shop” -- will share shares insights from serving some of today's largest flex ownership companies in the industry.
Conclusion
Closing reception
Tully Williams began his automotive career in the General Motors Automotive Service Educational Program (ASEP) at De Anza College. Upon graduation, he started working for a General Motors dealership in Fremont, CA. From there, he opened and ran his own business specializing in automotive repair and towing. After 13 successful years, he sold the business and returned to the dealership world where he worked as a service manager and fixed operations director helping to open a new large Chevrolet Dealership in San Jose, CA which he ran for 9 years. In 2011, Mr. Williams joined the Del Grande Dealer Group as their fixed operations director. During that time, he implemented the Xtime scheduler, tablet, marketing, inspection and menu systems for each of their 14 dealerships. He had continuous double-digit growth in the Fixed Operations Department and created multiple reporting systems to track and monitor progress at each dealership. Most recently, Mr. Williams joined The Niello Company as service and parts director where he oversees the operation for the region’s largest privately held automotive dealer group consisting of 11 luxury brands including Acura, Alfa Romeo, Audi, BMW, Jaguar, Land Rover, Maserati, MINI, Porsche, Volkswagen and Volvo. Mr. Williams’ passionate leadership style encourages team members to stay informed and strive for excellence to constantly improve and achieve their goals. Mr. Williams has been a featured speaker on the topic of Service and Parts at the AADA show in Australia and at the Cars.com Annual Summit. He has appeared on CBT and been quoted in 2 Fixed Operations books, Fast Lane and Fast Break by Jim Roche.
Alan Starling is one of central Florida’s largest General Motors dealers. Orlando-based Starling Automotive Group encompasses four dealerships in Florida and one in South Carolina. Starling’s father, Carroll, started the business in 1948. In 1975, having just returned from military service at the age of 26, Starling took over the dealership after the death of his father. Starling’s leadership and involvement in the auto industry extend beyond his own stores. He has been a member of the Chevrolet National Dealer Council since 2009, past chairman of Automotive Retailing Today, former Florida director for the National Automobile Dealers Association and, in 2003, NADA chairman. His extensive community involvement includes previous service on the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority and the Independent Colleges & Universities of Florida, as well as heading the Economic Development Commission of Mid-Florida Starling is a graduate of the University of Florida and a veteran of the U.S. Army.
Anthony Rodio serves as president and CEO of YourMechanic, the industry leader in mobile car repair – connecting consumers and automotive fleets with mobile mechanics who provide over 600 repair, maintenance, and diagnostic services in 3,000 cities across the U.S. and Canada. With more than 1.3 million cars on the platform, YourMechanic is profoundly changing the process of auto maintenance and repair by bringing a higher level of convenience, efficiency and transparency to car owners and auto technicians alike. Prior to YourMechanic, Mr. Rodio served in executive positions at The Home Depot, Support.com, SideStep (acquired by Kayak), and StubHub (acquired by eBay). Mr. Rodio has been a featured speaker at a number of conferences and events, including P&G Alumni conference (Cincinnati, October 2017), DEMO, Adtech keynote, Phocuswright, and more. He brings three decades of insights honed leading multiple high growth companies in Silicon Valley and industry expertise on the seismic shift in mobility and the auto industry at large.
Don Reed is the founder and prime mover of DealerPRO Training. He has more than 26 years of success in all aspects of a dealership - from service writer to dealer principal. DealerPRO Training is the largest Performance Based Fixed Operations Training Organization in North America. Mr. Reed has conducted NADA webinars, NADA Convention workshops and programs for NADA 20 Groups, state/local dealer associations, the Canadian Auto Dealers Association, RVDA, GM, Chrysler, Nissan, and Subaru. DealerPRO client dealers are generating hundreds of millions in added Fixed Ops Gross Profits every year. The top DealerPRO dealer generated more than $900,000 in added Service Gross Profits in the first year. Mr. Reed knows what it takes to succeed. It takes a well trained team. And he has built a team of 22 of the best and brightest in Fixed Operations. DealerPRO trainers average 23 Years of dealership Fixed Ops experience. This group of experts has trained in more than 700 dealerships in the U.S. & Canada.
