NADA 2012 Mopar Masters Guild Magazine

M a s t e r ’s G u i l d Leaders in the sale of quality Mopar Parts.

Jan.-Feb 2012 In This Issue President Steve Hofer................................ 2 Dan Hutton................................................18 Selling All the Time................................19 First Time Attendee................................20 Website Surpasses 5000 Posts...............21 Our Supporting Vendors..................22-23 Thoughts from The Top...................24-25 Returning to the MMG..........................26 OEConnection...........................................27 FenderBender/Ratchet+Wrench..........28 UPS..............................................................29 ADP.......................................................30-31 EliteExtra.............................................32-33 Reynolds & Reynolds..............................34 50th Annual Desert Safari......................35 2012 Arizona NHRA Nationals......36-37

Nation’s Top Managers Convene at NADA 2012 in Las Vegas

Training for Rookies & Geezers.....38-39 2012 MMG Committees.........................40

See story on Pages 3-17 The exchange of information by like size dealers in a non-competitive environment.

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Letter from President I am honored to have been asked to lead the Mopar Masters Guild the next two years. I don’t take this responibility lightly. I look at it as an opportunity to give back to a community that has meant so much to the dealership I work for as well as my own personal growth.

With this opportunity comes greater responsibility. I feel it is our responsibility as industry leaders to work closely together so that we can pave a path for those who follow. As I reflect back to my first Guild meeting just six years ago, I recall how amazed I was at the conversations between Guild members and Mopar executives. The open communication between the two groups amazed me. A pivotal moment was when Christine Cortez, the head of Mopar Parts and Service at the time, grabbed a chair, walked into the center of the room, sat down and said, “Okay let me have it, I am here to listen.” Prior to that meeting I had no idea that dealer input was received so openly and often times implemented within Mopar programs. At that moment I felt the responsibility of not just the stores I worked for but that of the entire dealer body. It was then that I made the decision I would make a difference.

Over the past few years we have all been participants in arguably the most change our industry has ever seen.

Even with all of the challenges I find it difficult not to see opportunity in front of us. Our dealerships are lean and poised for nimble moves that will propel us forward. We have welcomed in a new approach that has put our customers at the center of our focus. This focus is greater than simply saying “the customer is always right.” I look at it as though we have empowered the customer to become our CEO driving our every decision.

Gone is an old way of thinking. With this new CEO, success can only be found when we have refocused every process within our store with the customer in mind.

I will leave you with these thoughts. Henry Ford once said, “Don’t find fault, find a remedy.” Whether you are a Guild member, dealership employee, working for Mopar, or an industry professional ask yourself these questions. How can I make a difference? Have I hired my customer as my CEO? Am I looking for fault or finding remedies?

Thank you so much for allowing me this opportunity. It is only with the help of every individual associated with the Guild that we will find the greatest success. Please feel free to contact me at any time if you feel you too would like to make a difference and mold the future of our industry.

Sincerely, Steve Hofer Park Chrysler Jeep Burnsville, MN 55337 shofer@parkchryslerjeep.com

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75 Years of Mopar 20 Years of the Mopar Masters Guild Las Vegas was host to this year’s Mopar Masters Guild’s meetings held this past February at the MGM Grand Signature.

It’s quite amazing to think that a vision put forth in 1992 has become an annual gathering of some of the best parts department managers across the country. This year marked the 20th Anniversary of the MMG and, staying true to form, the sharing of ideas and knowledge was forefront during the time we were all together.

Friday February 3rd Members gathered first thing on Friday morning with many conversations centered on the changes that have been going on within our industry, our companies and nationwide. Many also caught up on family happenings and what everyone has been keeping busy with during the last year!

MMG President Dan Hutton brought our meeting to order, welcoming everyone to Las Vegas and how honored we all should feel to be able to celebrate 20 years as an association.

The first order of business on this day was to have Planning Chairman Mark Skinner give us all a briefing on the final agenda for our meetings, reception and Super Bowl Party.

Dan then asked everyone to introduce ourselves and give a brief bio. In attendance for the 2012 Mopar Masters Guild meeting were: • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Andy Reed Casey Brown Ernie Wennerstrom Gerry Oakes Marvin Windham Susan McDaniel Guillermo Nava Phil Kreuger Dan Murphy Steven Correll Rick Stewart Joe McBeth Larry Morris Chris Brodeur Tom Kellogg Mike Tognarelli Rick Monteiro J. D. Ipsen Brent Hoge Tom Saigh Glenn Hojnacki Rich Schott Don Cushing

ALLEN SAMUELS DCJ ALLEN SAMUELS DCJ BALD HILL DCJ BAXTER CJD BENCHMARK CJD BILL LUKE CJD BUERGE CHRYSLER JEEP BUERGE CHRYSLER JEEP CHAPMAN CJD CHRISTOPHER’S DODGE WORLD INC. COMMONWEALTH DODGE DALLAS DCJ FRED BEANS DCJ GLENN E THOMAS DCJ HAROLD ZEIGLER CDJ HINCKLEY AUTOMOTIVE JACK POWELL CJD KEN GARFF WEST VALLEY CJD LARRY H. MILLER CJD MILOSCH’S PALACE CJD MILOSCH’S PALACE CJD MOORE CHRYSLER JEEP INC. MOPAR MASTERS GUILD MAGAZINE

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Mar-Apr ‘12 • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Steve Hofer Jonathan Dworsky Eric Bratrsovsky Ed Lueras Ken Kokoszka Mark Skinner Mike Gerber Rick Cutaia Ole Olson Doug Price Paul Allred Dan Hutton Ken Kremer

PARK CHRYSLER JEEP PARK CHRYSLER JEEP PERFORMANCE CJD PERKINS MOTOR CO. POLLARD FRIENDLY MOTORS POWER CJD RAIRDON CHRYSLER RICK HENDRICK DCJ RYAN CHRYSLER SECURITY DCJ STATELINE CJD TOM OBRIEN CJD ZIMMER MOTORS

Secretary Rick Cutaia then read the Secretary’s Minutes from our 2011 MMG Meetings and handed out a printed copy to all.

Steve Hofer presented the Guild’s Treasurer’s Report giving us the financial details from 2011.

We then had each Supporting Vendor Committee Chairperson bring us up to date on discussions or visits that developed during 2011.

