Industry Summit 2012 - Day One Wrap

LAS VEGAS - The 2012 Industry Summit opened here today at the Paris hotel. The show, which will run until Wednesday, Sept. 12, started off with a bang, and while there is far more going on than we can cover in a single article, we'll do our best to bring you some of the highlights of the show each day.

The opening keynote for the F&I Conference portion of the show featured Jim Kucharski, vice president Alliance Sales, Ally Financial, as the speaker. The theme of his presentation was "Raising Our Game," and he opened by telling attendees that while he congratulates them all on their success, that they should also be talking about raising the bar.

He went on to site several statistics, highlighting that, while the industry definitely saw some hard times during the economic slump, it has bounced back to pre-recession levels. "It's all driven by continuous improvements," Kucharski noted. Another key point he brought up several times was that there is a pent up demand for trucks, especially in the commercial market. "If you're not focused on commercial," he told attendees, "then you're missing a tremendous opportunity."

Touching on what will prove to be a key issue at this show, Kucharski also noted that mobile is a huge driving factor in the automotive industry today. He said consumers are not just walking in with information about the car they want to purchase, but now they're also coming in with all the possible financing plans already. Dealerships need to be ready to meet this kind of preparedness, and be ready to offer something unique to the conversation, such as strong leasing options - which he noted are strong across all segments, not just luxury - as well as longer-term finance options to bring the payments down to a level consumers can afford.

He ended his talk by emphasizing again the importance of raising the bar, noting that you can't improve what you don't track, and urging attendees to create performance metrics, as well as offer a wide range of training to keep employees well-informed.

Recognizing Industry Excellence

The opening session was also where several companies were highlighted, and awards given. The dealer of the year award, sponsored by The Warranty Group, was the first up. The award winner was selected from the six Pacesetters, who were named earlier this month. Those nominees were: Dick Hannah Dealerships, Vancouver, Wash.; Hoy Fox Toyota Lexus, El Paso, Texas; Landers Toyota-Scion, Little Rock, Ark.; Nyle Maxwell Dealerships, Austin-Round Rock, Texas; Robbins Auto Mall, Humble, Texas; and Southwest Kia, Dallas, Texas. The winner of the Dealer of the Year award was Dick Hannah Dealerships.

The F & Idol Awards, also sponsored by IAS, followed, highlighting the top submissions culled from entries that poured in from around the country. Submissions had to be less than five minutes long, and show at least two objections being handled. The entries were reviewed by a panel of judges, which included: Bob Corbin of IAS; Gregory Arroyo and Marv Eleazer, F&I and Showroom magazine; Ron Reahard, F&I trainer; Steve Veldkamp, Great Lakes Companies; Alan Miller, CNA National; compliance expert Robert Harkins; and Randall Crisorio, United Development Systems.

The finalists in each category were: GAP: Raymond Borg of Suburban Toyota, Troy, Mich.; Key Replacement: Joe Lawrence of Metro Imports, Kalamazoo, Mich.; Vehicle Service Contracts: Dina Wilson, Timbrook Automotive, Cumberland, Md.; Tire and Wheel: Chris Bell, Freehold Buick GMC, Freehold, N.J.; and Other (Prepaid Maintenance): Jeremy Johnston, Suburban Ford of Sterling Heights, Mich. Dina Wilson, Timbrook Automotive, was named the overall winner.

The evening wrapped with a welcome reception on the show floor, sponsored by American Financial & Automotive Services, and then moved to Napoleon's Dueling Piano Bar, also at the Paris Hotel, for the After Party, sponsored by CSO.

Tomorrow will begins the heavy conference schedule with a little something for everyone, and watch for our coverage tomorrow evening, with some of the highlights you might have missed. If you see something on the show floor, at a session, or just around the conference that you'd like to see included in tomorrow's wrap up, e-mail it to Managing Editor Toni McQuilken, [email protected], or find her at the show!