Press & News

Posted on September 28, 2016 - Press

Knudtsen Chevrolet tailors recruitment message to achieve diversity

Eve Knudtsen, who has a degree in automotive marketing from Northwood University, was working for General Motors in Detroit when she realized that her true calling was selling cars. She returned to Idaho to work at her family’s Chevrolet store. But being a woman, and the owner’s daughter, created some doubts among the long-time sales staff. “They thought I was just going to hang out until I found a husband,” says Knudtsen. “[But] in my mind, I was always going… Read more »

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Posted on August 24, 2016 - Press

Carrie Way of Crest Automotive Group earned her way as a woman in the dealership world

Carrie Way, the new owner of Crest Automotive Group, has been working in dealerships for much of her life. As a teenager, she worked in her father’s dealership greeting clients as they drove into the service department. During college breaks she worked there, as well, doing everything from cleaning loaner cars to driving clients whose cars were being worked on. She liked what she was seeing. “I saw opportunity in dealerships,” Way tells Automotive Buy Sell Report. Now, she is… Read more »

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Posted on August 10, 2016 - Press

The fourth generation at Carter Myers Automotive leads an expanding dealership group

As the daughter of H. Carter Myers III, Liza Borches has been in or around auto dealerships her entire life. Her father, a former chairman of the National Automotive Dealers Association, was the third generation to run the dealership group in Virginia. Still, Borches didn’t always see herself running the family business. “I would not say growing up my plan was to live in Charlottesville and lead our auto group,” Borches tells Automotive Buy Sell Report. She is now the… Read more »

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Posted on July 27, 2016 - Events, News

Record Attendance, Exciting Keynote Speakers Highlight Second Annual Women in Automotive Conference

Orlando, FL – More than 400 professionals from across the country attended the second annual Women in Automotive Conference, held in late June at the Omni Resort in ChampionsGate, FL, located just outside of Orlando. Attendance jumped an impressive 33 percent from the conference’s inaugural event in 2015. “Last year’s Women in Automotive event was phenomenal, but this one far surpassed it,” said Christy Roman, founder of Women in Automotive. “The positive feedback we’ve received from both attendees and sponsors… Read more »

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Posted on June 13, 2016 - News, Press

Christy Roman: Changing the Face of Automotive through Leadership

Published in NCM Institute’s Blog by Lindsey Quinn Dealerships around the country struggle to find innovative ways to recruit and retain top female talent; meanwhile, women themselves face challenges balancing work and home and often have to establish their place in the traditional dealership. It’s a situation that many believe needs to change. We recently interviewed Christy Roman, founder of Women in Automotive (WIA), about the difficulties women face and asked her how the industry can address them. Read on… Read more »

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Posted on June 13, 2016 - Press

Taking Customer Care to new heights helps Treasure Coast Lexus reach new heights as well

Published in Automotive Buy Sell ReportWhen Treasure Coast Lexus opened its Customer Care Center in October of 2014, the center’s purpose was to remind customers that their vehicles needed servicing. It quickly became much more. Many of the dealership’s clients were retirees, “snow birds” who lived in Florida for the winter. They had car questions, but also sometimes wanted to talk about how proud they were of the grandkids they didn’t get to see very often. “We ended up being… Read more »

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Posted on June 8, 2016 - Press

A great customer experience starts with happy dealership employees at McGrath Acura

Published in Automotive Buy Sell ReportConsumers are doing much more of their car shopping online these days, but that doesn’t change the need for a good customer experience at the dealership. And offering that good customer experience starts with hiring the right people, Melissa Hansen, manager of client relations at McGrath Acura tells Automotive Buy Sell Report. “Our biggest customers are the internal customers, the employees,” says Hansen. “If I don’t have happy employees, the best part of their personality… Read more »

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Posted on May 25, 2016 - Press

Make your dealership more competitive by knowing what motivates your employees

Published in Automotive Buy Sell Report In 2010, Lisa Copeland co-authored a marketing proposal aiming to convince the then-named Chrysler Corp. to award an open point for Fiat and Alfa Romeo franchises in Austin, Texas. It was successful and the point was awarded. In January 2011, she became part owner and Managing Partner of the dealership. Nyle Maxwell was Dealer Principle. By this year, Copeland, who just turned 50, was ready for a change. “I didn’t want to spend six… Read more »

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Posted on May 21, 2016 - News, Press

This woman’s work – Jody DeVere and Christy Roman Interview with Strategy Mob

It’s one thing to recruit women to be part of your dealership, it’s another to retain them. Two industry leaders share how to do both. When female customers walk into your showroom, they notice when there are few, if any, women salespeople to greet them. According to the most recent NADA Workforce Study, women represented only 18.5 percent of dealership employees; 8 percent of those were employed in key positions, 91 percent in office and admin support. Those numbers need… Read more »

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Posted on May 18, 2016 - Press

Mentoring key to good management at growing Florida automotive group

Published in Automotive Buy Sell ReportHeadquarter Automotive Group is in expansion mode and Judy Farcus Serra, the Group’s CFO, is helping lead the charge. “We are really going to focus on luxury now,” she tells Automotive Buy Sell Report. Serra has the experience. She has already helped the Group acquire open points and existing franchises for Headquarter, which is based in Miami, Florida. The minority-owned Group has won Toyota’s Presidents Cabinet Award seven times, among its many accolades. Its flagship… Read more »

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