This month we offer a new look and a renewed goal of giving readers the best information and best practices for running great dealerships.
Ward's Dealer Business is part of the Ward's Communications franchise. Our family of auto publications is staffed by some of the nation's best journalists, is backed by Ward's AutoInfoBank, the gold standard of industry data, and WardsAuto.com, voted the best website by the American Society of Business Press Editors.
Ward's Dealer Business provides a powerful package of in-depth features, expert advice on how to make it work for you and deep data that tell what's going on and where we're headed. That data will be customized for dealers, as it is elsewhere for auto makers, suppliers, and even the Federal Reserve.
We've long enjoyed a reputation for strong editorial. The newly redesigned magazine presents that content more powerfully, more relevantly and with more meaning to our readers.
In this reinvigorated issue, we cover:
A profile of courage and determination. Lillie Biagas, suddenly widowed, kept alive her late husband's dealership and his dream of running a successful minority-owned store. Now she's expanding it.
An emerging strategy that could shape your world and change the look of the U.S. auto market: Peter Butterfield's bold plan to make Kia a major player.
A look at how the nation's megadealers are increasing their finance & insurance revenues in a soft market.
An eight-page remarketing supplement that explores what's happening in the lively used-car arena.
Our cover story, which provides an up-close look at bringing NASCAR-level training to your service department.
Our renamed and reorganized “Profit Centers” section: a priceless collection of experts commenting on the six areas where dealers make money.
A few quick words on the people behind our redesign.
Craig Reiss, Chief Creative Officer of Primedia, spearheaded it. He believes a magazine redesign should go beyond cosmetic surgery. It should include real purpose and relevance to readers.
A quick personal story about him: In 1968, Reiss, class president of Southfield (MI) High School, was mulling over what school dance band to hire with proceeds from a fundraiser. Reiss, thinking big then as now, proposed getting the Who. By chance, they were available.
A student at a nearby school at the time, I remember wondering how Southfield High got the Who to play at a school dance. Thirty-four years later I found out.
Primedia Creative Director Alan Alpanian collaborates with Reiss on these projects. Alpanian has a gift for converting ideas into visual graphics.
Working with Alpanian is Ward's art director, Scott Ormiston. He's a kindred spirit, facing each new issue with the idea of making it better than the one before.
Group Publisher Tom Duncan is one of the straightest shooters you'll ever meet. He monitored the redesign project while giving everyone plenty of creative space.
Cliff Banks is our Associate Editor and my right-hand man. He's a self-starter who broke into this business the hard way: no experience, no journalism degree, but showing a spark that convinced us to bet on him. It's paid off.
Our commitment is to provide you with the best and most relevant information in automotive retailing. We intend to deliver on that.