Richard Chitty was a high school automobile mechanics instructor in Litchfield, Minn., when he decided to join Toyota Motor Sales in 1972. His rise through the ranks culminated in his role as the first vice president of parts, service and customer satisfaction for Lexus, Toyota’s new luxury-car division, from 1989 to 1995. Chitty’s baptism of fire at Lexus involved handling several recalls involving the brand’s flagship LS400 car. Within a decade, Lexus had passed Mercedes-Benz and BMW in sales and nearly every quality score. From 2001 until his retirement from Toyota in 2004, Chitty was senior vice president of Toyota Motor Asia Pacific, responsible for marketing, sales and expansion of Toyota and Lexus operations in Southeast Asia. Chitty is a graduate of Pittsburg State University in Kansas, where he has served on the university’s alumni board and president’s council.
Jason Levine is the executive director of the Center for Auto Safety and is a consumer protection advocate by choice and attorney by training. Since 1970, the Center has been the nation’s premier independent non-profit advocacy organization focused on auto safety, quality, and fuel economy. Mr. Levine is frequently called on to provide a voice for consumers on the topic of auto safety. He has appeared on Good Morning America, The Today Show, CNN, CBS Evening News, NBC Nightly News CNBC, as well as often being quoted in national publications such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Los Angeles Times. He has published opinion pieces in The Washington Post, The Detroit News, USA Today, and The Hill newspapers. Prior to joining the Center for Auto Safety, Mr. Levine was appointed to management and policy positions in four federal agencies over the course of two presidential administrations. The roles included Director of the Office of Congressional, Legislative, and Intergovernmental Affairs at the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM), and Chief of Staff at the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). He also served in an advisory capacity to the Assistant Secretary for Aging at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Mr. Levine is a graduate of the University of Connecticut School of Law, with honors, and received a Bachelor of Science degree from Northwestern University.
Nate Chenenko is a director at Carlisle & Company, a strategy and implementation firm exclusively focused on the motor-vehicle industry. Mr. Chenenko founded and currently leads Carlisle's growing Mobility practice. His work focuses on the impact that mobility will have on the motor vehicle aftersales business. His team helps automotive OEMs for the transition to increased fleet ownership due to autonomous and shared vehicle technology. Increased fleet ownership is a critical risk to business-as-usual in aftersales, and the team helps OEMs implement the best uptime strategies to mitigate that risk. Mr. Chenenko routinely speaks to Carlisle’s clients and partners about the impact of mobility on their business.
Lee Harkins began his career in the automotive industry as a parts truck driver and worked his way up through the ranks to become parts manager, service manager and service director to become one of the most desired management consultants in the industry. He brings 24 years of performance coaching and consulting experience, along with 10 years of retail management experience to the company. His client list reads like a “who’s who” of the auto industry, from manufacturers to individual dealerships. His innovative approach to the enhanced performance of his clients has earned him a well-respected reputation. Mr. Harkins is an innovative performance enhancement coach, implementation coach and speaker. He has been a featured speaker at the NADA national convention for the past 8 years.
Tom Kane has been the parts and service director at Universal Nissan, Universal Hyundai and Universal Genesis since 2016. Prior to that, he worked as the director of fixed operations at Fort Myers Toyota, the largest Toyota service facility with Southeast Toyota. While there he managed one of the top 5 fixed operations departments within AutoNation, which included 25 service advisors, 107 service stalls and over 70 technicians with two separate service drives. From 2007 to 2014, Mr. Kane was the president of Three Point Hoops, Inc., an organization involved in every aspect of basketball including camps, clinics, individual and group instruction as well as tournament and event management. Mr. Kane also served as the director of fixed operations, general manager and national director of productivity for AutoNation from 1998-2007. Mr. Kane attended East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania and studied physical education.