President Dan Hutton then asked everyone to think about the upcoming nominations and Election of Officers that would be held on Saturday February 4th.

Vendor presentation reports are condensed since it’s very difficult to cover the many areas that were discussed. Once again, the Mopar Masters Guild would suggest that you make plans to join us at our annual meetings next year that will be held in Orlando, FL. Our first Supporting Vendor presentation for our meeting was ADP, introduced by Gerry Oakes. ADP was represented by Randy Emerick. Director-Manufacturers Solutions Fixed Operations. Randy was joined by Kim Saylor-Product Manager.

They covered: • Updates to the Drive System • What’s New on Parts Scan • Fixed Op Strategy • Focus on attracting customers to your dealership • Parts Application Drive 1.5 latest release • P&S Real Time Posting There was much interaction in the room among users. Kim took notes to take back with her. We even got a look at ADP’s new Drive Motion which is a solution for mobile devices. This solution was also being displayed at their booth at the Convention.

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Our next Supporting Vendor to make a presentation was Reynolds & Reynolds. They were represented by Jason Sideris – Director, Product Planning, Fixed Operations; Robert Schaefer – Director, and Dawn Spitler – Product Planning

Reynolds & Reynolds presentation was sensitive in nature therefore we will honor their request to keep this information among attendees.

Next up was Supporting Vendor Dealer Tire represented by John Bellissimo – Director Inside Sales. John thanked everyone for the opportunity and then introduced his team: Eric Evanoff – Director National Field Training Services; Bill Decker – Director Program Management, and Jim Kutscher – General Manager of Mopar Account.

John covered: • • • •

Dealer Tire – Who & What are we?

Mopar Tire Works Plus Program Update Delivery & Warehouse Network Mopar ARO Enrollment

Dealer Tire focuses entirely on the car dealership channel. “We are much more than a tire price and a delivery (solution).

We offer program management and marketing,” to just name a few says Bellissimo.

Eric Evanoff then covered: • Field Training Services (952 Training Sessions to Mopar Dealerships!)

• Field Trainer Locations • Chrysler Academy Learning Center – Tire Training

Dan Hutton then introduced our next Supporting Vendor, Snap-On Business Solutions. Snap-On was represented by David Foutz – Sr. Director, Parts Solutions and Ken Satz – Director, Product Management.

Dave went over the agenda for their presentation: • EASy Now/Future • Dealer/Consumer Sales Tools • EPC/Authoring Discussions • PAIS Next Release • Future – Cornerstone Architecture Dave invited all of us to see the new improvements to PAIS at their NADA Booth (including their web product for mobile devices).

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Dave then talked about RepairLink w/MORE which is a joint venture solution between Snap-On Business Solutions and our next Supporting Vendor, OEConnection. Mark Tomasetti, SR. Vice President & CEO introduced his team; Erik Enright – Director Business Team Leader Order Management and Michael Lawrence – Programmer, OEM eCommerce.

Michael and Erik covered: • Market Rollout of More • Dealer Breakdown • Dealer Participation • Dealer Enrollment Trends • Shop Enrollment (over 22,000 shops have registered!)

Why is “all makes” important? Says Enright, “Those shops that have 3 or more manufacturers attached (to the RepairLink w/More Solution) are 6 times more effective selling parts!” Erik went over what the shops are doing concerning the amount of logins, the amount of part searches, price & availability hits, etc. We then covered the challenges we face and some possible solutions that will help change IRF behavior. (Dealer Incentive Programs, extra discounts, spiffs, etc.)

Mark then gave us an in-depth and up-to-date presentation on CollisionLink.

I was able to see the RepairLink Reporting live at OEConnection’s NADA Booth and I signed up through my dealership for this solution. I have already been able to capture new accounts and new business just by having the access to this information.

Our final Supporting Vendor Presentation for our first day of meetings was introduced by Rick Monteiro. They were UPS represented by Gary Meyers – National Account Manager LTL Services and Tim Quinnette – Director, Global Accounts Sales.

Tim is the UPS liaison with Chrysler. Among the subjects that Tim covered: • Freight • Package Modification • Pre-Communication Meetings • How to get quotes based on our rates • UPS Freight LTL Urgent – When speed is critical • Same Day Transportation Services

This ended our Day 1 of our 2012 meetings. Members adjourned to get freshened up for our Mopar Masters Guild Cocktail Reception which would be held at the TABU Club at MGM Grand.

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The MMG Annual Reception at the TABU Club has to rank high on our list of venues that we’ve had in the past. The TABU club offered us an evening of mingling with friends and business associates while enjoying “Vegas Style Gaming”, great food and enjoyable live music. The following pictures will explain more:

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Saturday February 4th

Getting a nice early start and finishing up with our breakfast, we got right down to guild business. Discussions of: • Sales & Product Marketing Strategies • Current Mopar Programs • Conquest Program • Much more!

After a few hours of guild discussions it was time for our Guild Elections. Nominated and voted into office were: • Steve Hofer President • Rick Cutaia Vice President • Mark Skinner Treasurer • Joe McBeth Secretary

Getting back to our Supporting Vendor Presentations, we welcomed one of our newest Vendors, Elite Extra introduced

by Dan Hutton. Jim Ward – President introduced his team joining him today: Matt Porter – Sr. Account Manager, Northwest Region; Lori Liddell – Operations Manager, Elite Extra Division and Ross Kleiner – Business Development Manager, Elite Extra Division.

Jim then covered the agenda for their presentation: • Introductions • What is Elite Extra • Market Strategy • New for 2011 • New Features – Live Demo • Planned for 2012 • Discussions/Q&A Elite Extra is an online, real time tool that streamlines your deliveries, while lowering your operational costs. This innovative, yet affordable delivery system transforms antiquated paper-based and phone call-dependent processes into automated and integrated traffic control centers.

This solution automatically creates optimal routes on a web based interactive map, increasing productivity for your dispatchers and drivers, while also reducing vehicle and fuel expenses.

