Today on Connected, you'll hear from Randy Carlton, general manager at Volvo Cars Bellevue and one of the winners of the 2026 Automotive Amplifiers Contest.

Over the past 30 years, Randy has built an impressive automotive career spanning retail, software, finance, and leadership roles with some of the industry's largest organizations. Randy shares the experiences, lessons, and leadership principles that helped him transform Volvo Cars Bellevue into a top-performing Volvo dealership.

In this episode, Randy discusses:

-The three traits shared by great dealerships: low turnover, high integrity, and an exceptional guest experience.

-Why creating a workplace where employees enjoy coming to work leads to stronger performance and loyalty.

-Lessons learned from working with some of the industry's most successful dealer groups and leaders.

Welcome to Connected, an audio/video podcast from Reynolds and Reynolds.

Every other week, host Greg Uland (Reynolds vice president of marketing) sits down with the people shaping the future of automotive retail.

These are real conversations with the experts and innovators driving change across the automotive industry.

Whether you're a service manager, a sales leader, or just curious about where the industry's headed, watch or listen to Connected for meaningful dialogue with leaders throughout automotive retail and technology.

This week on Connected, you'll hear the best practice presentations from the winners of our 2026 Automotive Amplifiers Contest.

At Amplify 2026, we held our Automotive Amplifiers Contest for the third time. This year's event was in Carlsbad, CA. Five finalists presented their innovative ideas at the live event, and the panel of judges selected two winners.

In this episode, you'll hear the two winning presentations:

-Impact: Randy Carlton, general manager at Volvo Cars Bellevue, on how they introduced videos to engage with sales leads.

-Innovation: Chris Lasko, general sales manager at BMW of Pittsburgh, on creating a totally remote F&I department.

If you're interested in hearing how real dealers are finding new ways to improve operations at their stores, you should listen to this one!

We're bringing the Automotive Amplifiers Contest back at Amplify 2027 in Nashville, TN! You can register for the event now and secure your spot at the event to hear next year's finalist presentations live. And stay tuned for updates on when we open the 2027 Automotive Amplifiers Contest. If you've got an innovative best practice, we can't wait to hear about it!

Get Connected with the Automotive Amplifiers!

On today's episode of Connected, Greg sits down with with Zach Doran, president of the Ohio Automobile Dealers Association, to learn more about their Concert for a Cause event that happened on August 8.

This is the second year of the Columbus Auto Dealers Concert for a Cause, an event where they bring in notable artists for a night of great music and raising money for local charitable organizations. This year's event featured country artists Chris Young and Chase Rice and really highlighted the way our industry cares for our communities.

In this episode, you'll hear:

-The impact this event has for local community partners like Charity Newsies and Canine Companions.

-Why the OADA chose a concert as a way to raise money and connect with the community.

-Zach's takes on the direct to consumer model and transparent pricing.

If you're interested in how automotive organizations are working to better their local communities, this episode is for you. Get Connected by checking out this conversation with Zach!

Dealership advertising is nothing new. But where those ads are being shown and the strategy behind them is always evolving. With new advertising channels and changing customer behaviors, it can be difficult getting your ads in front of the right audience by doing it the way it's always been done.

Today, Greg's catching up with Owen Moon, CEO at DealerStream. Owen was on Connected 131 back in 2024 and it was great to hear about his new focus in the industry - connecting dealerships to customers through advertising on popular streaming platforms.

In this episode, Greg and Owen discuss:

-The value of streaming platforms as advertising opportunities, especially with the growth of that audience.

-How to capitalize on a mid-funnel approach, capturing customers before they've made their decision.

-Ways dealerships using streaming advertising today are seeing success.

If you're looking for ways to increase your dealership visibility and reach, or are just interested in other advertising opportunities, give this conversation a listen!

And don't forget that Amplify 2026 is happening on August 10 and 11. The event brings together some of the brightest minds in automotive to share ideas, best practices, and innovations that are shaping the future of the industry. We'd love to have you join us there!

Great ideas don't always come from the boardroom.

