What the Fixed Ops?! (WTF?!)

In this episode of What the Fixed Ops?!, hosts Russell Hill and Charity Dunning welcome Leo Portaluppi, CEO and owner of P4 Automotive, for a conversation about dealership leadership, fixed operations, customer retention, and what it takes to build a successful automotive dealership group. Leo shares his journey from working as a technician and service advisor to becoming a dealership executive an...

In this episode of What the Fixed Ops?!, hosts Russell Hill and Charity Dunning welcome Gary Sillman, agent owner of Global F&I Solutions, for a wide-ranging conversation about breaking down dealership silos, connecting sales and service, and uncovering new revenue opportunities inside the service drive. Gary explains why dealerships can no longer afford to operate sales, service, parts, and F...

In this episode of What the Fixed Ops?!, hosts Russell Hill and Charity Dunning welcome Josh Arnold, Master Technician and Co-Founder of Within Spec, for an insightful conversation about the automotive technician shortage, technician retention, mentorship, and what dealerships need to do differently to develop the next generation of skilled automotive professionals.  Josh explains why the industry...

In this episode of What the Fixed Ops?!, hosts Russell Hill and Charity Dunning welcome Matt Crumpton, Director of Business Development for NAPA Auto Parts and the NAPA Auto Care program, for a wide-ranging conversation about the rapidly changing automotive repair industry and what franchise dealerships can learn from successful independent repair shops. With 28 years of automotive experience, Mat...

In this episode of What the Fixed Ops?!, hosts Russell Hill and Charity Dunning welcome Michael Keene, Chief Revenue Officer at Chameleon Limited, for an eye-opening conversation about the future of artificial intelligence in automotive fixed operations and why the biggest opportunity isn't replacing people—it's developing better leaders. Michael explains why AI should be viewed as a leadership to...

In this episode of What the Fixed Ops?!, hosts Russell Hill and Charity Dunning welcome David Long, founder of David J. Long Coaching & Performance, creator of Pandemic of Positivity, and author of Step Zero, for an inspiring conversation about leadership, personal growth, accountability, and the mindset that separates great leaders from everyone else. David shares his incredible journey from...

In this episode of What the Fixed Ops?!, hosts Russell Hill and Charity Dunning sit down with Nolan Armpriester, General Manager of Twin Pines Ford of Hamburg, for an insightful conversation about dealership leadership, fixed operations, mobile service, customer retention, and why the future of automotive service is happening outside the four walls of the dealership. Drawing on decades of experien...

In this episode of What the Fixed Ops?!, hosts Russell Hill and Charity Dunning sit down with David Anderson, CEO and co-founder of EvenFlow AI, for a fascinating conversation about service department optimization, predictive analytics, artificial intelligence, dealership operations, and the human side of leadership. David shares his unconventional journey from academia and applied mathematics to...

In this episode of What the Fixed Ops?!, hosts Russell Hill and Charity Dunning sit down with Dennis McGinn, founder of Rapid Recon and co-founder of Workflow Live, for an insightful conversation about dealership accountability, operational excellence, leadership, and the transformative role of AI in automotive retail. Dennis shares the story behind building Rapid Recon into one of the most widely...

In this episode of What the Fixed Ops?!, hosts Russell Hill and Charity Dunning sit down with Bill Springer for a deep dive into the evolving world of dealership customer retention, fixed operations, and long-term service loyalty. Drawing from insights in his latest Dealer Retention Report, Bill breaks down the biggest challenges and opportunities facing dealerships today—from tire sales and first...

Culture isn’t built through slogans or perks—it’s built through leadership, accountability, training, and creating an experience people actually want to be part of. In this episode of What the Fixed Ops?!, we welcome back Nick Ruffolo for an in-depth conversation on what truly drives long-term success inside a dealership. From customer retention and employee engagement to leadership development an...

Growth doesn’t come from adding more tools—it comes from seeing clearly, fixing what’s broken, and building systems that actually work. In this episode of What the Fixed Ops?!, we welcome John Acosta, CEO of VTech Dealer IT and a leader at the intersection of automotive, technology, and cybersecurity. John brings a rare combination of military discipline, entrepreneurial grit, and deep dealership...

(00:00:00) Intro (00:00:39) Tim shares the origin of Tour Detour (00:01:44) How the idea turned into a viral series (00:05:58) What Tim wanted to achieve from making the show (00:10:52) Fixed ops as the backbone of dealership profitability (00:13:15) The danger of over-quoting and losing customer trust (00:19:14) What Tim's Strategy Looks Like on a Daily Basis (00:25:35) Rethinking service appoint...