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After a short break we continued with several more Supporting Vendors in a “Vendor Fair” format. The following Supporting Vendors gave a brief presentation: • Fastenal www.fastenal.com  Jeremy Johnson – Industry Sales Specialist – Supplier Alliance Sales • Corporate Billing LLC. www.corpbill.com  Leif Founds – Vice President  Jeff Leavitt – Vice President • FenderBender Magazine/Ratchet + Wrench  Chris Messer – Publisher

www.10missions.com

• Rousseau Storage Solutions www.rousseau-automotive.com  Pierre-Jean Sevigny – Product Specialist Representative  John W. Stritzinger III – Stritz & Associates, Inc – Manufacturers Representative

• Magneti Marelli www.magnetimarelli.com  Pietro Berardi – Vice President – Magneti Marelli Aftermarket  Annette Wolford – Sales & Business Development Director  Justin Hnatio – Product Management

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The remaining portion of our afternoon would be used to spend time with Executives from Mopar. Jeff Sloan, Head of Field Operations for Mopar covered their agenda for the day and introduced the rest of his team: • Rolf Assmuth Head of Technical Service Operations • Jim Sassorossi Director – Mopar Parts Sales & Marketing • Tricia Hecker Director – Mopar Marketing • Brian Rogos Accessory Portfolio • Kathy Murrenus Maintenance Portfolio • Kathy Wideman Repair & Reman Portfolio • John Tonial Sales Reporting & Analytics • Skip Olson Collision Portfolio

The topics covered:  Parts Managers Surveys  Star Parts Performance  Star Parts Content  Service Advisor Dashboard  Service Reception Process  Dealership Implementation  CPS & FFV  TechConnect  Technical Assistance  Wholesale Compensation  Hot Shot Delivery  Magneti Marelli  Rebates & Incentives  Sales & Growth Potential  Dealer Rewards  Collision Rewards  Conquest Program

Needless to say there was plenty of dialogue among attendees and Mopar Execs. A longer day may have been beneficial but everyone from Mopar will be taking their notes back and there will be much discussion over the next several months as new ideas and changes are implemented.

The Mopar Masters Guild would like to thank Jeff Sloan, Jim Sassorossi and the entire Mopar Executive team for sharing their valuable time and allowing our input as we strive to better the future for ourselves, our dealerships and Mopar.

This concluded our Mopar Masters Guild meetings for 2012. President Dan Hutton thanked everyone for their participation and the ideas and concerns that we all brought to the meeting. Dan then adjourned the 2012 MMG Meeting and 20th Anniversary Celebration.

We all had Saturday evening to explore what Las Vegas had to offer.

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Sunday February 5th

I personally used this morning to head over to the Convention Center and visit some of our Supporting Vendors at their booths at NADA 2012.

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With our meetings once again being held during Super Bowl week, plans were made to have our party on Super Bowl Sunday at the Red Rock Casino & Bowling Center. We all enjoyed a great assortment of food and drink and had a blast showing off a bit of our bowling skill(s).

Although I was one of the very few who were rooting for the N.E. Patriots, it didn’t change the enjoyment of the day.

(Although it sure would have been more satisfying had the Patriots come out with a victory! Next year maybe…….)

Leave it to Chrysler to have an American Icon, Clint Eastwood, represent our brand in a commercial at half time. Another job “well done” by Chrysler Marketing. Just like last year, you could hear a pin drop in our room during the presentation which was followed by a rousing and emotional round of applause. Well done Chrysler! Well done indeed!

“It’s halftime America, and our second Half is about to begin!”

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Monday February 6th Super Performance Guild Meeting A great turnout of over 50 parts & service managers convened on this day for the Super Performance Group meeting.

Our facilitators were Tom Rice and Mark Beaton from Chrysler Academy. They were joined by Chrysler Academy’s Administrative Assistant, Jennifer Short.

Tom covered the agenda for the next two days and then introduced Jim Sassorossi, Director – Mopar Parts Sales & Marketing who addressed the group. Jim gave us all a brief update on Mopar including some of the subjects and material covered with the Mopar Masters Guild on Saturday. A few of the topics Jim touched upon were: • 75 Years of Mopar • New Mopar Packaging • Ongoing Transformations • 2012 Growth Expectations & Priorities • Making our Dealerships the “Destination of Choice” • Wholesale Mechanical

A brief Q&A followed Jim’s presentation.

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Getting on to our Super Performance Meeting, the first question posed by Tom to attendees was “What is the #1 problem facing your business today?” This question would drive our focus and discussions as we got underway. There was plenty of interaction among the managers.

The agenda for the rest of our meeting was as follows:

Monday • Financial Reviews • Problem Solving Ideas  Introduction Issues  Two Topic Discussion Form Issues • Guest Speakers  Michael Zellner – Career Builder  Adam Petersen – Novus Glass • Fixed Operations Topics for Discussion  Breakout Groups  Targeting older Chrysler make vehicles  Targeting competitive make vehicles

Tuesday • • • •

Best Ideas Session 2012 Service & Parts Training Requirements Breakout Groups (Parts only/Service only) Wrap Up

The rest of Monday was dedicated to covering our Financial Reviews.

Tuesday February 7th

We started nice and early this day to allow for members to present their Best Idea. Here was the format for presentation: • Review Your Idea  Idea – What was done?  How was it implemented?  What did it cost?  What were the results?  What were the pitfalls?  Rate each idea on the provided form  Submit for scoring and tabulation

Mopar Masters Guild Magazine

Leaders in the Sale of Quality Mopar Parts Presenters were: • Mike Gerber • Susan McDaniel • Jody Davis • Roy Cook • Paul Allred • Rich Schott • Rick Monteiro • Crete Colby • Glenn Hojnacki • Marvin Windham

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Rairdon CJD Bill Luke CJD Yucca Valley Chrysler Center Hunter DCJ Stateline CJD Moore CJ Jack Powell CJD Dave Smith Motors Milosch’s Palace CJD Benchmark CJD

Presentations were made, votes were cast and the results were tabulated. Winners of the Best Idea Presentation for NADA 2012 Super Performance Group Meeting were:  1st Place – Paul Allred  2nd Place – Glenn Hojnacki  3rd Place – Marvin Windham

In-Depth discussion followed concerning our 2012 Dealership Training Requirements. We then had breakout sessions for Service only and Parts only to discuss ideas and strategies.

This concluded our Super Performance Guild Meeting We look forward to seeing all of you next year at NADA 2013 in Orlando!

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Letter from Past President Dan Hutton This has been our 20th year of this great organization. It’s hard to believe that two decades of this group being together is now behind us.

