The automotive industry is facing a generational shift that most operators aren't prepared for, and the window to act is closing faster than anyone wants to admit.

Kent McDonald, President of Northwood University, sits down with Ted Ings and Sarah VanTine to talk about what's really happening to talent in this industry, why the companies moving right now will dominate the next decade, and what Northwood is building that has some of the largest names in automotive quietly paying very close attention.

👉 Register for the upcoming Fixed Ops Roundtable Event

What we discuss in this episode:

• Why the automotive talent crisis is more urgent than most dealers realize
• The qualities top employers are desperately searching for, and why they're harder to find than ever
• What Northwood's Automotive MBA is doing that no other program in the country is attempting
• The bold moves major automotive groups are making right now to secure their next generation of talent
• Why Motorsports is Northwood's exciting new frontier, and who's already taking notice
• The mindset shift that separates the operators who will thrive next decade from those who won't

There's a reason Northwood alumni keep showing up at the highest levels of this business. This conversation explains why.

Listen to the episode featuring Kent MacDonald for even more insights!

Enjoying The Fixed Ops Roundtable Podcast? Please leave a rating and review 👇

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fixed-ops-roundtable/id1608656237

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/15HHYoyvCo1PSFwYn02UXY

Thanks, Kent MacDonald

Connect with Ted Ings and the Fixed Ops Roundtable:

• Register for the next Fixed Ops Roundtable Event
• Ted Ings on LinkedIn
• Center for Performance Improvement

Every time a car breaks down, a dealership either wins a customer for life or loses one forever. Most don't even know it's happening.

Anthony Giagnacovo has run 150,000 of those moments, every single month. And in this episode he breaks down exactly what's at stake: the average repair order sitting inside every roadside rescue, why the difference between 45 minutes and 62 minutes can define your entire brand reputation, and the F&I products that quietly guarantee customers have no choice but to come back to your service drive.

This is the conversation about customer retention that nobody in fixed ops is framing correctly. The breakdown isn't the problem. It's the opportunity. And after 62 years of rescues, Anthony knows precisely how to turn the worst moment in a driver's day into the most valuable relationship a dealership can build.

Enjoying The Fixed Ops Roundtable Podcast? Please leave a rating and review 👇

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fixed-ops-roundtable/id1608656237

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/15HHYoyvCo1PSFwYn02UXY

Thanks, Anthony Giagnacovo

Connect with Ted Ings and the Fixed Ops Roundtable:

• Register for the next Fixed Ops Roundtable Event
• Ted Ings on LinkedIn
• Center for Performance Improvement

Automotive talent development just got a serious upgrade, and Lithia & Driveway's DART program is leading the charge.

Diego Rojas, the architect behind one of the most in-demand leadership development programs in automotive retail today, joins the Fixed Ops Roundtable to talk about what's happening inside Lithia & Driveway that dealership general managers across the country are lining up for, and waiting months to get.

What exactly is a "Darter?" Why are stores fighting over them? And what does Lithia's CEO want to see happen before the end of 2026?

Diego answers all of it, and what he reveals about where DART is heading next will surprise you.

In this episode:

• How the DART program develops next-generation dealership leaders differently than anything else in the industry
• Why Northwood University graduates are becoming some of the most sought-after candidates in automotive retail
• The hiring and placement process that makes this program unlike anything else
• Lithia & Driveway's bold 2026 targets straight from the CEO
• What's on the horizon globally for DART

Enjoying The Fixed Ops Roundtable Podcast? Please leave a rating and review 👇

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fixed-ops-roundtable/id1608656237

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/15HHYoyvCo1PSFwYn02UXY

Thanks, Brian Kramer

Connect with Ted Ings and the Fixed Ops Roundtable:

• Register for the next Fixed Ops Roundtable Event
• Ted Ings on LinkedIn
• Center for Performance Improvement

In this episode Sarah Vantine sits down with Luke May, dealer principal of White Family Dealerships (South Dakota & Wyoming), to unpack what it really takes to build a winning fixed operations culture in today's competitive automotive landscape.

Luke brings a rare perspective, he started as a Ford-certified technician, spent 20 years in the field with General Motors, and now oversees five rooftops. And he's using every bit of that experience to do things differently.

