I have seen an M1 Abrams tank while serving in Desert Storm, but never a Dealer ThinkTank, so when I heard about a brand new conference that was going to have its very first event in my own backyard of Cincinnati, I had to attend. And of course, that means I am going to share my experience with you!

What is a Dealer ThinkTank? Well, the only armor it has in common with the M1 Abrams is that perhaps some of the hosts wear Under Armour sportswear under their suits. Dealer ThinkTank is a group of leaders in our industry that look to share ideas, strategies and solutions for front-line dealers. The hosts include Todd Smith, Jerry Thibeau, Joe Webb, Jeff Kershner, Allan Cooper, and Eric Miltsch, each of which have experience in the industry in different areas.

Twitter Alert! – looking for some great folks to follow on Twitter? I have done my best to link each person’s name in this review to their Twitter page. And if you are strong enough to handle my sarcasm, feel free to follow me @kevinfrye1, and of course don’t forget to follow DealerRefresh / Jeff Kershner)

The Best Car Dealer in Cincinnati! Cincinnati is the home of the Jeff Wyler Automotive Family, and I invited the Dealer ThinkTank team to visit our brand new headquarters for a facilities tour with a follow-on discussion. Some of the things the Dealer ThinkTank team were able to see included our modern training facility, our in-house car museum, and our in-house studio (where they watched as we were filming commercials). Best of all was our follow up presentation and discussion on current industry issues. One could quickly see that we had a room full of folks with strong opinions and insight on the future of automotive, and I feel we could have gone on for hours if I had not set a deadline. [Read more…]