It was an honor to serve the guild as President for the last two years. I have learned so much more from the guild than I have ever given.

Since all good things must come to end, as president, I am proud to pass the Office of President over to Steve Hofer our newly elected President of the Mopar Masters Guild. Steve has served as treasurer for the past 4 years and has taken charge of our Website for the past 2 years. Steve is a very talented and sharp individual and will be a great leader for our Guild.

I would like to thank all of the people that have made my term in this office a pleasure to serve you. I will continue to be involved with the guild as a member and leading the vendor committee.

Dan Hutton Past President

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Selling All The Time A few years ago I had the privilege of meeting some really good people who shared the insight that you need to sell all the time. At first I said to myself, “yes that is a no brainer”, and then the question was put to me, “what do your people do when they take an order or a parts request?” I said they gather the needed information and provided the information requested. Great, that is good but what happens next? I said they gather the information and they communicate the information. Well one gentleman said “let’s go observe some phone calls and see what you see and see if you can figure out what is missing.”

So we went over and we listened to our wholesale people fielding phone calls and we heard the typical “hello parts this is Dan can I help you, Hello, this is Eric can you hold please” and we heard others asking for information and specifying the requests. As we stood there listening, the one person said to me “do you see what is missing?” I said everything seems to be going along correctly and they are asking and attaining information to specify the right part. Your correct to a certain degree he said but what about the time that there is no conversation? What is happening is there is a gap. That is the time to sell.

You see at the time we were in the process of building our power train transmission and engine sales and we would have outside sales people, flyers, mailers etc. promoting transmissions and engines. The company that we had at that time had a lot of experience from the call center type of atmosphere where pre-written scripts and talk tracks were commonplace. The person said the silence part of the conversation is your time to sell.

When you’re in the gap section of the process this is where you can develop simple open end questions such as “do you know about our power train program? Do you know we have engines and transmissions in stock?

Have you heard we increased our warranty labor allowance should you have a warranty defect, or the real simple one, do you install engines or transmissions?”

So we had these folks with us for about two weeks and they helped us with various word tracks and prewritten reminders for our team to mention. It paid off; we saw an increase in awareness that we were a source for engines and transmissions that yielded us new sales that we might not otherwise have received.

The hardest part was developing the habit, once you get into the gap, take control and target a specific item, right now going into the warm months mentioning Freon, our remanufactured line of A/C compressors, other specials or information updates. It is a great way to build sales and awareness.

It is a simple and sometimes overlooked step as we get so busy picking up the phone and hurrying off to the next call that we forget the gap it is our time to put the spotlight on us and provide information that can yield increased sales and customer satisfaction. We just need to seize the moment and make the most of the gap.

Submitted by Larry Morris Fred Beans DCJ - Doylestown, PA

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Notes from a First Time Attendee To The Mopar Masters Guild Annual Meeting

About four months ago, I knew nothing about the Mopar Masters Guild. I had knowledge that the top 100 dealers in the nation were referred to as the Mopar Masters Club, but I did not know there was any difference between the two. Around the first week in January, I received a letter from Steve Hofer of Park Jeep with instructions for paying my past dues for my membership in the Guild. This was my start with the MMG. I spent the next couple of weeks making travel arrangements and trading emails and phone calls with Brent Hoge and Steve Hofer. I received a ton of information from these members along with a lot of encouragement to participate and become a new guild member.

What a surprise when I arrived in Las Vegas for the annual MMG meeting. Everything I was told about the meeting was right on. The hotel was amazing, and I even had some of the members invite me to have dinner with them. During the annual meeting I met parts managers from all over the country, many of them asking questions about me and my dealership and how my business was going. I was introduced to many vendors that I do business with and I even met people from Chrysler that I should probably already know.

My involvement in the Mopar Masters Guild has opened my eyes to so many new ideas for me as a person and a developing parts manager. Starting with relationships that were made at the meeting and now growing with guild members. This opportunity has truly shed new light on everything I do daily and I am very excited to be part of the guild and look forward to a long term membership into “The Mopar Masters Guild.”

Thanks to Steve Hofer for the past due letter that lit the fire within me to find out what the Mopar Masters Guild was all about. I am honored to now be considered a guild member.

J.D. IPSEN Ken Garff West Valley CJD West Valley, UT

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Mopar Masters Guild Website Forum Surpasses 5,000 posts!

The Mopar Masters Guild Forum has reached another milestone. We have surpassed 5000 posts! So if you haven’t visited in a while; take a look, we have been engaging in some really great and beneficial conversations. While the Parts Department section has been very active, the Service, Sales and Office sections have not.

It has been my intention, as well the goal of the Mopar Masters Guild to enlist members from all facets of the dealership to engage in conversation for the betterment of our profession. The Tech to Tech section is also something that we feel would be very beneficial to helping our Technicians gain more information and help from their peers. So please pass on invitations to your fellow dealer employees and other CDJ dealers. We would love to have more dialogue from members from every position of the dealership. Check out the forum invitation under the post “New Forum Invitation” within the “Welcome Members” section. Use it to spread the word.

For those of you that have not joined the forum; here are the steps to join: • Log in to www.moparmastersguild.com • Click on the Forums link at the top of the page.

• Click on the Register button near the top of the page and fill in all of the necessary information.

• Once you have completed the form, I will be notified of your registration.

• I will then simply approve your registration and grant you access to the forum.

Another note, while all Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep employees are invited to join the forum; Mopar Masters Guild members are granted access to certain areas to discuss MMG related business. If you are a MMG member, be sure to let me know by dropping me a note by email at james@jimhayesinc.com.

In closing, the Mopar Masters Guild and I want to thank all of you for your participation and support of the Mopar Masters Guild Forum and as always, your comments and opinions are welcome.

Thank You, James Brinkley, MMG Forum Administrator

The exchange of information by like sized dealers in a non-competitive environment.

Our Supporting Vendors: Support those who support you.

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Our Supporting Vendors: Support those who support you.

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Thoughts From The Top We asked a few MMG Past Presidents for their thoughts...

Chuck Hartle - Founder - First President What years did you hold the office of President?

1991-1993 Explain in detail your greatest memory of an MMG meeting?

The first meeting in New Orleans in 1991… Round stand up tables, cheese crackers, getting to know one another! Trying to figure out what we wanted to accomplish.