Almog Veig is the director of training operations at David Lewis & Associates, Inc. He has spent nearly 30 years in the automotive industry. He started his career sweeping the floor of a shop and has worked in nearly every position along the way: porter, BDC, technician, service advisor, service manager, service director, director of fixed operations, COO and ultimately CEO of a retail automotive dealership group consisting of 10 locations and 6 brands in 3 different countries. Mr. Veig has extensive experience in buy-sell situations, building and developing new points, development and implementation of industry leading processes, training and performance.
Bio coming soon...
As a graduate from the College of Charleston with a double degree in art history and studio art, Sarah Vantine was hoping for a career in the museum world. Instead, she got a career in the world of automobiles. Her successful journey in the auto industry began when she stumbled across a Dodge dealership in South Carolina, and with no previous experience, interviewed for a sales position. When asked by her interviewer why he should hire her, she confidently replied, “Well, if you don’t hire me, I’ll get a job next door selling cars, and sell circles around you.” Needless to say, she was hired. While her auto career faced several challenges early on, Sarah persevered and would become the Internet sales manager and BDC manager. In 2015, she joined Scott Clark Auto Group, which was facing major struggles with its service department as customers were being lost, and service advisors were overwhelmed. In response, she created an in-house Service BDC from scratch for the group’s three dealerships, which has sparked a major turnaround for Scott Clark’s service departments. Today, thousands of calls are answered monthly (mostly seeking service appointments) and many additional calls are made to drum up additional business. In 2018 Sarah Vantine was named to Automotive News’ list of 40 Under 40 dealership stars, and is passionate about talking to women who have never considered a career path in the auto industry, and shares with them the amazing opportunities it can provide.
Max Lowenbaum is Hireology’s vice president of sales, focused on leading their world-class sales team. With over ten years of sales leadership experience, Mr. Lowenbaum brings passion, a proven track record, and below average juggling ability to Hireology. He is responsible for leading their sales efforts, managing three dynamic sales leaders and forty rockstar sales people. Mr. Lowenbaum cut his teeth at Groupon, where over the course of six years he managed over 500 sales representatives, 25 sales managers, and over $350MM in revenue. Before Groupon, he worked for Modern Luxury Media (CS Magazine) managing its restaurant and nightlife business for three years.
Cecil Sims has been a member of the Mercedes Benz family in fixed operations since 1991 and in the automobile industry since 1987. Mr. Sims knew he wanted to manage people and processes from a very young age. Beginning with his first job in high school working as a maintenance agreement salesman for small appliances at Sears and Roebuck, he demonstrated a natural ability to sell, manage processes and move up in the organization. In 1981, while still in college, Mr. Sims took the opportunity to work for Discount Auto Parts in Tampa, Florida. He ended up managing one of their local parts stores for over 3 years before taking the next step in his career to work for Tampa Volvo in their parts department, becoming the parts manager after only one year. In 1990, Mr. Sims moved to Sarasota, Florida and was named the parts manager for Mercedes Benz of Sarasota in 1991. Once he was introduced to the Mercedes Brand Standards, Mr. Sims never looked back. Over 27 years later he’s still working for and loving his relationship with Mercedes Benz and the industry. He can often be heard remarking “if you cut me I bleed Mercedes-Blue.”
Randall Tallerico has spent his career traveling around the world to introduce and position numerous high-profile brands and to establish global strategies. As the chief marketing officer of Urban Science, he has brought that strategic experience and knowledge to create global client management strategies, elevate the company’s reputation and introduce the NPS client survey, earning Urban Science the highest client satisfaction score in the B2B industry. Prior to joining Urban Science 13 years ago, Mr. Tallerico was an executive director, advertising and marketing for Buick and Oldsmobile. He also held numerous executive roles during his 21 years with J. Walter Thompson, such as international senior vice president and senior partner, based in the New York City, London, Paris, Frankfurt, Bangkok, Sydney, Chicago and Detroit offices supporting global brands including Kellogg’s, Kraft, Nestle, De Beers and Unilever.
