The Walk Around

Jonathan Banks, VP of Product Retailing for JD Power’s Retailing Portfolio, breaks down macro trends across the industry, used-car profit strategies, and how dealer principals can optimize performance in the next 12–18 months. Episode Breakdown 00:00 - Meet Jonathan Banks 01:00 - Macroeconomic trends dealers should be thinking about 03:30 - Affordability: What should dealers be paying attention to...

Eve Knudtsen, President of Knudtsen Auto Group, is a third-generation dealer leading three stores across the Pacific Northwest. She shares insights on leadership, technology, culture and her experience as a woman in automotive. Episode Breakdown 00:00 - Meet Eve Knudtsen! 02:31 - Making your voice heard as a woman in automotive 05:02 - Advice to women pursuing leadership positions 06:19 - Advice t...

Tyson Jominy, SVP OEM Solutions at JD Power, discusses affordability pressures, interest rates, lease returns, and why stable demand and mid-cycle conditions will shape dealer planning for the 2026 auto market. Episode Breakdown 00:00 - Meet Tyson Jominy from J.D. Power 01:05 - Affordability and the role of monthly payment 03:29 - What longer loan terms mean for dealers 04:36 - Limited used supply...

Christian Crain, VP of Crain Automotive Holdings, discusses leading a 23-store dealer group, their focus on seamless operations and how they are addressing the affordability challenges their guests are facing now. Episode Breakdown 00:00 - Meet Christian Crain 02:15 - How Crain Automotive is addressing customer affordability 05:24 - Creating a frictionless process 07:45 - Best Bets with Christian...

John Fitzpatrick, President & CEO of Force Marketing, joins the podcast to share insights on marketing trends in 2026, the future of AI and technology, customer engagement opportunities and strategies for dealership growth. Episode Breakdown 00:00 - Meet John Fitzpatrick! 01:58 - Trends in Dealership Marketing and Customer Engagement 02:28 - The “4A” Strategy (Audience, Attention, Automation,...

Ted Ings of Fixed Ops Roundtable shares fixed ops technology innovations, including technician video MPIs and AI, and explains how they improve transparency, approvals and strengthen overall service department performance. Episode Breakdown 00:00 - Meet Ted from Fixed Ops Roundtable! 03:07 - What's the biggest Fixed Ops innovation? 05:29 - Measuring video engagement and ROI 06:04 - Implementin...

Brian Kramer from Cars.com makes his third podcast appearance with us to share industry insights on the future of AI and digital retailing, how process drives profitability, and the wave of demand for used EVs in 2026. For more information about our guest, visit their ⁠⁠⁠⁠ LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠ .  Episode Breakdown 0:00 - Brian returns for a third time!  2:00 - Digital retailing & AI in 2026 5:53 - Optimiz...

NADA President & CEO Mike Stanton discusses dealer sentiment around affordability concerns, NADA's work to strengthen the dealer environment, key public policy initiatives and strengthening the franchise system.  In this episode you’ll hear: The pulse on dealer economic concerns  How NADA is addressing technician shortages and training  Protecting dealers and remaining compliant with Artificia...

From the finance office to General Manager, Jesse Hill of Safford Mazda Sterling shares how he balances family life with a busy career, how he led a virtual change in the finance office and advice for future dealership leaders. For more information about our guest, visit their ⁠⁠⁠ ⁠LinkedIn⁠ ⁠⁠⁠.  Episode Breakdown 0:00 - Jesse’s journey to the auto industry  7:29 - Balancing family with the deman...

Steve Greenfield, GP at Automotive Ventures, shares his perspective on affordability challenges, dealership profitability, emerging retail tech, and how AI may shape the future of customer experience and operational efficiency. For more information about our guest, visit their ⁠⁠⁠ ⁠LinkedIn⁠ ⁠⁠⁠.  Episode Breakdown 0:00 - Meet Steve of Automotive Ventures!  0:53 - The state of vehicle affordabilit...

Jay Vijayan, Founder & CEO at Tekion, discusses the dealership pain points he saw which led to the creation of his business. He also shares insights on AI and digital retail and lessons he learned from his leadership role at Tesla.  For more information about our guest, visit their ⁠⁠⁠ ⁠LinkedIn⁠ ⁠⁠⁠.  Episode Breakdown 0:00 - Jay’s introduction to the automotive industry  7:42 - Why Jay’s com...

Marc Bland, Head of New Business and Growth Audiences for S&P Global, breaks down the trends he’s seeing across customer bases, the segment OEMs are overlooking, how to engage more buyers and his opinion on TikTok car sales. For more information about our guest, visit their ⁠⁠⁠ LinkedIn ⁠⁠⁠.  Episode Breakdown 0:00  - Marc's insight on OEM sales and consumers 3:33  - What’s important for d...