Name the single most “Ah Ha” moment while being part of the Guild.

Getting the Mopar folks to give us .75/1.00 for unused return allowance. Never thought it would happen! That should date me!!!

With friendship and camaraderie aside what is the best thing you have taken back to your store and implemented?

There are too many to even begin listing. But, I was terrible at marketing and several of the parts managers, especially Cy Yates, were masters at advertising and marketing and helped me tremendously!

What would you say to Members that have not attended an MMG meeting that would convince them to be at the next meeting?

If you haven’t attended, you’re costing yourself valuable ideas and lost profit opportunities every time you miss!

Paul Allred – Stateline CJDF – Fort Mill, SC What years did you hold the office of President?

1998-1999 Explain in detail your greatest memory of an MMG meeting?

There have been so many it is hard to pick just one! Our 10 year celebration in New Orleans at the second floor bar where we had our private party overlooking Bourbon Street is probably one of the best. It was a great party that included a lot of old friends, Gerry Oakes giving his “I love you man” speech and Dave Foutz of Snap-On crooning with the band. It was a great night!

Name the single most “Ah Ha” moment while being part of the Guild.

It was the second year after I kind of got to know some of the guys and realized how much knowledge I had access to and what I picked up and implemented in my operation.

With friendship and camaraderie aside what is the best thing you have taken back to your store and implemented?

It was 1996 in Dallas Texas and I heard Don Benner talk about meeting several dealers in a shopping mall that was the seed that has flourished into a 43 route Co-op delivery system.

What would you say to Members that have not attended an MMG meeting that would convince them to be at the next meeting?

If you are open minded, get involved and practice our motto of “the exchange of ideas in a non-competitive environment” you will reap benefits personally and monetarily for yourself and your operation 10 fold.

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Marvin Windham – Benchmark CJDR – Birmingham, AL What years did you hold the office of President?

2004-2005 Explain in detail your greatest memory of an MMG meeting?

The fire at our reception in Orlando that was shooting to the ceiling was a memorable event. The Jim Jackson talk we had on one Sunday morning is a great memory. I wish I had a copy of his notes for that talk. It was very inspirational and called upon us to live our life for a greater good. It was almost spiritual – but not faith based specific.

Name the single most “Ah Ha” moment while being part of the Guild.

One of the single most memorable “ah ha” moments was when Pietro Gorlier spoke to us a couple of years ago at NADA. It was evident to me, based on that talk, that instead of our close relationship (especially since Jim Sassorossi took over) with Mopar being jeopardized by the new leadership in Chrysler, it was going to be supported and even expanded. I was reminded of how proud I am to be associated with the Mopar Masters Guild, and it hit me how much responsibility we have taken for our industry as a whole.

With friendship and camaraderie aside what is the best thing you have taken back to your store and implemented?

Almost our complete business has been built around ideas gathered at our Masters Meetings or at a minimum discussed and “fleshed out” with Mopar Masters. Some examples: My bin designs are courtesy of Brent Hoge, pay plans a hodgepodge of different advice, but a lot from Paul Allred. Even the way I spend my day was discussed at length with Gerry Oakes who gave me some great advice on time management. Steve Hofer and many others have been a great source to make sure as we do our business we don’t forget our ethics. I could go on and list almost every member and tell you how they’ve advised, encouraged, shared and counseled me in my job.

What would you say to Member’s that have not attended an MMG meeting that would convince them to be at the next meeting?

I have said many times that the Mopar Masters and my association with them is my biggest source of inspiration, pride and my most useful resource as a parts manager.

Mike Gerber - Rairdon Dodge Chrysler Jeep of Kirkland – Kirkland, WA What years did you hold the office of President?

2008-2009 Explain in detail your greatest memory of an MMG meeting?

My most memorable moment was in New Orleans when Brent Hoge from SLC, Utah presented Marvin Windham from Birmingham, Alabama a plaque commemorating the Utah Utes victory over the Alabama Crimson Tide for the National Championship.

Name the single most “Ah Ha” moment while being part of the Guild.

The “Ah Ha” moment for me was about 6 years ago when looking at our meeting from a 30,000 foot view instead of focusing on the details. I realized that through our supporting vendor presentations, discussions with the Mopar executives and our candid Guild conversations, I was able to see the direction our industry is heading with technology, marketing, and policies. That allows me to make the correct decisions at the store level.

With friendship and camaraderie aside what is the best thing you have taken back to your store and implemented?

The single best thing that I implemented from a Guild meeting was the D2D launch. I knew it was coming and had my system set-up to receive requests before any of the dealers in my area knew what it was. We had so many referrals we couldn’t keep up until the other dealers signed up.

What would you say to Members that have not attended an MMG meeting that would convince them to be at the next meeting?

My experience from attending the last 14 years has yielded many great ideas but the main reason I attend is to get a head start on the competition and to steer our company in the direction the industry is headed. After the 2012 meeting I am increasing our web presence in our stores and planning for the new Chrysler service drive process tools.

The exchange of information by like sized dealers in a non-competitive environment.

26

Mar-Apr ‘12

Returning to the Mopar Masters Guild

This year I was fortunate enough to be able to to attend the MMG meetings that I have sadly missed the last 4 years. This was due to the closing of my previous store and working with both Honda and Subaru stores in the interim to secure an income for my family.

During my hiatus from Chrysler Jeep and Dodge many things had changed in the world of Mopar. The corporation, the people in charge, the way we conduct day-to-day business and so many more things that I could list but will not go into detail.

While I was officially gone from Chrysler, I still bled Mopar blue and kept in touch with many of the MMG members and all of our local parts managers here in Arizona. After being a Mopar guy since high school I couldn’t believe that I was not among the faithful (All of you) going through all the changes.

I will admit that I was a little nervous going to the MMG meetings after being gone for that length of time but the other members were fantastic and I was welcomed back with the friendship and camaraderie that I had known for years.

Working for the Chapman group is similar to coming back home. The family owned group of 16 stores and 22 franchises have been around since 1966 with many more years to go in their future.

With all of that being said it is incredible to be back with Chrysler Jeep Dodge. It is so great to get up for work and look forward to completing another hard day and come back and do it again tomorrow.

I am having a blast!

