ConnectedPodcast

On today's Connected, Greg sits down with James Dieli, warranty administrator at Beau Townsend Ford and Automotive Amplifiers contest winner. From serving hotdogs at the dealership as a kid to steering his career in the automotive industry today, James embarked on his journey early and continues to drive forward with passion and dedication.

He and Greg discuss a number of topics, including:

-The strong connections between the hospitality and automotive industries.

-The shift in mindset needed to go paperless.

-How to limit difficult conversations with customers.

On today's Connected, Greg sits down with Shawn Concannon, president of TSD Mobility Solutions, a leader in fleet management software Reynolds and Reynolds acquired back in August. Shawn got his start in automotive renting cars right out of college, building a foundation in the industry that eventually led him to TSD.

Shawn shared a lot of great insight into these areas of rental and fleet management:

-Finishing the service process with transportation.

-Knowing which customers to offer loaners to.

-Creating an additional profit center through rental operations.

Today on Connected, Greg speaks in studio with two guests: Jean Ings and Katrina Ness. Although Jean and Katrina come from diverse paths—Jean as a talented scriptwriter at Quantum5 and Katrina as an ambitious Junior at Northwood University—they share a remarkable journey ahead: becoming rising stars in the dynamic world of the automotive industry.

They cover a number of topics including:

-How to capture young talent by showcasing the dynamic and innovative aspects of the auto industry.

-The significant impact of internships and real-world projects.

-Setting realistic expectations for career advancement, including the necessary steps to achieve growth and success in automotive.

On today's episode of Connected, we're shining a spotlight on the winners of our Automotive Amplifiers Contest!

At Reynolds Retail Summit: Amplify 2024, we held a best practices contest to share great ideas across the automotive industry. We highlighted ideas from three different categories: fixed operations, variable operations, and people.

In this episode, you'll hear from the three winners.

-Variable Operations: Justin Rash, F&I manager at Beau Townsend Ford Lincoln, talks about creating a completely paperless finance and sales process.

-People: Jeremy Reardon, service production manager at Westside Lexus, discusses recruiting technicians from local high schools and colleges.

-Fixed Operations: James Dieli, warranty administrator at Beau Townsend Ford Lincoln, covers going paperless in service.

In honor of Cybersecurity Awareness Month, Greg is joined this week by Brad Holton, founder of Proton Dealership IT.

Since starting Proton in 2013, Brad has seen an evolution in the nature of cyberattacks and cybersecurity. He's got a great handle on how cybercrime has changed and what we can all look out for moving forward.

Brad and Greg discuss:

-When a cyber event happens, how do you make it a 15-minute event and not a 15-day event.

-How natural disasters impact security with rises in social engineering efforts.

-A checklist of tips to help you prepare your business against an attack.

Today on Connected, Greg talks with Alan Amici, president and CEO of the Center for Automotive Research (CAR), a 501c3 organization with the mission to inform and advise to create a stronger and more viable automotive industry.

Alan joined CAR after a 35+ year career with Stellantis. His wealth of experience has given him so much knowledge and insight into what's next for our industry.

Alan and Greg discuss:

-The future of infotainment and connected car data.

-Affordability and profitability conversations surrounding EVs.

-Where the US auto industry is headed in terms of volume of new vehicle sales over time.

On today's Connected, Greg sits down with Cheryl Thompson, founder and CEO of the Center for Automotive Diversity, Inclusion, and Advancement (also known as CADIA).

Cheryl has had a 30+ year career in automotive, primarily working with the Ford Motor Company. Her time in this industry has taught her a lot about leadership, DEI, and the value of automotive careers.

Greg and Cheryl discuss:

-How to make the automotive industry a destination for career seekers.

-How to broaden the talent pool in automotive with people of all backgrounds.

-How DEI initiatives have positively impacted the auto industry.

Today's Connected is a big milestone — it's episode 150! Greg sat down with Richard Greene, fixed ops director at Parker Lexus, Parker Cadillac, and Audi Little Rock to celebrate.

Richard started his career in service right out of college, and since then he's worked in just about every role in the department. These experiences have helped Richard create an extremely successful service apprenticeship program.

Richard and Greg discuss:

-Recruiting and retaining new technicians.

-Establishing an apprenticeship program that benefits both new and master techs.

-Working with OEMs to increase productivity and build a better experience for customers.

On this extended episode of Connected, host Greg Uland sits down with Steve Greenfield, general partner at Automotive Ventures. Steve has held many roles within the automotive industry and is probably a familiar face for some of you from countless conferences and events.In his current role in the venture capital space, Steve spends a lot of time on current and future struggles impacting dealers and the tools that are being developed to help.

Steve and Greg discuss:

- How utilizing connected processes and software can enhance dealer and customer experiences.

- The process of connecting entrepreneurs with potential investors.

- What the next wave of automotive technology looks like.

The FTC estimates that synthetic identity fraud now accounts for 80-85% of all identity fraud. On this episode of Connected, Greg sits down with Frank Toms from Auto Data Direct to talk about what kind of challenges this type of fraud presents for dealers.

Frank and Greg discuss everything dealers need to know including:

-What constitutes synthetic fraud.

-The risk synthetic fraud poses to dealers

-Measures for spotting fraud before it occurs.

-How to stay educated as fraudulent practices change.