In this episode, you'll discover:

• The untapped talent pool that could solve your technician shortage
• How Luke built a fixed ops leadership team where over half the leaders are women
• The surprisingly simple gestures that drive technician retention better than a pay raise
• What dealers absolutely must prioritize heading into 2026 to stay competitive for talent
• Why your technicians need to be on your website, your social media, and in your business cards right now

If you're a dealer, fixed ops director, or service manager serious about retention, recruitment, and building a team that actually wants to stay, this conversation will change how you think about your people.

Enjoying The Fixed Ops Roundtable Podcast? Please leave a rating and review 👇

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fixed-ops-roundtable/id1608656237

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/15HHYoyvCo1PSFwYn02UXY

Thanks, Luke May

Connect with Ted Ings and the Fixed Ops Roundtable:

• Register for the next Fixed Ops Roundtable Event
• Ted Ings on LinkedIn
• Center for Performance Improvement

Your website says 60-minute oil changes. Your Google reviews say two and a half hours. And AI just chose your competitor.

Brian Kramer, one of the most influential voices in automotive retail and VP at Cars Commerce, joins Sarah and Ted for a conversation that every dealer, service director, and fixed ops leader needs to hear RIGHT NOW — because the rules of digital visibility just changed permanently.

👉 Register for the upcoming Fixed Ops Roundtable Event

What we discuss in this episode:

In this episode, Brian unpacks the single biggest shift happening in automotive marketing: the rise of Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) and why your Google reviews, Yelp page, Reddit presence, and Dealer Rater profile are now make-or-break factors in whether AI search engines even recommend your store.

What you'll learn:

• Why bots and AI agents now conduct MORE searches than humans, and what that means for your website structure
• The EEAT framework (Expertise, Experience, Authority, Trustworthiness) and how to reverse-engineer Google's algorithm to dominate local search
• How mismatched information across your platforms is silently destroying your ranking and how to fix it fast
• Why paid search is losing power (down from 70% to 50% of search share in one year) and what replaces it
• The real reason most dealers never crack 0.5% service drive acquisition, and what the top performers do differently (hint: no amount of automation can replicate it)
• Why Reddit is the #1 untapped platform for recruiting technicians right now

Brian also breaks down why the dealerships hitting 3–5% service drive conversion rates all share one thing in common and it has nothing to do with the technology they're using.

If you think you can buy your way to the top of AI search, Brian has a wake-up call for you. And if you're still relying on the same digital playbook from three years ago, this episode will tell you exactly what to change.

Listen to the episode featuring Brian Kramer for even more insights!

Enjoying The Fixed Ops Roundtable Podcast? Please leave a rating and review 👇

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fixed-ops-roundtable/id1608656237

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/15HHYoyvCo1PSFwYn02UXY

Thanks, Brian Kramer

Connect with Ted Ings and the Fixed Ops Roundtable:

• Register for the next Fixed Ops Roundtable Event
• Ted Ings on LinkedIn
• Center for Performance Improvement

What if the biggest thing holding your wholesale operation back… isn’t sales, but cash flow?

In this episode of the Fixed Ops Roundtable, we get real about one of the most frustrating (and misunderstood) challenges in fixed ops: accounts receivable, slow pay, and the silent cash-flow killers hiding in wholesale parts and B2B service work.

I’m joined by Dave Schell of Interstate Billing Service and Tully Williams from The Niello Company, and what starts as a conversation about AR quickly turns into a masterclass on how dealers can eliminate credit risk, unlock cash faster, and grow wholesale without losing sleep.

This isn’t theory. This is street-level fixed ops talk from people who’ve lived it.

👉 Register for the upcoming Fixed Ops Roundtable Event

What we discuss in this episode:

• Why wholesale parts margins feel razor-thin, and how AR delays quietly erase your profits
• How dealers are floating six figures of cash without even realizing it
• Why “we’ve always done it this way” is costing stores more than they think
• How getting paid tomorrow instead of 60–120 days later changes everything
• The hidden stress wholesale creates for parts managers and business offices
• What happens when you take credit risk completely off the dealer’s plate
• Why cash flow, not gross, is what really keeps the lights on

Tully brings real-world perspective from running fixed ops at a multi-store luxury dealer group, while Dave breaks down how Interstate Billing Service removes the hardest part of wholesale: collecting the money.

Listen to the episode featuring Dave Schell & Tully Williams for even more insights!