Our President, Steve Hofer has asked me to once again assist Don Cushing with the MMG Magazine so be ready out there to be trapped – I mean tapped, to write an article on something to do with the Guild or a fun family trip – your choice. I am looking forward to working with my buddy Don on future issues.

My deepest thanks go out to all of the members for making my return such an easy occasion.

Dan Murphy Chapman Chrysler Jeep Dodge Hyundai Volkswagen Scottsdale, Arizona.

Mopar Masters Guild Magazine

Leaders in the Sale of Quality Mopar Parts

27

The Average Parts Department is Open 40 Hours a Week With RepairLink with MORE, Your Parts Department is Always Open for Business

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The exchange of information by like sized dealers in a non-competitive environment.

Mar-Apr ‘12

28

2 gReat

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extreme efficiency Jon parker’s Bodyshop express is revolutionizing collision repair in the u.k. with advanced equipment and processes that Breed Blazing repair speeds.

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©2012. All rights reserved.

Mopar Masters Guild Magazine

RegioNal editioNs

reaching every mechanical shop in your market

Page 47

The power of place Find the right location to grow

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expecting to serve 100,000 mechanical repair shops

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Leaders in the Sale of Quality Mopar Parts

29

Copyright © 2012 United Parcel Service of America, Inc.

3 REASONS WHY 2012 IS THE RIGHT TIME TO LOOK AT UPS FREIGHT® LTL 1) NEW DISCOUNTS IN 2012 Dealers

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The exchange of information by like sized dealers in a non-competitive environment.

30

Mar-Apr ‘12

CA$H Discovery Di Program P Turn Your Idle Parts Inventory into CA$H Industry experts estimate that there is $1 to $2 billion of idle parts inventory sitting on dealers’ shelves in the U.S. If you’re like thousands of other dealers, you’re likely to have idle parts in stock.

According to the NADA:  A part that has not sold in 9 months has only a 15% chance of ever selling  A part that has not sold in 12 months will probably never be sold for a profit CA$H Discovery Program (CDP) is an online marketplace that brings together buyers and sellers.

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CDP has helped over 6,000 6 000 dealers buy and sell parts – that that’s s over $135 million in parts transactions since 2005. Call us to find out how we can help you sell your idle inventory and buy the quick-turning parts you need at a discount.  No long-term contract to sign  No set-up or maintenance fees  No charge unless we sell your parts  Works W k with ith any Dealer D l M Managementt S System t For more information on ADP’s CA$H Discovery Program, email us at sellmyidlestock@adp.com, call 866.598.4077 (option 2), or visit www.sellmyidlestock.com.

ADP Dealer Services, Inc. / 1950 Hassell Road / Hoffman Estates, IL 60169-6308 / adpdealerservices.com / 888.424.6342 © 2012 ADP Dealer Services, Inc. / ADP is a registered trademark of ADP, Inc.

Mopar Masters Guild Magazine

Leaders in the Sale of Quality Mopar Parts

31

Buy and Sell OEM Parts PartsVoice P t V i is i the th llargestt OEM parts t llocator t and d marketing k ti service i iin th the US open to parts professionals and retail consumers, with over $1.5 billion in inventory advertised by 2,200 dealers. More than 200,000 searches are performed on PartsVoice.com each month.

• Search 2,200 dealers’ parts inventory for free • Pay one low monthly fee to advertise your inventory to tens of thousands of dealers dealers, independent repair facilities facilities, collision shops shops, insurance companies, independent used car dealers, and retail consumers • Works with any Dealer Management System (DMS)

How it Works Advertise your parts • List your parts on the most widely used open locator for one low monthly fee • Exclude the parts you don’t want to list, such as high demand or backordered parts • Manage and market your parts department with our reports: - Know your market: see who is searching your inventory don’tt stock but other dealers do do, and parts - Identify parts you don you stock that other dealers don’t - See a detailed list of all the parts you’ve listed and those you’re offering at a discount Search for free • Search any OEM part by number or description • PartsVoice searches over 2.3 2 3 million unique part numbers from 2,200 2 200 dealers’ inventories • Search results are prioritized and ranked according to - Proximity to your geographic location - Preferred dealers you designate will always be at the top of the search results - Parts dealers are offering at a discount are highlighted Contact us today to learn how PartsVoice can help you increase sales and customer satisfaction!

T learn To l more call 866.598.4077

PartsVoice • 713 Brooksedge Plaza Drive, Westerville, OH 43081 • 866.598.4077

The exchange of information by like sized dealers in a non-competitive environment.

32

Mar-Apr ‘12

Thanks for the Hospitality at NADA

E

lite EXTRA is proud to provide services to so many of MMG members, and is

encouraged by the interest that was shown at the meeting and networking events.

We were also encouraged to learn that so many of you believe, like we do, that Elite EXTRA is the routing and tracking tool that is setting the standard for parts deliveries in the automotive industry (See testimonial from Steve Hofer of Park Chrysler Jeep on www.parkchryslerjeep.com

right).

It was great to unveil the new features that are being rolled out as we speak, including “Geo-Certify” geofencing, automated report delivery, Extra ToGo for managers on the go, and a new dashboard featuring tips, a chat line and other useful information.

“After just one week of using EXTRA, I’ve noticed efficiencies in my dispatcher’s and drivers’ time. Now that I am able to see my customer’s locations on the Elite EXTRA map, i am easily able to modify my

scheduled delivery routes in order to further maximize efficiency. From start to finish the team at Elite EXTRA has been a pleasure to work with.

I can see they really enjoy what they do, and are driven to provide a great service to dealers.”

Steve Hofer Parts Manager Park Chrysler Jeep

In conclusion, we’re thrilled to have experienced our first year as an MMG member at NADA and we look forward

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Mopar Masters Guild Magazine

For more information call 1.888.484.8729 or visit www.eliteextra.com

Leaders in the Sale of Quality Mopar Parts

33

33

Creating a New Standard for Parts Deliveries Turn your operation into an online, centralized traffic control center.

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Eau ClairE, Wi Charlottesville, VA | Denver, CO | Milwaukee, WI | Omaha, NE | San Francisco, CA

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The exchange of information by like sized dealers in a non-competitive environment.

34

Mar-Apr ‘12

Because

Results Matter.

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• Fewer manually added parts.

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Learn more by scanning the QR code, visiting http://bit.ly/mmg-spg, or calling 888.834.8685.

