IAS Lends Executive Support to The Industry Summit
Austin, Texas – IAS, a leading provider of F&I solutions to automobile dealerships, today announced that two of its executives will participate in the Industry Summit on September 8-10, 2014 at the Paris Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada. Eric “Frenchy” Mélon is slated to take on the responsibility as emcee for the F&I track of ... Read More »
Austin, Texas – IAS, a leading provider of F&I solutions to automobile dealerships, today announced that two of its executives will participate in the Industry Summit on September 8-10, 2014 at the Paris Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Eric “Frenchy” Mélon is slated to take on the responsibility as emcee for the F&I track of the event. He will emcee six separate sessions on Tuesday, September 9 and Wednesday, September 10. Mr. Mélon enjoyed a successful career in automotive sales and management before embarking on a career in training that has spanned four decades. Prior to joining IAS, Mr. Mélon served as a dealer development consultant at Stuker & Associates, where he trained managers and staff in the U.S., Canada, Europe and Australia.
Matt Nowicki, IAS’ vice president of retail software, will participate on a F&I panel discussion titled “Compliance: Separating Fact from Myth” scheduled for Wednesday, September 10 from 10:05 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. The panel discussion, moderated by finance director for Langdale Ford Co., Marv Eleazer, will bring together some of the top compliance experts in the industry who will delve into common compliance issues, as well as break down word-tracks and objection-handling techniques that could be viewed by regulators and court juries as deceptive acts and practices.
IAS is also the exclusive sponsor of F&I and Showroom magazine’s talent contest F&Idol. IAS will recognize the 2014 F&Idol category winners during a special ceremony on Tuesday, September 9, at 4:30 p.m. where Mr. Mélon will present the finalists with their $1,000 cash prize for winning their category. From there, the second phase of the contest will be launched with the five category winners vying for the $2,500 grand prize. The winner will be chosen by the readers of the magazine and profiled in the November 2014 issue of F&I and Showroom magazine.
More Industry

Nebraska Rooftop Changes Hands
The Gregg Young Automotive Group has sold its second dealership to Janssen Auto Group, both in Plattsmouth, Neb.
Read More →
Penske Auto Group Deal a Record
The deal to take the dealership and transportation services company private sets a new pace for industry buy-sell transactions.
Read More →
War Toll a Damper on Used Auto Prices
Cox Automotive found wholesale depreciation to be elevated in September amid high fuel prices and this year's unusual hurricane season.
Read More →
Bridge the Maintenance Gap
With many drivers missing recommended maintenance, service departments offering transparency and efficiency have a better chance of reaching financially strained consumers.
Read More →
California Store Has New Owner
The longtime dealership in the northern part of the state is known for robust fleet sales and has served the state capital for 115 years.
Read More →
BMW Plant Pursues Cleaner Energy
BMW Group Plant Leipzig has utilized hydrogen to help power its production since 2013, but a new pipeline is planned to take it to another level.
Read More →
Auto Affordability Inches Up
The latest Cox Automotive and Moody’s Analytics index shows a slight increase in new-vehicle affordability despite high prices.
Read More →
Ohio Auto Group Under New Ownership
After 79 years with the Schluter family, Mansfield Auto Group has been acquired by Missouri-based Clement Auto Group.
Read More →
RV Group Expands Carolina Footprint
Blue Compass RV Columbia Northeast is the 13th RV dealership owned by Blue Compass in the Carolinas.
Read More →
Agent Acumen
An Agent Summit panel of people who’ve been supporting auto dealers for years gave both timely and timeless advice for those starting out or mulling the prospect.
Read More →