Bill Demaree is the Corporate Director of Fixed Operations for Tom Wood Automotive Group, one of Indiana's most respected dealer groups spanning 13 rooftops. With decades of experience in the automotive industry, Bill has built a reputation not just for running high-performing service departments, but for reimagining what fixed ops leadership actually looks like at scale.

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What we discuss in this episode:

In this episode, Bill pulls back the curtain on exactly how Tom Wood Automotive Group rebuilt fixed ops from the ground up, the AI tools actually moving the needle (not just the buzzwords), a technician development program built in partnership with the state of Indiana that's producing talent other dealerships can't find, and a transparency system that turned customer accusations into a brand-new revenue stream.

This is the blueprint most fixed ops leaders wish existed.

We're talking documented processes, video MPI done right, service advisor handbooks built for replication, and a 2026 roadmap that treats every touchpoint — parts, service, marketing as a system worth mastering.

Listen to the episode featuring Bill Demaree 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, Bill Demaree

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 company you've seen dominate the automotive industry had help getting there. Laurie Halter is that help.

Laurie Halter is the founder of Charisma Communications, a PR agency with over 20 years of experience helping automotive technology companies build brands that break through. From early stage startups to established names, Laurie knows exactly how to get vendors in front of the right people, and keep them there.

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What we discuss in this episode:

In this episode, Laurie breaks down the hidden architecture of a brand that wins, how the right message, repeated with discipline, is worth more than any marketing budget. She shares what early-stage companies get catastrophically wrong, what the best-positioned brands are quietly doing differently, and why fixed ops has become the most important battleground in automotive right now.

If you're a dealer, a vendor, or anyone trying to cut through a crowded market, this conversation will change how you think about your brand.

The insights Laurie shares here aren't in any playbook. They come from two decades of being in the room.

Listen to the episode featuring Laurie Halter 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, Laurie Halter

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

New vehicle sales are projected to drop. ASARs are softening. And yet, the dealers who understand what's quietly happening right now are already positioning themselves to have their most profitable year yet.

Dan Shine of Automotive News joins Ted Ings and Sarah Vantine on the Fixed Ops Roundtable to break down exactly why 2026 is a defining moment for fixed operations, and why the service lane is no longer just a revenue stream. It's a lifeline.

With the average vehicle age hitting record highs, 70% of customers defecting after three years, and an affordability crisis keeping buyers out of showrooms, the opportunity sitting inside your service department has never been larger, or more at risk of being left on the table.

Dan pulls back the curtain on what the industry's top dealerships are doing differently, how AI is beginning to reshape service workflows, and the one retention mistake that's quietly sending your customers straight to the independents.

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, Dan Shine

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

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