© 2012 The Reynolds and Reynolds Company. All rights reserved. 4266154 3/12

Mopar Masters Guild Magazine

Leaders in the Sale of Quality Mopar Parts

35

Jack Powell Chrysler Jeep Dodge was again a proud sponsor of the annual Tierra Del Sol Desert Safari. The weather was perfect and it was an awesome time. We met great people while working the Jeep Event display, ran great trails and sold Mopar Accessories. Then to add to it, attendees had a chance to win some of the $165K in prizes, and watch the awesome fireworks show.

The event was held in the Truckhaven Hills area of the North Ocotillo Wells SVRA. This area is one of the most beautiful and scenic areas in Southern California. The hallmark of the safari was a caravan of vehicles Saturday and wound through remote terrain that original members traversed in the old days with military-grade Jeep vehicles fifty years ago.

The San Diego based nonprofit Tierra Del Sol off road club was formed in 1962. Tierra Del Sol is a not-for-profit family oriented 4Ă—4 club that continues to use proceeds from the Desert Safari to fight land closures and keep trails open.

One of the highlights of the event was a gift presentation of a new 2012 Jeep Wrangler from the Southern California Jeep Dealers to the Tierra Del Sol club and will be raffled off at the end of the year. This Mopar outfitted jeep was equipped with a special 50th Anniversary TDS logo Katzkin leather seat package. We installed a Mopar Lift kit, Mopar Performance wheels, Mopar Accessory rock rails and much more before handing over the keys.

We collected 500 names and emails from the off-road fans looking for a chance to win a $45,000 Jeep vehicle voucher and a free travel mug. Jeep engineer Thomas Haberkamp was also on hand to answer the tough Jeep questions from these hard core enthusiasts. My team sold a hard top package and a set of Mopar Performance wheels like the ones we installed on the TDS Wrangler to members. We also sold a Jeep Wrangler after we returned to the Dealership the following week.

It was another great Jeep event for Jack Powell Chrysler Jeep Dodge and we can’t wait for the next one. Check out this Jeep domination video on You Tube of the event that I found.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=412DSN75X4w Rick Monteiro Jack Powell CJD - Escondido, CA

The exchange of information by like sized dealers in a non-competitive environment.

36

Mar-Apr ‘12

2012 Arizona NHRA Nationals It all started Friday. I went to the track and got there just in time to feel my guts shake as the Funny Cars and Top Fuel Dragsters were running. Ah, the smell of nitro methane in the morning.

There is nothing better than having your lungs and eyes burn from that explosive short 4 seconds as they blast down the track.

I walked around to see all of our old Pro Stock friends, Larry Morgan, Erica Enders, Rodger Brogdon, Allen Johnson, Jeg Coughlin. I stayed far away from that darn Summit team! Then I went up Nitro Alley and saw Clay Millican from Pinks All Out who is running T/F this year for Parts Plus. I saw Matt Hagen the reigning 2011 Funny Car Champion and his huge ring. I strolled a little further and spent some time with Jack Beckman, Ron Capps, Johnny Grey, Spencer Massey, and Antron Brown. All of these drivers are from the Don Schumacher Racing Team (DSR). These drivers always show the greatest of respect and spend much of their off time with the fans that come out to see them, signing autographs and putting up with our stupid questions.

Saturday – I held a Wholesale Customer Appreciation Day with 30 of my customers, old, new, and prospective. This was all coordinated with the help of the DSR PR team and DSR Vice-President Mike Lewis. They set us up in the Service Central Johnny Grey and NAPA Auto Parts Ron Capps, VIP tent for a meet and greet in the morning and then off to the races. We all went out and enjoyed the third round of qualifying and came back to the tent for a lunch like you would not believe.

The food was fantastic with options to fit any taste – even my 13 year-olds.

Mopar Masters Guild Magazine

Leaders in the Sale of Quality Mopar Parts

37

After the fourth qualifying run things started to slow down but not before hearing from each customer how much they appreciated the day. Some were new and some were veterans of race day in Arizona but all enjoyed being able to be up close and personal in the pits.

Once we made sure all of our customers were gone I took my wife and 18 and 13 year-old daughters over to see Antron Brown. Now keep in mind that they have both been coming to the races since they were 6 yearsold, they are huge fans, the drivers have all watched them grow up and they have experienced just about everything there is to do at the track. Well, Antron gave them both a day to remember. He took us into his pit area and had us all laughing so hard my sides ached. He asked my youngest if she would like to sit in his car. I thought her eyes were going to pop out of her head! Both of the girls ended up sitting in his car.

Sunday – We walked the track with about 1000 fans to start the day with Jack Beckman heading up the crowd. The DSR driver introductions were back at the DSR tent then we went back down to the start line to watch all the other drivers get introduced to the crowd. Finally it was race time!

Unfortunately the DSR Funny Cars did not fare well but it was an all DSR Top Fuel Dragster final with Tony Schumacher and Antron Brown. It was a VERY close race but Antron won with a time of 3.793 to Tony’s 3.813! What a way to end a great weekend.

Dan Murphy Chapman Chrysler Jeep Dodge

The exchange of information by like sized dealers in a non-competitive environment.

38

Mar-Apr ‘12

Training Vision for Rookies and Geezers

By Ed J. Kovalchick So what is training? Why is it necessary? When does it begin? When does it end? Is it true your face can get stuck that way? All these important questions and more will be answered in the following personal soliloquy to training - long past due and long in the tooth.

Who? Me? Training: drills, exercise, working out, practice, preparation and teaching. All of these synonyms are reflections of the act of training, in fact substitute words better defining the act. If you are a typical automotive department manager, you did not receive formal training in preparation for your lofty position. Most dealership managers were selected (say “seized”) from a subordinate status, where he or she performed very well compared to his or her equals. And the truth is if the assembly you were surrounded with were pathetic, it wasn›t difficult to appear “Einstein-like” to the big boss.

Now, with literally no prep, the only thing to do was mimic the guy who just quit or got the axe. Of course, you knew a few improvements which needed to be made just from suffering through the prior King’s reign, so you were able to make a few employees happy for a bit. When your honeymoon began ending in about three weeks, reality sat on your face and your popularity began sinking like the effective labor rate after another required manufacturer coupon promotion. “Geez, and I thought all he did was sit in his office and drink coffee this ain›t so fun.” What to do?