Jenell Ross, President at Bob Ross Buick GMC, discusses taking over the helm of her father’s dealership, how she is working to improve operational performance and supporting the presence of women across the industry. For more information about our guest, visit their ⁠⁠⁠ LinkedIn ⁠⁠⁠.  Episode Breakdown 0:00  - Meet Jenell 2:13  - The state of the business 3:46  - Key leadership lessons learned 5:5...

Karen Ford, President at Sutton Ford and incoming NextGen Committee President at NAMAD, talks cultivating culture and continuing legacies at dealerships. Plus, what she had to do before she could join her family’s dealership.  For more information about our guest, visit their ⁠⁠ LinkedIn⁠⁠ .  Episode Breakdown 0:00 - Karen’s journey to becoming a dealer  5:50 - What OEM work-experience gave Karen...

Perry Watson IV, President of NAMAD, explains the necessity of improving the human element at dealerships. He details different ways dealers can accomplish this and shares how NAMAD is helping dealers and their communities evolve.  For more information about our guest, visit their ⁠ LinkedIn⁠ .  Episode Breakdown 0:00 - Meet Perry 1:56 - Are dealers optimistic regardless of market uncertainties? 3...

Joey Huang, Dealer Owner at Great Lakes Auto Group, discusses the transition from medical school to automotive. He shares how a tenacious, yet respectful attitude has driven his career, along with people believing in his potential.  For more information about our guest, visit their LinkedIn .  Episode Breakdown 0:00 - Meet Joey  4:04 - Why NAMAD is important for the industry  5:10 - How relationsh...

Jonathan Jordan and Jamie Horowitz of JM&A Group dive into the latest uncertainties facing the automotive industry, including the impact of tariffs. Don’t miss strategic insights to help you navigate the changes at your dealership. For more about our guests, visit their LinkedIn: Jonathan Jordan & Jamie Horowitz Episode Breakdown 0:00 - Meet our guests! 1:50 - Financial impacts of tariffs...

Chris Sutton, Senior Vice President of Auto Benchmarking and Customer Success at J.D. Power, talks data around customer sentiment in the dealership, digital retail and technology advancements and his view of the 2025 industry. For more info about Chris, visit his LinkedIn . Episode Breakdown 0:00 - Meet Chris 2:59 - What should dealers be mindful of in 2025? 4:06 - Why some dealers are less focuse...

Training your dealership’s team is a continuous, yet important process. Discover ways to explore innovative training opportunities at your dealership and empower your team with Matthias Stoever, Co-Founder and CEO at RockEd. For more about Matthias, visit his LinkedIn .  Episode Breakdown 0:00 - Meet Matthias & RockED 10:11 - The origin story behind his startup 14:37 - What training behaviors...

Laurie Halter has worked in automotive marketing and PR for 20+ years with her company, Charisma! Communications. She shares valuable advice for developing a content strategy that empowers your team and engages your customers. For more about Laurie, visit her LinkedIn . Episode Breakdown 0:00 - Meet Laurie!  0:57 - What are you excited about in the industry this year?  1:27 - AI technology in the...

Steve Roessler, Chief Evangelist Officer at automotive CRM company, DriveCentric, discusses how your dealership’s CRM should be functioning, the usage of artificial intelligence in maintaining customer relationships and more. For more about Steve, visit his LinkedIn . Episode Breakdown 0:00 - Steve, Buc-ee's and NADA 2025 5:08 - DriveCentric’s mission for dealers 9:06 - Will Artificial Intelli...

David Spisak is back on The Walk Around podcast! He's the President and CEO of Disruptive Growth Solutions, a consulting and advisory firm centered on retail automotive, while also being the podcast host of The David Spisak Show. In this episode, David speaks on his experience running a dealership and his advice for dealers’ process improvement this year. Plus, he discusses what an effective p...

April Simmons has worked in the automotive industry for nearly three decades. Her experience spans across the retail side of the dealership; with positions as Finance Manager, Retail Desk Manager, Internet Sales Director and now as Corporate Internet and Marketing Director at Horne Auto Group. April shares how the finance office shaped her career path, why she thinks 2025 is going to “be a foundat...

Brian Kramer, EVP of Dealer Growth & Success at Cars Commerce and a former dealership General Manager, brings a wealth of industry experience (nearly 30 years!) to the podcast. Brian dives into key topics on dealership operations, data privacy, sales strategies, and vehicle trade-ins. He reflects on his career in retail automotive and shares what he misses most from those days, along with high...

We had the honor of speaking with Rita Case, president and CEO of Rick Case Automotive Group and the largest female owned and operated dealer group in the nation with 12 stores operating in south Florida and Atlanta, Georgia. Rita shares about her incredible journey developing her personal brand in the industry as a female dealer; how she, along with her husband, built a well-known automotive comp...