Name: Connected Podcast Episode 93: Reconditioning Process by ConnectedPodcast
Duration: 7 min 45 s
Description: Are bad habits slowing down the reconditioning process at your dealership? This week, Brad Schafer returns to the podcast to discuss how automation can improve efficiency, increase productivity, and get vehicles front line ready faster.

Are bad habits slowing down the reconditioning process at your dealership? This week, Brad Schafer returns to the podcast to discuss how automation can improve efficiency, increase productivity, and get vehicles front line ready faster.

Connected Podcast Episode 93:  Reconditioning Process

This week, Greg sits down with two of the most energizing voices in retail automotive: Fred Lennartz and Lou Ramirez, founders of Certified Solutionaries and hosts of the Car Guy Coffee Podcast.

These two bring more than just caffeine to the conversation. Their approach to automotive leadership is personal, practical, and rooted in optimism — and it’s refreshing.

They cover:

-Why forgiveness is the first step toward progress. 
-What ego-free collaboration looks like in the dealership world.
-How to stay energized when the grind gets real. 

Fred and Lou don't preach buzzwords, instead they share real stories from their careers, dealerships they’ve helped, and their own struggles. They remind us that building culture and lifting people up can be just as important as selling cars.

Connected Podcast Episode 177: The Importance of Culture in Automotive

Today on Connected Greg's catching up with AJ McGowan, founder of AutoVision and lead developer on Reynolds' new AI assistant, Rey. 

After the reveal of Rey yesterday at Amplify 2025, AJ sheds some light on the next chapter of AI for Reynolds and beyond.

In this episode, Greg and AJ cover:

-Rey as an agentic AI that works with your existing tools. 
-The difference between UI (user interface) and UX (user experience).
-How AI will enhance productivity in automotive roles, not replace them.

Like AJ says, understanding AI shouldn't require a software engineering degree! It was great to have him break down some of the basics and share more about automotive AI today and into the future.

Connected Podcast Episode 178: Understanding AI in Automotive

The champs are here! This week on Connected, you'll hear the best practice presentations from the winners of our 2025 Automotive Amplifiers Contest.

Two weeks ago, the second annual Automotive Amplifiers Contest was held at our Reynolds Retail Summit: Amplify in Dallas, TX. Five finalists presented their best practices live at the event, and our panel of judges selected these two winners:

Innovation: Kamir Martínez Díaz, Chief Financial Officer at Pepe Abad Auto in Puerto Rico for her work reducing internal document processing times. 

Impact: Chris Lasko, Parts Manager from Scranton Chevy in Connecticut for how he has improved the off-the-shelf fill rate at his dealership.

A big thank you to all our finalists and judges for participating and making this a really great part of the Amplify event and continuing to remind us how much we can learn from one another in the industry.

Connected Podcast Episode 179: Best Practices from the 2025 Automotive Amplifiers!

This week Greg speaks with Curtis Gardner, master tech at Audi North Houston and founder of Gnarred, a company focused on fixed operations efficiency.

Curtis is involved in coaching and mentoring techs to become more efficient, and has developed a passion for saving as much time as he can, down to the second.

In this episode, Greg and Curtis cover:

-The three biggest things techs can do today to bill more hours.
-The advantages embracing the video MPI process can have.
-Toolbox organization and it's underrated importance when it comes to tech productivity.

Similar to the technology in the cars Curtis is working on, the process needs to improve and become more efficient. We're so glad he could join us on Connected and share his passion.

Connected Podcast Episode 180: How to Become More Efficient as a Technician

It's a brand new episode of Connected! This week, Greg's talking with Yuriy Demidko, chief information officer at DP Fox Ventures.

Yuriy has a lot of experience both inside and outside of automotive and that gives him great insight on where the industry is headed.

Greg and Yuriy cover:

-Yuriy's career path and how he got to where he is today.
-The importance of clean data in boosting efficiency and backing AI and the role a CDP plays in that. 
-The importance of tailoring dashboards to each role. 

As Yuriy says, the dealer world is evolving so quickly. It's important to understand the technology so you don't fall behind.

Connected Podcast Episode 181: The Automotive Industry as an Innovator

This week, Greg gets Connected with Rich Lupo, fixed ops director at Apple Tree Honda and Apple Tree Acura.

Rich is constantly sharing his ideas and best practices with the industry, and today he and Greg dive deeper into:

-The technician bench program Rich has implemented to help with staffing shortages at their stores.
-How to adapt other's best practices to fit your specific needs and be actionable for your business.
-What the next era of automotive retail looks like and what businesses we can look at as the model. 

Rich is always striving to make our industry better. We're so glad he could join the podcast to share what worked for Apple Tree Honda/Acura. Hopefully you're able to take away a tip that can work at your dealership!

Connected Podcast Episode 182: Making Best Practices Actionable

"AI will amplify whatever data there is. So if you have a lot of bad data, you will accelerate a bad process."

This week on Connected, Greg sits down with Todd Smith, CEO of QoreAI, a company focused on the future of the automotive industry.

Todd is educating dealers on AI and the direction that we are headed.

He and Greg discuss:

-The importance of high-quality data to back your AI.
-The specific tasks that AI can help with today and the tasks it can tackle tomorrow.
-AI as the new user experience and the future of Agentic AI.

Todd’s perspective comes from years spent inside dealerships and alongside them, not just selling to them. That experience shapes how he thinks about adoption, culture, and what actually moves the business forward.

Connected Podcast Episode 183: The Importance of Quality AI

On the latest Connected, Greg's speaking with Tim Pohanka, COO at Pohanka Automotive Group.

Beyond his work at the dealership, Tim is a part of a new video series, the Tour Detour. On this adventure, Tim and two other dealers, Jason Cole and Chris Lenckosz, are driving used Nissans across the rugged terrain of the American West, testing the limits of the vehicles and their continuously variable transmissions (CVT).

Tim and Greg discuss:

-Tim's stories from the road. 
-The Tour Detour as an example of storytelling marketing. 
-The positive impact this project had on morale for each of the dealerships.

Look for new episodes of the Tour Detour every week on YouTube!

Connected Podcast Episode 184: Stories from the Tour Detour!

We're giving thanks!

For this special episode of Connected, Greg invited a few of our Reynolds associates to share what they're thankful for this year. Listen in as they reflect on both personal and professional experiences, providing heartfelt insights into their gratitude.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Connected Podcast Episode 185: What We Are Thankful For (Thanksgiving Special)

What goes into the process of designing a new dealership and where do you even begin?

Today on Connected, Greg is joined in the studio by Bill Chidley, co-founder of ChangeUp and author of The Brand Vortex.

ChangeUp is a branding and retail design firm that partners with several OEMs and their dealer programs to help establish dealership design and branding standards. They also put out an industry report titled, "Why the Dealership Experience Still Matters," about the importance of the physical dealership in a changing automotive retail landscape.

Greg and Bill talk through some of the findings of the report and discuss some of the things dealerships have to balance when establishing their branding, like:

- The needs of the brand and the function of the dealership.
- OEM expectations and unique dealership identity.
- How to align branding when showcasing  different vehicle models.

Bill had some really great insight to share on some aspects of the dealership that may not always be top of mind, but are so important for the customer experience. Get Connected with Bill and enjoy this week's episode!

Connected Podcast Episode 93: Reconditioning Process

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