Fixed Ops Roundtable

What happens when you mix the next generation of automotive leaders with a campus that breathes innovation and free enterprise? You get something electric. 👉 Register for the upcoming Fixed Ops Roundtable Event What we discuss in this episode: In this episode of the Fixed Ops Roundtable, I sit down with CDK Global’s Mike Stoll, alongside Sarah Vantine, from the heart of Northwood University durin...

What if the future of automotive doesn’t depend on AI—but on how humans learn to work with it? That’s exactly what we dive into in this episode of the Fixed Ops Roundtable, recorded live at the Northwood University International Auto Show. Ted Ings and Sarah Vantine sit down with Cobi Collins of Go Trego , a leader who’s helping the industry rethink what it means to find, train, and retain top tal...

What happens when education and industry come together to shape the future of automotive leadership? In this episode we sit down with Jennifer Ness of Cox Automotive —a powerhouse conversation about partnership, purpose, and the people driving change in our industry. 👉 Register for the upcoming Fixed Ops Roundtable Event What we discuss in this episode: Jennifer pulls back the curtain on Cox Auto...

What if your customers never had to step foot in your dealership again, and still loved you for it? That’s exactly what my guest, Clint Curtis, Founder and CEO of Zapmoto, is proving across the country. In this episode recorded live from Mike Calvert Toyota in Houston, Texas, we explore how Zapmoto is transforming pickup and delivery into one of the biggest customer satisfaction and retention oppo...

What if you could turn every service appointment into a potential car sale… automatically? In this episode, I sit down with Matthew Wilmsen of Affinitiv at Mike Calvert Toyota in Houston, Texas, and let’s just say, this conversation will make you rethink how your dealership uses data, AI, and marketing under one roof. 👉 Register for the upcoming Fixed Ops Roundtable Event What we discuss in this...

What if the car you just sold still remembers the last owner’s life? Their texts. Their contacts. Even their credit card. Yeah, that’s happening more often than you think. In this episode, I sit down with Merry Marwig, VP of Marketing at Privacy4Cars , live from Rohrman Automotive Group in Schaumburg, Illinois , to talk about one of the most overlooked (and fast-growing) challenges in automotive r...

Ever notice how dealers don’t think about payment solutions until there’s a problem? That’s where things can get messy. In this episode, my guest is Sandy Nyiri of Dealer Pay at the Rohrman Automotive Group in Schaumburg, Illinois. 👉 Register for the upcoming Fixed Ops Roundtable Event What we discuss in this episode: What makes a dealership-specific payment platform different from just another p...

In this episode, my guest is Kaylee Felio , Sales and Marketing Manager at PartsEdge, joining us from the Snell Motor Companies in Dallas, Texas. 👉 Register for the upcoming Fixed Ops Roundtable Event What we discuss in this episode: Kaylee and I talk about why parts managers are so critical to a dealership’s success but often left out of the bigger leadership conversations. She shares why suppor...

What if the way you manage your fleet could flip from being a cost center to a profit center? In this episode I’m joined by Shawn Concannon, President of TSD Mobility by Reynolds and Reynolds, and Ed Roberts of Bozard Ford Lincoln. Katrina Ness and Sarah Vantine sat down with them live at the Reynolds and Reynolds Amplify event in Dallas to talk about a part of fixed ops that doesn’t always get th...

In this episode my guests are Ashleigh Norton, VP of Marketing at Blink AI , and Ken Mauldin, Director, Platform Fixed Operations at Snell Motor Companies . Katrina and I sat down with them inside Snell’s stunning Dallas facility to talk about something every dealership wrestles with: how to keep operations efficient without burning out your people or frustrating customers. 👉 Register for the upc...

In this episode my guest is Mickey Quinn, President of Vanguard Dealer Services, joining Sarah Vantine and me at Uber’s headquarters in New York City. Mickey has spent more than 35 years in the F&I space, and he brings a perspective that challenges the way many dealers think about customer loyalty. We talk about how authenticity, sincerity, and empathy can completely change the way customers e...

What if the future of your dealership didn’t just rely on humans or AI, but the two working together in ways we’ve never seen before? In this episode my co-host Sarah Vantine and I sit down at Uber’s World Headquarters in New York City with Tim Mullins, Chief Market Transformation Officer at Capital One. Together, we explore how technology is rewriting the customer experience in dealerships withou...

