20 Group Consultants

Steve Park is senior vice president, Dealership Operations at NADA. In this role, Park is responsible for a department that serves as the go-to resource for car and truck franchised dealers to improve operations and profitability via education, consulting and training. Previously, Park was vice president, Dealership Operations and oversaw the NADA/ATD Academy and 20 Group Operations, while leading in-dealership consulting initiatives. Park joined NADA in 2018 as senior director, responsible for 20 Group and Academy.

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Tim Gavin brings 35-plus years of auto-industry experience to NADA. Prior to NADA, he held various dealership positions, including service manager, general sales manager, general manager, dealer operator and dealer principal. Gavin was a multiyear Chrysler Five Star Award of Excellence Dealer, Gold Award Winner for Excellence for Resource Automotive. He’s an adjunct professor for leadership development and a subject matter expert in sales, service, internet and CSI for luxury, domestic and import dealerships.

Steve began his automotive career as an executive porter at an Oldsmobile GMC Truck dealership in Ohio. A graduate of Northwood University, Steve returned to the dealership he was working at and worked in all the major profit centers. With over 30 years of experience in the automotive industry at the retail and wholesale levels, Steve developed a passion for retail automotive consulting. Steve has developed, implemented, and sustained a wide variety of dealer process and training programs to improve sales, F&I, service, parts, and overall dealership customer satisfaction/retention. Steve brings experience conducting in-dealership consultations and facilitating discussions within dealer groups.

Joe has 28 years in the retail auto industry. While working at Ford, Nissan and Porsche dealerships, Joe has held various dealership roles, including General Manager. Over the past 20 years, Joe has developed a strong working knowledge of digital marketing and how best to evaluate the return on investment. He loves to talk digital strategy and about the opportunities digital tools can provide dealers as digital retailing continues to gain momentum.

Jeff Bakich brings 30-plus years of auto-industry experience to NADA. Previously, he held various dealership positions, including parts and service director, dealership general manager and dealership co-owner. Additionally, he was a NADA 20 Group chairman, and has 15 years of field consulting experience. Bakich is a proven profitable dealer, with top-tier customer retention and satisfaction working with Chrysler, Ford, GM and Nissan.

Glenn Barton brings 35-plus years of auto-industry experience to NADA. He started his retail automotive management career in domestic, import and high-line venues. He has worked with various manufacturers, offering a proficiency in combining cost controls, revenue growth, continuous process improvements and in-depth staff training to achieve significant profitability, volume and incomparable customer satisfaction. 

Nick Carter brings 40-plus years of experience in the automotive, medium- and heavy-duty commercial truck to NADA and ATD. He has been involved in all aspects of operations, including regional sales manager (RSM), district sales manager (DSM), director of sales operations, and independent consultant focusing on dealership profitability in sales, F&I and rental/leasing. His expertise spans variable and fixed operations and office management with franchise experience in Ford, Freightliner, Hino, Isuzu, Mitsubishi-Fuso, Peterbilt, and Volvo-Mack.

Joel Dalbo brings 33-plus years of auto-industry experience to NADA. His past experience includes zone manager and director for Volvo Finance N.A., director of car sales for Western U.S. Hertz Car Sales, and general manager of a Volvo dealership and a Volkswagen store. His expertise includes development and support of successful lease programs that improved region sales volume, process improvement, lease training, preowned sales and asset management.

Frank DeGradi brings 20+ years of accomplished auto-industry experience to NADA with a robust track record in driving growth, efficiency, and customer satisfaction. Most recently serving as the Regional Vice President, Frank oversaw 17 dealerships in Florida, generating over $1.45 billion in revenue and leading strategies to enhance profitability and operational excellence. Frank’s leadership is underscored by his commitment to mentorship and process improvement, fostering environments where employees and customers thrive, making him a strategic leader poised to impact the automotive sector significantly.

Jim Dodd joined NADA in 2009, and brings 18-plus years of auto-industry experience in wholesale, retail, consulting and digital advertising. Recently certified in Google Analytics and Google Ads, he continues to advise dealers on marketing strategies and web design to improve their online presence and performance. Dodd manages Chrysler, Ford and GM dealer groups as well as an internet managers group and continues to focus on innovative ways dealers can leverage technology to improve their dealership’s overall performance.

Eric Dreisbach brings 35-plus years of retail auto-industry experience to NADA. Starting in the body shop and becoming the vice president, controller, and treasurer, Dreisbach has held various positions in the dealership and helped the family operation grow to include 5 locations. His first position with NADA was as an Academy instructor and he is certified by the Association for Talent Development as a Master Trainer. 

Tim Fortune brings 30-plus years of auto-industry experience to NADA. He has been involved in all aspects of retail automotive, from variable to fixed operations to vice president and operator. His expertise is in new and used cars, finance, franchise buy-sells, training and marketing, with an extensive understanding of dealership technologies and computer software. Fortune’s franchise expertise includes Stellantis (FCA/CDJR), Ford, GM, Hyundai, Lotus, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Subaru, Suzuki and Volkswagen.

Ray Grapsy brings 35-plus years of medium- and heavy-duty commercial truck experience to ATD and NADA. He has been involved in all aspects of commercial truck operations, was a dealer representative on the dealer council, and on OEM and vendor advisory boards. Grapsy was a leader in establishing the Automotive Technology Program for educating new technicians and other local vocational training programs. His franchise expertise includes Freightliner, Hino, Isuzu, International and Western Star.

Don Hopper was previously the General Manager and CFO of Cowles Ford where he spent the last 19 years setting sales and profit records, enabling Cowles to earn a Ford President’s Award multiple times. Hopper has been a member of NADA 20 Groups since 2007 (including as group Chairperson) and attributes much of his success at Cowles to his active participation in NADA 20 Group meetings. Prior to his time in automotive retail, Hopper spent his career in public accounting.

