ConnectedPodcast

This week, Greg gets Connected with Rich Lupo, fixed ops director at Apple Tree Honda and Apple Tree Acura. Rich is constantly sharing his ideas and best practices with the industry, and today he and Greg dive deeper into: -The technician bench program Rich has implemented to help with staffing shortages at their stores. -How to adapt other's best practices to fit your specific needs and be action...

It's a brand new episode of Connected! This week, Greg's talking with Yuriy Demidko, chief information officer at DP Fox Ventures. Yuriy has a lot of experience both inside and outside of automotive and that gives him great insight on where the industry is headed. Greg and Yuriy cover: -Yuriy's career path and how he got to where he is today. -The importance of clean data in boosting efficiency an...

This week Greg speaks with Curtis Gardner, master tech at Audi North Houston and founder of Gnarred, a company focused on fixed operations efficiency. Curtis is involved in coaching and mentoring techs to become more efficient, and has developed a passion for saving as much time as he can, down to the second. In this episode, Greg and Curtis cover: -The three biggest things techs can do today to b...

The champs are here! This week on Connected, you'll hear the best practice presentations from the winners of our 2025 Automotive Amplifiers Contest. Two weeks ago, the second annual Automotive Amplifiers Contest was held at our Reynolds Retail Summit: Amplify in Dallas, TX. Five finalists presented their best practices live at the event, and our panel of judges selected these two winners: Innovati...

Today on Connected Greg's catching up with AJ McGowan, founder of AutoVision and lead developer on Reynolds' new AI assistant, Rey. After the reveal of Rey yesterday at Amplify 2025, AJ sheds some light on the next chapter of AI for Reynolds and beyond. In this episode, Greg and AJ cover: -Rey as an agentic AI that works with your existing tools. -The difference between UI (user interface) and UX...

This week, Greg sits down with two of the most energizing voices in retail automotive: Fred Lennartz and Lou Ramirez, founders of Certified Solutionaries and hosts of the Car Guy Coffee Podcast. These two bring more than just caffeine to the conversation. Their approach to automotive leadership is personal, practical, and rooted in optimism — and it’s refreshing. They cover: -Why forgiveness is th...

Today on Connected, it's Russell Richardson, aka Russ Flips Whips! Russell has built a really impressive online presence across platforms, founding RFW Training and establishing himself as an expert at the intersection of automotive and social media. We dive into Russell's background building up his social media success and his advice for any individuals or dealerships trying to build up a presenc...

Today on Connected, our guest is Brad Gelber, director of marketing at West Herr Auto Group in Buffalo, New York. Brad has an extensive background in marketing and journalism, and is passionate about giving back to the city he grew up in. In this episode, Brad talks about: -Making the most of celebrity partnerships. -The importance of highlighting players as people in brand marketing. -The value o...

This week on Connected, Greg's talking with Joe Pytel, general manager of LaFontaine Volkswagen of Dearborn and LaFontaine Hyundai of Dearborn. Greg and Joe caught up after a recent launch event at the Volkswagen Group of America (VWGoA) office in Auburn Hills, MI, where a GoMoto kiosk was installed and LaFontaine began providing mobile service to VWGoA employees. Joe summed up the purpose of mobi...

On today's Connected, Elgie Bright returns for a conversation with Greg! Elgie is the chair of the automotive marketing and management program at Northwood University, has an impressive background in the automotive industry, and is dedicated to helping those interested in entering the field. This time around, he and Greg discuss: -The President's Freedom Celebration and International Auto Show at...

On this episode of Connected, Greg sits down with Nathan Shaver, a dealer at Shaver Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram. Nathan is a fifth-generation automotive dealer and has a great vision for the industry's growth. It's clear Nathan has a passion for what's new in automotive technology and how it can impact his business. He and Greg touch on this and other interesting topics, including: -How Nathan works t...

Today on Connected, Greg is joined by Lyle Dizon from AutoVision! Lyle and Greg talk about AutoVision's AI assistant Avery, the innovation driving it forward, and some of the broader momentum building within AutoVision. They get into: -What's new with Avery and how it's evolving. -The exciting things happening at AutoVision. -Broader trends impacting digital retailing and inventory strategies.