In this episode, my guest is Christie Wilson from Uber for Business , and we sat down together at Uber’s headquarters in New York City to talk about how Uber is reshaping customer transportation in automotive. 👉 Register for the upcoming Fixed Ops Roundtable Event What we discuss in this episode: Why “courtesy rides” are no longer just about shuttles or costly loaner fleets How Uber for Business...

In this episode, I’m joined by Christopher Walsh , President and Acting CEO at Reynolds and Reynolds — a man who’s spent 38 years inside the walls of one of the automotive industry’s most influential companies. From starting in customer support to now steering the entire ship, Chris has seen every side of the business… and he’s not slowing down. 👉 Register for the upcoming Fixed Ops Roundtable Ev...

In this episode, my guest is Marco Zwanenburg , Aftersales Consultant, mentor to technicians, and someone who's spent over 30 years in the service bay trenches—and lived to tell the tale. We sat down live from Uber HQ at Three World Trade Center with Sarah Vantine and a room full of fixed ops pros to talk about a subject that’s hot, a little uncomfortable, and 100% necessary: the technician “...

In this episode, my guest is Ibrahim Mesbah, Co-Founder and CEO at RevolutionParts. We caught up at Uber’s NYC headquarters to talk about something most dealerships overlook—the real power sitting inside the parts department. 👉 Register for the upcoming Fixed Ops Roundtable Event What we discuss in this episode: Ibrahim shares how a casual poker conversation led him to build one of the leading e-...

What if one change in your service process could boost customer retention by 29% ? That’s not a hypothetical. That’s what BG Products uncovered, and in this episode, Rob Leary, Director of Sales at BG, joins us to unpack exactly how. We’re coming to you from Uber’s World Headquarters in New York City. Sarah Vantine and I sit down with Rob for a powerful conversation about how BG’s data-driven appr...

In this episode, my guest is Scott Davis, Founder of Volie, and we’re talking about what most dealers are missing when it comes to inbound calls. We’ve all heard about outbound strategies and BDC hustle—but what about the people calling you ready to do business? That’s the focus here. Scott breaks down what he’s seeing across high-performing stores and shares simple, practical ways to boost inboun...

In this episode, I sit down with Brett Sutherlin from Sutherlin Automotive Group for a powerful conversation about what’s actually working in today’s dealerships. Brett pulls back the curtain on how his team is flipping the script—turning service drives into high-trust buying opportunities, building custom software to appraise every car that rolls into the service bay, and creating a culture where...

In this episode of the Fixed Ops Roundtable, Sarah Vantine sits down with Andrew Wright, Managing Partner at Vinart Dealerships, to pull back the curtain on what’s really happening behind the scenes—from navigating tariff uncertainties to solving the growing technician crisis. We talk about how tariffs could shake things up, how technician shortages are forcing dealers to think differently, and wh...

In this episode, my guest is Steve Greenfield from Automotive Ventures, and together with Sarah Vantine, we dive into what’s really happening in the auto market right now. We talk about why dealers are suddenly feeling the pressure on inventory, how consumer behavior is shifting, and why used car prices are still hanging stubbornly high. Steve shares why some manufacturers are holding back cars, w...

In this episode, my guest is Thomas Bednarczyk, National Sales Director at Infomedia, the makers of Microcat EPC — a parts catalog used by over 220,000 people worldwide. We talk about something that doesn’t always get the spotlight, but quietly keeps the whole dealership running: the parts department. 👉 Register for the upcoming Fixed Ops Roundtable Event What we discuss in this episode:  How Mic...

In this episode, my guest is John Traver, CEO of Traver Connect—a longtime leader in business development and a good friend of the Roundtable. We talk about something every dealership leader should be thinking about right now: how to future-proof not just your business, but yourself. 👉 Register for the upcoming Fixed Ops Roundtable Event What we discuss in this episode: John breaks down three pra...

In this episode, I sit down with Laurie Halter from Charisma! Communications—Laurie works with some of the most trusted names in Fixed Ops, and in this conversation, we get into how they’re winning—and what you can learn from it. 👉 Register for the upcoming Fixed Ops Roundtable Event What we discuss in this episode: We talk about the rise of recall work (and why it’s now a goldmine for retention)...

In this episode, my guest is Owen Moon, CEO of Dealer Stream, and we’re digging into how dealerships can finally use streaming the right way—to actually reach and influence today’s real customers, not just chase impressions. We talk about why traditional advertising isn't keeping up, and how connected TV is fast becoming the place your next service and sales customers are already watching. Ow...