Greg brings 40-plus years of automobile industry experience to NADA.  Previously, he held various positions, including General Manager, Director of operations and Chief Operating Officer.  During his career, Greg oversaw multiple franchises at multiple locations.  Setting retail sales and fixed operations records through continuous process improvements throughout the dealerships.  Greg believes that people make the difference in business and he is dedicated to assisting every person in the organization to be their very best.

Jim Kinsella brings 40-plus years of auto-industry experience to NADA. As general sales manager of one of New England's largest Toyota dealerships, he achieved record-breaking sales and profitability. As a dealer principal, Kinsella turned around a struggling Ford dealership, more than doubling sales while raising CSI scores above the national average. Jim specializes in variable operations and has extensive experience working with Ford, GM and Toyota dealers.

Debbie has 35+ years of experience leading operations, finance, technology, customer service, and staff management. She steadily advanced through the ranks of Controller, Service Manager, Finance Manager and General Sales Manager to leading dealer operations as General Manager. She led operational processes that bolstered profitability, guided dealer rankings to top performance in the region, and oversaw a multimillion-dollar remodel.

Known for her people-centered approach to business and leadership, Debbie has gained a reputation for generating business results while growing and inspiring high-performing teams. She is a hands-on professional who provides an environment of quality, progress, and professionalism while focusing on improving customer engagement as a driver of business growth in better and smarter ways.

Randy McCleskey brings 40-plus years of auto-industry experience to NADA. His experience includes various positions in both fixed and variable operations, including national director of training, sales and marketing for Automax Service Solutions. He has served on multiple advisory boards and was a three-time Chrysler Five Star Dealership recipient in three different states. McCleskey specializes in variable and fixed operations and CSI training.

Jason brings 30+ years of auto industry experience to NADA. He has held management positions with Toyota/Lexus Financial Services and Gulf States Toyota. His general manager experience includes running major metro stores and dealerships in single-point markets. Most recently, Jason was the platform General Manager for a group that represented Toyota, Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram, Chevy, Buick, GMC and Cadillac.

Jeffrey A. Penn is an accomplished and creative Executive Director with a proven track record of reenergizing and restructuring organizations. He is recognized for his ability to develop strategic initiatives and capture emerging business opportunities. As a results-oriented and decisive leader, Penn excels at forging lucrative relationships with key partners, vendors, and clients. His expertise spans tactical global marketing, operations, finance, sales, and high-stakes negotiations. With a background in Fortune 500 car companies and dealerships, he has successfully turned around struggling company operations to achieve sustained growth. Throughout his career, he has been instrumental in driving operational improvements, enhancing customer experiences, and achieving remarkable sales and profit growth.

Mark Ruble brings 35-plus years of auto-industry experience to NADA. He has held a variety of dealership management positions in dealerships across the country, including new and used manager, executive manager, director of operations and interim dealer operator. As interim dealer operator, Mark turned around operations at 16 failing dealerships, with responsibility for as many as three dealerships simultaneously. His franchise expertise is with Chrysler, Ford, GM, Infiniti, Kia, Mazda, and Nissan.

Kelly Smith brings 30-plus years of auto-industry experience to NADA. He began his career in automotive with EDS before joining his family’s business as comptroller, ultimately becoming dealer principal. As a dealer, Smith was an active member in NADA 20 Group, including as chairman. He is a proven, profitable dealer, with franchise expertise including Chrysler, GM, Oldsmobile and Subaru.

Don South has 35-plus years of consulting, retail automotive and truck management experience, including over 15 years as a NADA consultant. His expertise is in improving department profitability for Chrysler, Ford, GM, Honda, Mercedes, Mitsubishi Subaru, Volkswagen, Volvo and commercial medium-duty truck dealerships. South is a certified instructor for comprehensive service operations initiatives, including the Ford Lincoln Mercury Service Upgrade, Field Consulting Approach 3.0, Quality Care Maintenance and Around the Wheel.

Kolleen Tehan is a visionary executive with a distinguished career in the Automotive and Insurance Industry. With a proven track record of driving automotive organizational turnaround and implementing effective change management strategies, she has achieved remarkable success in sales, marketing, advertising, and executive management. Tehan’s diverse skill set includes effective communication, persuasive selling, and exemplary leadership within management teams. As the Owner and Director of Sales and Training at Tehan Consulting, she focused on creating additional profit centers for auto dealers through insurance sales, marketing campaigns, and innovative product offerings, leading her teams to substantial yearly revenues and increased market share.

Augie Vasquez brings over 40 years of automotive experience to NADA. He is a graduate of the NADA Academy and a former dealership partner. Augie's career began in sales, earning multiple Salesperson of the Year accolades. Transitioning to management, he achieved remarkable success, receiving two diamond rings from separate OEMs for outstanding sales and customer satisfaction. Augie's leadership propelled dealerships to unprecedented sales and service milestones by leveraging his expertise in dealership operations and team management to include initiatives like street teams and robust BDCs. Augie's commitment to customer-centric processes and continuous improvement has cemented his reputation as a trusted advisor and industry leader. His prowess extends across both the variable and fixed operations of the dealership and he excels in dealership consulting, training, and development.

Elton brings 42 years of auto industry experience to NADA. He has vast knowledge in all dealership departments and has worked in all levels of dealership management including Sales Manager, F&I Manager, General Manager and Dealer Principal. Elton’s dealerships have won several Presidents Awards which were achieved through employee training and talent development. He specializes in cash and asset management and expense control. He has served as a dealer association president and has been a longtime active 20 Group member.