Enjoying The Fixed Ops Roundtable Podcast? Please leave a rating and review 👇

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fixed-ops-roundtable/id1608656237

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/15HHYoyvCo1PSFwYn02UXY

Thanks, Dave Schell & Tully William

Connect with Ted Ings and the Fixed Ops Roundtable:

• Register for the next Fixed Ops Roundtable Event
• Ted Ings on LinkedIn
• Center for Performance Improvement

If trust is the real currency of fixed ops… how are you earning it the moment a customer pulls into your drive?

That’s the question that sets the tone for this episode of The Fixed Ops Roundtable, and it’s one of the most honest, practical, and human conversations I’ve had in a long time.

I sat down with Spiro Morogiannis of BG Products, Inc., a true advocate for dealers and fixed ops teams, to unpack something that often gets overlooked in all the talk about technology, tools, and 2026 planning: the fundamentals of people, process, and trust. What unfolds is a real-world, boots-on-the-ground discussion about how small moments in the advisor process either build lifelong loyalty… or quietly push customers out the door.

👉 Register for the upcoming Fixed Ops Roundtable Event

What we discuss in this episode:

• Why the advisor meet-and-greet is the most undervalued moment in fixed ops
• A real (and uncomfortable) service experience that shows how fast trust can be broken
• How consistency beats complexity when it comes to advisor processes
• The difference between “doing an MPI” and earning the right to present it
• Why menus, walkarounds, and expectation-setting calm customers before selling anything
• How technology should support the human conversation, not replace it
• The truth about severe service intervals and why most customers already qualify
• What post-warranty retention really looks like—and why independents win when dealers don’t have a plan
• How BG’s Lifetime Protection Plan becomes a loyalty strategy, not just a product
• Why a “Highline experience” shouldn’t be special… it should be standard

This episode isn’t theory. It’s not hype. It’s a reminder that customers don’t come back because of a system, they come back because of how you made them feel, how clearly you communicated, and whether you proved you were worthy of their trust.

If you’re building your 2026 fixed ops plan, leading advisors, or wondering why retention feels harder than it should… this conversation will hit home.

Listen to the episode featuring Spiro Morogiannis for even more insights!

Enjoying The Fixed Ops Roundtable Podcast? Please leave a rating and review 👇

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fixed-ops-roundtable/id1608656237

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/15HHYoyvCo1PSFwYn02UXY

Thanks, Spiro Morogiannis

Connect with Ted Ings and the Fixed Ops Roundtable:

• Register for the next Fixed Ops Roundtable Event
• Ted Ings on LinkedIn
• Center for Performance Improvement

What if the last interaction your customer has with your dealership is the one that decides whether they ever come back?

In this episode of the Fixed Ops Roundtable, I sit down with Travis Siebert, Senior Vice President of Sales at Dealer Pay, to talk about something that used to be an afterthought in dealerships, and is now one of the most powerful drivers of trust, convenience, and profitability: payments.

What started as a simple conversation about card terminals quickly turns into a deep dive on how modern payment experiences are reshaping fixed ops, tightening compliance, reducing fraud, and improving CSI at the exact moment that matters most, the final touchpoint.

👉 Register for the upcoming Fixed Ops Roundtable Event

What we discuss in this episode:

• Why dealership payments have quietly become a major category, and why dealers can’t afford to ignore it anymore
• The real story behind surcharging, cash discounting, and why so many dealers are confused (and exposed)
• How fraud is evolving, from “friendly fraud” to chargebacks, and what dealers can do right now to protect themselves
• The shift from shared cashier terminals to customer-facing, advisor-level payments
• Why compliance, reporting, and back-office harmony matter just as much as customer convenience
• How text-to-pay, mobile wallets, loyalty programs, and even crypto fit into the modern dealership ecosystem
• What Travis means when he says Dealer Pay isn’t a vendor, it’s a true partner

Along the way, Travis shares real-world examples from dealerships across the country, explains how Dealer Pay stays ahead of changing laws and card brand rules, and offers practical advice for dealers planning for the year ahead.

If you’re thinking about streamlining operations, protecting your dealership, improving the customer experience, and ending every service visit on a high note, this is an episode you don’t want to miss.

Listen to the episode featuring Travis Siebert for even more insights!

Enjoying The Fixed Ops Roundtable Podcast? Please leave a rating and review 👇

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fixed-ops-roundtable/id1608656237

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/15HHYoyvCo1PSFwYn02UXY

Thanks, Travis Siebert

Connect with Ted Ings and the Fixed Ops Roundtable:

• Register for the next Fixed Ops Roundtable Event
• Ted Ings on LinkedIn
• Center for Performance Improvement