Mark Colosimo is the vice president of data and analytics at Urban Science. Headquartered in Detroit, Urban Science is a global retail consulting firm that takes a scientific approach to help companies identify where they should allocate resources in order to increase their market share and profitability in the most effective and efficient manner. Mr. Colosimo has been with Urban Science for 18 years where he has been involved in the invention, management and improvement of analytical methodologies for automotive clients across the globe. His educational background includes a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering, two master’s degrees (MBA/MSE) from the University of Michigan and a PhD in industrial and systems engineering from Wayne State University.
Dave Versical is chief of editorial operations for the Automotive News Group. In that role, he oversees the print and online operations of Automotive News, Automotive News Europe and Automotive News Canada as well as Automotive News TV. He is the founding editor of Fixed Ops Journal. He joined Automotive News in 1986 and has been a reporter, national editor, managing editor and online editor. Before rejoining the paper in 2008, he was the Transportation Team leader for Bloomberg News. Throughout the 1990s, he contributed the annual article on the automotive industry for the Collier’s Encyclopedia Year Book. Mr. Versical earned a bachelor’s degree in English from Michigan State University and a master’s degree in journalism from Northwestern University. He is the current president of the Automotive Press Association.
Hireology's recruitment CRM empowers multi-location, decentralized enterprises and independently owned businesses to build their best teams with confidence. The company equips HR and business leaders with the skills and technology needed to manage the full employee lifecycle – from hire to retire – in one seamless platform. With focused expertise in retail automotive1 in 5 dealerships today trust Hireology to help build great teams, lift customer service and drive profitability. For more information, visit www.hireology.com.
DealerPRO Training has won the Dealers’ Choice Award as the best Fixed Operations Training company four years running. Why? Results. We build your Service Advisors into skilled Service Sales People, gaining enhanced phone skills, increased ability to sell more appointments, perform walk-around inspections and use a menu to increase sales. We help build your CSI, Service Gross Profits, customer retention and team spirit. “Our Service Team has increased our Customer pay parts and labor Gross Profit by over 40%. Our best month showed an 87% increase over last year with HPRO at 2.8.” Nathan Dietz—Key Auto Mall, Moline, ILLearn more.
The most successful automotive companies put their trust in the power of science. Since 1977, Urban Science has used a scientific, data-driven approach to deliver groundbreaking solutions for challenges that were thought to be unsolvable. We haven’t looked back since. Growing to 21 global offices with over 900 Business Scientists, we guide every major automaker in the world to increased sales, profits and customer loyalty. When it’s time to make a critical decision, you can follow the conventional path and hope you made the right move. Or, call Urban Science and know you did. Learn more at urbanscience.com.
1,000+ dealers across the country have discovered increased profits, lowered reconditioning costs and better inventory control by sourcing aftermarket parts, tire/wheel products, chemicals, detailing products and shop supplies from their local Mighty wholesale distributor. Several multi-location dealership groups have amplified Mighty’s many benefits by actually becoming a Mighty distributor themselves. Their Mighty operations complement O.E. product programs while serving as an internal supply source to their own service centers, as well as generating incremental sales to wholesale accounts. Such “vertical business” integrations result in improved supply chain control, new growth opportunities, inventory control efficiencies and enhanced Fixed-Ops profitability. Mighty franchise integrations are available to qualified dealer groups in select markets including Los Angeles, Sacramento, Chicago, St. Louis, Cincinnati, Tampa…others.Learn more.
Automatic, a SiriusXM company Upgrade your lot and increase the value of every car in your inventory with one simple platform: Automatic. Grow your service department’s revenue and retention, and build customer satisfaction all with a small adapter and mobile app. You’ll be able to monitor the health of your customers’ vehicles from afar and supplement your communications with service and recall notifications sent right to their phone. Plus, you’ll be giving them the ability to locate their loved ones, 24/7 crash assistance, and the information they need about the health of their car. Be the reason your customers know more and worry less. Learn more.
Tuesday, November 12, 2019 - Wednesday, November 13, 2019 11:00 AM - 6:00 PMEastern Time
Janine Ward