Some careers follow a straight line. Others are built by recognizing opportunity, solving problems, and scaling what works. In this episode of What the Fixed Ops?!, we welcome Matthew Wilmsen, Chief Revenue Officer, and Eric Wilson, SVP of OEM Partnerships at Fixed Ops Marketing, to the show. Both Matt and Eric bring deep experience from high-level automotive, data, and growth organizations—and in...

Some careers are planned. Others are built through grit, pressure, and pure resilience. In this episode of What the Fixed Ops?!, we welcome Sheila Pogue, Dealer Marketing Consultant at Dealer OMG, to the show. Sheila’s journey into the automotive and dealership world didn’t begin in a showroom or service drive — it started in hospitality, managing bars and restaurants before making an unexpected l...

Influence matters. Leadership matters. And real sales performance depends on both. In this episode of What the Fixed Ops?!, we welcome Christian Younggren, sales trainer and founder of Kaizen Automotive Consulting, to the show. Christian’s journey is rooted in decades inside the dealership world. He started in the car business in 1992 as a salesperson, worked his way through finance and management...

AI is advancing fast — but skilled technicians aren’t going anywhere. Watch the full episode: https://youtu.be/_FWnkP4smlc Global Dealer Solutions offers a network of high-performance providers while remaining product agnostic. Knowing which tools to deploy makes a big difference. Having a trusted adviser; priceless.  Schedule your complimentary consultation today. https://calendly.com/don-278.  B...

The moment you think you’ve arrived is the moment you stop growing. Watch the full episode: https://youtu.be/_FWnkP4smlc Global Dealer Solutions offers a network of high-performance providers while remaining product agnostic. Knowing which tools to deploy makes a big difference. Having a trusted adviser; priceless.  Schedule your complimentary consultation today. https://calendly.com/don-278.  BE...

If your compensation plan isn’t built for quality, don’t expect to attract it. Watch the full episode: https://youtu.be/_FWnkP4smlc Global Dealer Solutions offers a network of high-performance providers while remaining product agnostic. Knowing which tools to deploy makes a big difference. Having a trusted adviser; priceless.  Schedule your complimentary consultation today. https://calendly.com/do...

The further you want to go, the more humility matters. Ego stalls growth. Watch the full episode: https://youtu.be/_FWnkP4smlc Global Dealer Solutions offers a network of high-performance providers while remaining product agnostic. Knowing which tools to deploy makes a big difference. Having a trusted adviser; priceless.  Schedule your complimentary consultation today. https://calendly.com/don-278...

You don’t need a perfect past. You need work ethic. In automotive, effort still wins. Watch the full episode: https://youtu.be/_FWnkP4smlc Global Dealer Solutions offers a network of high-performance providers while remaining product agnostic. Knowing which tools to deploy makes a big difference. Having a trusted adviser; priceless.  Schedule your complimentary consultation today. https://calendly...

Quality isn’t claimed — it’s earned. If you want proven skill, look for ASE. Watch the full episode: https://youtu.be/_FWnkP4smlc Global Dealer Solutions offers a network of high-performance providers while remaining product agnostic. Knowing which tools to deploy makes a big difference. Having a trusted adviser; priceless.  Schedule your complimentary consultation today. https://calendly.com/don-...

The data is clear: ASE-certified techs earn more, perform better, and stay longer. Watch the full episode: https://youtu.be/_FWnkP4smlc Global Dealer Solutions offers a network of high-performance providers while remaining product agnostic. Knowing which tools to deploy makes a big difference. Having a trusted adviser; priceless.  Schedule your complimentary consultation today. https://calendly.co...

Your pay plan might be driving short-term wins… and long-term damage. Incentives shape culture. Watch the full episode: https://youtu.be/_FWnkP4smlc Global Dealer Solutions offers a network of high-performance providers while remaining product agnostic. Knowing which tools to deploy makes a big difference. Having a trusted adviser; priceless.  Schedule your complimentary consultation today. https:...

Forget the stereotypes. The next wave of technicians isn’t lazy or entitled — they’re sharp, capable, and ready. Watch the full episode: https://youtu.be/_FWnkP4smlc Global Dealer Solutions offers a network of high-performance providers while remaining product agnostic. Knowing which tools to deploy makes a big difference. Having a trusted adviser; priceless.  Schedule your complimentary consultat...