On this episode of Connected, host Greg Uland sits down with Inga Maurer, Senior Partner at McKinsey & Company. Inga leads McKinsey's work with dealerships, aftermarket players, and OEMs, keeping her very plugged into the automotive ecosystem. She also recently co-authored an article titled "Boosting auto sales productivity: A playbook for excellence," and as soon as Greg read it, he wanted to hav...

On today's Connected, Greg reconnects with Colin Carrasquillo, digital marketing manager at Nielsen Automotive Group. With over a decade of experience, Colin is always at the forefront of what's going on in automotive marketing. Greg and Colin cover: -How to measure success in marketing. -Insights into creating vs. capturing demand and how to direct it to your stores. -The four key elements that m...

Today on Connected, Greg chats with Sam D'Arc, COO at Zeigler Auto Group and host of the Industry Spotlight podcast. Sam regularly talks about how important it is to build a consistent culture at a large group like Zeigler with 41 stores and over 2500 employees. When asked how to build that culture, Sam says it breaks down to implementing intentional actions over a long period. Some of his example...

On this episode of Connected, Greg sits down with the internet's favorite Car Dealership Guy, Yossi Levi! From building an anonymous Twitter presence to transforming his digital persona into a thriving business, Yossi's entrepreneurial journey showcases how authentic industry insights can evolve into a brand with real-world impact. Yossi and Greg dive into an exciting array of topics. Here’s a sne...

The last of our episodes from NADA 2025 is a conversation with Cliff Banks, founder of the Banks Report and AUTOVATE. Cliff always has really great insight into what's going on in the industry, and he shared a few key things he's keeping an eye on in the next year. He covered: -The future of the direct to consumer model. -The EV market and the impact of incentives. -The growing presence of AI.

This week on Connected, it's the other half of the best duo in automotive: Kyle Mountsier from ASOTU! At NADA, Kyle joined Greg to talk about: • The creation of AutoIndustry.ai. • The 3 primary purposes of AI. • Moving from reactive to proactive as an industry with AI.

On this episode of Connected, Greg talks with Sam Klemet, executive director of the Detroit Auto Show and the Detroit Auto Dealers Association as he comes off of a very successful 2025 auto show! Sam shares details of what went into putting on this year's show and the importance of Detroit to this event in telling the automotive story. He and Greg get into: -The background of the Detroit Auto Show...

We're releasing another episode from our NADA 2025 series this week and it features two great guests: Ed Roberts from Bozard Ford and Troy Blackwell from Spiffy. Greg talks with Ed and Troy about: • Bozard Ford's thriving mobile service fleet of 41 vans and their expansion strategy. • Spiffy's journey to delivering 3 million mobile services across 400 vans nationwide. • How mobile service drives c...

We got him! The first episode of our live from NADA series features Paul J Daly, founder and CEO of Automotive State of the Union (ASOTU). Greg and Paul discuss: -The process of planning ASOTU CON 2025 -Season 1 of More Than Cars on Amazon Prime and Tubi -More Than Cars season 2 -Adding Michael Cirillo's "The Dealer Playbook" to ASOTU's media network

This week on Connected, Greg's talking with Mr. NADA himself, Dave Bates, chief customer ambassador here at Reynolds. Dave dropped by the studio to talk about what he's looking forward to at NADA 2025 and share some of his great stories from years past. Some of the topics covered include: -Dave's first NADA story. -The one thing you should see at each booth in the Reynolds village. -Who Dave is mo...

On today's Connected, Greg talks with Kayla Sheridan, marketing director at TommyCar Auto Group and an Automotive Amplifiers Contest finalist. As a fellow marketer, Greg was really excited to pick Kayla's brain about her experience and how she balances marketing for a group with five different OEMs represented. Kayla shares some of what she does to strengthen and promote their group's messaging: -...

Join Reynolds vice president of marketing Greg Uland for a recap of ten of our most popular conversations from this year!

Today on Connected, Greg sits down with Jeremy Reardon, service production manager at Westside Lexus and Automotive Amplifiers contest winner! Jeremy runs a really impressive service department in Houston with 112 service bays, 78 lifts, and 62 technicians. With around 70 percent of his shop being made up of homegrown technicians, Jeremy's investment in recruiting and training is really apparent....