Well, the successful future you have will be predicated on your vision, or you better get one. Answering the questions of fundamental business: Precisely what should this business be in regards to the customer and employee experience? What should the financials be producing? What is the marketplace and how big is it? How do we capture more of it? Where is that dang porter? And so on and so forth.

Winners and you know Here is where the winners and losers part company with the key component to success being the amount of training the employees receive. Please don’t confuse this critical action with conducting a lot of employee summits so that everyone can bitch themselves to satisfaction and performance. No, now is the time to embrace the culture of continuous, ongoing, without fail, calculated training. And the best part is how easy it really can be accomplished just by remaining committed.

Realize this: training is in fact, a continuum, which occurs regardless of the formality or not of it. Every conversation is a form of informal training, cause and effect as it were, which may or may not generate positive results. A manager’s objective has to be to execute effective formal training to ultimately reap the rewards of the informal training - you just have to get your message out and stick to it. Hence, in a manner, there is no such thing as no training - just poor or good training.

That being said, a manager can begin a training regimen by introducing the concept that training occurs all day and every day, with everyone and it will produce positive or negative consequences. Driving subordinate behavior towards embracing process consistency, (defining the process is the easy part) creates an absolute winning situation for everyone, especially the consumers and their related satisfaction.

Mopar Masters Guild Magazine

Leaders in the Sale of Quality Mopar Parts

39

Introducing training The invigoration of training ideals isn’t rocket science my amigo. It just needs a planned process to get it started, and frankly that seldom takes place. Training is necessary and yet fun - especially when the result (performance) is measured and shared (and you can’t beat a good contest!). However, if the entire measurement of training interaction (results) is based on the last crummy meeting one attended, then the target is missed completely.

Here is a simple blueprint for driving successful training in your department:

1.Document your vision (dream) of the perfectly performing department - include customers, employees, and financials.

Think of it as the ultimate training game plan to create success (you might start with a mission statement - why are we here anyway?). Since there are no stumbling blocks at this point, go crazy and envision absolute perfection. It won’t hurt, I promise. As a bonus, include some of your key employees in the development process. If you have never done this (that would be most managers) you will be stuck being a “maintainer” only - not saying that is a bad thing, but forget about excelling to the top. Think of yourself as the CEO of your operation - uhhh, well you are actually.

2. Document how your department can attain your vision through an on-going training regimen.

Think of this as setting up the development and practice sessions before a sports game - the prep and warm up as it were. Integrate the numerous processes you have perfected into pre-planned formal training time, you know a “schedule” thingy.

Remember too, the intensity of training lessens after the players have refined their skill sets, so don’t fret about the beginning effort needed to attain your fantasy, ultimately the future preservation training is easy.

Besides, everyone wins big.

3. Introduce your initiative and execution plan in formal meetings, or maybe one big assembly. Share your vision and most importantly tell everyone whats in it for them, and make it impactful (i.e. more income).

Consider constructing your presentation in PowerPoint and have some handouts to ensure everyone maintains the information. Share your plan with the GM/dealer or other respected individual and ask for input.

4. Don›t waiver on the training execution. If you wimp out, it would have been better that you didn›t act like you cared in the first place, and you will be considered weak by some.

To prepare for this exciting and career changing event, read a couple autobiographies by very successful sports coaches. Vision and mandated training directly related to that vision will be the thread which connects the chapters, and by the way, there will be at least one flop along the line which ultimately proved to be the perfect learning experience.

The exchange of information by like sized dealers in a non-competitive environment.

40

Mar-Apr ‘12

2012 MMG C o m m itte e s President Steve Hofer

Vice President Rick Cutaia Treasurer Mark Skinner Secretary Joe McBeth

Executive Committee

All of the above as well as:

Gerry Oakes

Marvin Windham

Dan Hutton Paul Allred

Park CJ – Burnsville, MN Rick Hendrick Dodge – Charleston, SC Power CJD – Phoenix, AZ Dallas DCJ – Dallas, TX

Baxter CJD – Omaha, NE Benchmark CJD – Birmingham, AL Tom O’Brien CJD – Greenwood, IN Stateline CJD – Fort Mill, SC

Committees:

Vendor Chairman Dan Hutton Tom O’Brien CJD – Greenwood, IN

Newsletter Dan Murphy Chapman CJD – Scottsdale, AZ

Don Cushing Bald Hill DCJ – Warwick, RI

Nada 2013 Planning Marvin Windham Benchmark CJD – Birmingham, AL

Andy Reed Allen Samuels DCJ – North Richland Hills, TX

Membership Open

Vendor Committees

ADP Gerry Oaks Baxter CJD – Omaha, NE

Paul Allred Stateline CJD – Fort Mill, SC

Andy Reed Allen Samuels DCJ – North Richland Hills, TX

Rick Monteiro Jack Powell CJD – Escondido, CA

Mike Mulkins Go Chrysler Jeep West – Golden, CO

R&R Rick Cutaia Rick Hendrick Dodge – Charleston, SC

Ken Kokoszka Pollard Friendly Motors – Boulder, CO

Rich Schott Moore CJ – Peoria, AZ

OEConnection Snap-On Dan Hutton Tom O’Brien CJD – Greenwood, IN

Paul Allred Stateline CJD – Fort Mill, SC

Brent Hoge Larry H. Miller CJD – Sandy, UT

Dealer Tire Paul Allred Stateline CJD – Fort Mill, SC Susan McDaniel Bill Luke CJD – Phoenix, AZ

Joe McBeth Dallas DCJ – Dallas, TX

Elite Extra Rick Monteiro Jack Powell CJD – Escondido, CA

Larry Morris Fred Beans DCJ – Doylestown, PA

Ken Kokoszka Pollard Friendly Motors – Boulder, CO

J.D. Ipsen Ken Garff West Valley CJD – West Valley, UT

Steve Hofer Park CJ – Burnsville, MN

UPS Marvin Windham Benchmark CJD – Birmingham, AL

Brent Hoge Larry H. Miller CJD – Sandy, UT

Casey Brown Allen Samuels DCJ – Katy, TX

Glen Hojnacki Milosch’s Palace CJD – Lake Orion, MI

Ken Kokoszka Pollard Friendly Motors – Boulder, CO

Mopar Masters Guild Magazine