ICYMI: CBT News brought dealers, attorneys and policy experts to Washington, D.C., on June 16 for the Auto Leadership Summit: Fair Pricing & Compliance. Dealers and vendors from all over the country attended the sold-out one-day event at the Salamander Hotel for a full day of informative panels. The panels of experts took a unique look at the Federal Trade Commission’s scrutiny of dealership pricing, following warning letters sent to 97 dealership groups in March.
Panel sessions included:
- The FTC’s Enforcement Playbook: What dealers need to know right now — Brian Bennett (NADA), Barrie Charapp Beaty (Charapp & Weiss), and Shannon Robertson (AFIP) broke down the 97 warning letters, the Lindsay Chevrolet consent order, and the $78 million Maryland settlement.
- The Dealer’s Perspective: Running a compliant store without killing the deal — Brian Benstock (Paragon Honda), Kevin Frye (Jeff Wyler Automotive Family), and Sam Weaver (Chevy Chase Automotive) discussed building compliant pricing into dealership operations.
- Advertising in the Crosshairs: Online pricing, third-party listings, and what the FTC is watching — Aaron Baldwin (automotiveMastermind), Laura Perrotta (NJ CAR), John Fitzpatrick (Force Marketing), and Tianna Mick (Dealer Synergy) addressed online listing compliance, third-party platforms, and doc fee disclosure.
- Culture, Compliance, and Accountability: Building an FTC-ready dealership — Marco Schnabl (RockED), Cuyler Owens (Widewail), and Mike Gilson (Conversica) examined how dealership culture drives FTC readiness.
- Transparency as a Competitive Weapon: How the best dealers are using compliance to win — Scott Painter (TrueCar) made the case for how compliant pricing builds market share.
- AI, Digital Retailing & the Next Frontier of Pricing Transparency — Devin Daly (Impel), Michael Affronti (DriveCentric), and Cassie Broemmer (Car Wars) looked at how AI tools are reshaping pricing transparency.
- The Industry’s Voice in Washington — U.S. Ohio Senator Bernie Moreno sat down with moderator Jim Fitzpatrick for a one-on-one conversation about political issues impacting the auto industry.
- The Road Ahead: Washington, regulation, and dealer advocacy — Paul Metrey (NADA) and Don Hall (VADA) outlined where federal and state policy is headed and how dealer associations are responding.
