Auto Dealer Monthly, Q4 2018

20 auto dealer today Q4 2018 S p e c i a l A w a r d s S e c t i o n The company remains the categorys only Diamond winner since it was introduced in 2016 Being awarded the No 1 Service Training company three years in a row reflects our passion for the outstanding people improved processes and greater profits that can be achieved in service and parts by Putting your Customer First and investing in professional training for your entire team I have always believed the back end of the store is the backbone of the retail automotive dealership and Id like to thank all the dealers GMs and service managers who ranked DealerPRO Training No 1 in Service Training for 2018 said Don Reed the companys CEO American Financial Automotive Services earned Platinum honors notching its first win in the Service Training category CDK Global took home the Gold after finishing in second place in 2016 and 2017 edging out the Cardone Group which was ranked third the past two years F I Products RoadVantage won the Diamond award for best F I Products provider for the second straight year marking its fourth straight ranking in the category since 2015 the company won Gold in 2015 and Platinum in 2016 We are deeply honored to win the Dealers Choice Diamond award in the category of F I Products provider for the second year in a row We believe that our commitment to providing a better experience to agents dealers and customers is not just good business but the right thing to do Thank you to all the dealers who continue to vote for RoadVantage as their No 1 provider said Garret Lacour the companys CEO National Auto Care won the Platinum award improving on third place finishes in 2016 and 2017 National Auto Cares consistent growth and performance in this contest is a true testament to our family of employees as well as the agents and dealers who trust our brand We are humbled to have advanced from Gold to Platinum in this award category because of the innovative products we along with our agent partners are able to offer dealerships said NACs president and CEO Tony Wanderon As National Auto Care expands its scope following our recent acquisition by Lovell Minnick Partners we look forward to advancing even further in this contest in years to come as we bring more innovative products to market ECP reentered the F I Products fray by claiming the Gold its first award in the category since earning Platinum honors in 2014 and 2015 and edging out IAS which had won Diamond or Platinum every year since the category was introduced in 2013 Service Contract The history of the Service Contract category would look very different without CNA National which won its seventh consecutive Diamond award in 2018 and has settled for second place only once in the 14 year history of the Dealers Choice Awards It is an incredible honor to be acknowledged by our dealers for 14 years in a row Despite the changes that continue to occur in our industry our companys commitment to customerservice excellence continues to be a guiding principle as it has been for more than three decades said Joe Becker president and CEO of CNA National Second place went to AUL Corp which moved up one spot after winning Gold every year from 2014 to 2017 AUL has tallied a total of six wins in the category We work extremely hard to ensure we offer the best products and provide industry leading customer service and support And to earn a Platinum award this year confirms that together with our partners we are on the right track said Jimmy Atkinson president and CEO of AUL We share this award with our amazing network of agents and dealers for without whom this award would not be possible To them we say congratulations and thank you for your dedication hard work and partnership The only other company to ever win the Diamond in the Service Contract category is Protective Asset Protection which earned first place honors in 2011 and has finished second or third ever since Protective won the Gold award this year Service Contract Reinsurance The two way battle between Portfolio and CNA National for the No 1 spot in the Service Contract Reinsurance category continued this year with Portfolio emerging victorious with first place Diamond honors Portfolio has won the Diamond in six out of 11 contests since the category was introduced and has yet to rank lower than second I first thank everyone at our dealers stores who voted for us this year We are grateful and dont take lightly how much this means But I also want to emphasize that this award is shared with our independent agents managing directors and reinsurance specialists We know that Portfolio agents are the face of our company in the stores every week Their superb servicing of our mutual clients goes a long way to explaining our long winning record in the Dealers Choice Awards said Portfolios CSO Dan Haugen And I will add our quarterly meetings that are conducted by our managing directors and reinsurance specialists with our dealer principals also make an important difference in helping us earn this top award CNA won the Platinum award one year after winning Diamond and has ranked first second or third among Service Contract Reinsurance providers every year since 2009 SouthwestRe won the Gold award for the second consecutive year It goes without saying that all of us at SouthwestRe are exceedingly grateful to win the Dealers Choice Gold award for Service Contract Reinsurance for the second year in a row Considering the amount of competition there is out there it is a privilege to be singled out and recognized for the enormous