Sometimes they come from the service lane, the parts department, the accounting office, or the showroom floor. They're the small innovations and best practices that solve real problems and make dealerships run better every day.

In this episode of Connected, Greg sits down with Michael Cirillo, founder of The Dealer Playbook and one of the judges for the Automotive Amplifiers Contest, to talk about innovation in automotive retail and why sharing what works matters more than ever.

In this episode, you'll hear:

-What separates a good idea from a truly impactful innovation in a dealership.

-Why sharing best practices helps the entire industry improve and grow.

-What excites Michael most about serving as a judge for the Automotive Amplifiers Contest and celebrating the people moving automotive forward.

Whether you've submitted an idea, plan to attend Amplify, or simply want to learn how the industry's best operators think about innovation, this conversation is one you won't want to miss.

And if you haven't already, make plans to join us at Amplify 2026. The event brings together some of the brightest minds in automotive to share ideas, best practices, and innovations that are shaping the future of the industry.

In this episode of Connected, Greg sits down with Nikhil Kalani, Reynolds' chief information security officer and vice president of information security, to discuss the cybersecurity threats dealerships are facing today and how AI is changing the game for both attackers and defenders.

From deepfakes and financial fraud to ransomware and identity protection, Nikhil shares practical advice that every dealership leader should understand.

In this episode, you'll hear:

-How AI is making fraud attacks faster, cheaper, and more convincing than ever, including deepfake video and voice scams designed to trick employees into transferring funds.

-Why identity security, phishing-resistant MFA, password managers, and employee training are becoming critical defenses in a rapidly evolving threat landscape.

-How dealerships can build a stronger cybersecurity culture by combining the right technology, processes, and people to stay ahead of modern cyber threats.

Cybersecurity is no longer just an IT issue. It's a business issue that impacts every employee and every department.

Get Connected with Nikhil Kalani!

Today on Connected, Greg catches up with Chris Ponte, parts director at Scranton Chevrolet.

Chris won the Impact award in the 2025 Automotive Amplifiers Contest and will return as a judge for the 2026 contest. In every conversation with Chris, his commitment to improving operations at his store is clear.

Chris and Greg get into:

-How Chris approaches parts as a business, not just a department.

-His process for tracking lost sales, which nearly doubled their off-the-shelf fill rate.

-Where he sees future opportunities in the parts department.

If you’re looking for new ways to capture missed opportunities in your parts department, you should definitely give this one a listen!

And if you haven't already, be sure to enter the 2026 Automotive Amplifiers Contest. The deadline to submit is June 22! Every day, forward-thinking dealerships are solving real problems in creative ways, and sharing those ideas helps move the industry forward.

reyrey.com/contest

What if your dealership software didn’t just process transactions but actually learned from your business as it runs?

For this special episode of Connected, we’re sharing a keynote presentation from AJ McGowan, vice president of research and development at Reynolds, recorded live at our Santa Clara AI Summit.

In this session, AJ walks through how AI is evolving inside automotive and what comes next as systems begin to adapt, learn, and improve over time.

You'll hear AJ discuss:

-How the first two waves of AI are already impacting dealerships.

-What agentic AI really means for your store today, from automating decisions to accelerating workflows.

-Why the next evolution of software will continuously learn from your dealership and give your team an advantage that compounds over time.

If you’re thinking about where your store is headed over the next few years, this episode is one you won’t want to miss. Get Connected with AJ McGowan!

On the latest episode of Connected, Greg sits down with Jason Pappas, executive manager at Copeland Chevrolet.

These two automotive industry veterans first met when Jason was a service manager and Greg was selling fixed ops products. Jason's curiosity and willingness to dive deep to make the best decisions for the business made him someone Greg always remembered. Now in his role as executive manager, Jason has continued his commitment to curiosity on a larger scale.

Jason and Greg discuss:

-How Jason gathers insights from customers and employees to drive smarter decisions.

-Where a single system and the right AI tools can increase revenue per employee.

-What to look for when hiring and developing high-impact talent.

Get Connected by checking out this conversation with Jason Pappas!