Today marked the official launch of CIRAS – The Center for International Retail Automotive Standards in the United States, CIRAS is dedicated to the professionalizing of the international automotive industry, CIRAS will offer a series of web-based certifications in a variety of key positions in the automotive trade.
Under the direction of Northwood University’s retired Vice President of Academics and International Programs, Prof. Robert W. Serum, PhD., CIRAS has assembled a team of respected automotive specialists from around the world. “CIRAS is not the usual training or teaching facility,” stresses Dr. Serum, “We fully recognize the contributions made by the many excellent educational institutions now serving the automotive industry.”
The Automotive Dealership Institute’s recent Automotive Lending Workshop in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, drew high-ranking financial executives from 11 banks throughout Southeast Asia and the Middle East. Entitled Creating a Competitive Advantage in the Auto Financing Market for Tomorrow, was ADI’s fourth international automotive finance workshop for The Banking Academy, a subsidiary of The Asian Banker. Participants hailed from Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Brunei, Singapore, Philippines, Kuwait, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia. A diploma was awarded to every participant upon successful completion of the three-day intensive program.
Michael. Crawford, Dealer Principal of Peoria Kia, has been awarded the 2008 F&I Pacesetter’s Award from F&I Management and Technology Magazine. Mr. Crawford’s nomination was put forth by the Automotive Dealership Institute, which has trained several members of Peoria Kia’s F&I Managers. Of the more than 26,000 considered for the prestigious award, only five were selected.
“We work with hundreds of dealerships around the country, and we considered many of them when it came time to choose our nominee,” reports Alan Algan, Executive Director and CEO of the Automotive Dealership Institute, “but Michael Crawford has transformed Peoria Kia into a textbook example of a perfect dealership: ethical, respectful of every customer, and incredibly successful.”
GMAC Insurance has selected the Automotive Dealership Institute’s Dean of Education Arzu Algan to contribute to it’s Front-End Operation Supplement. In this Supplement GMAC features it’s plans for the upcoming year as well as addresses tips on how to improve Front-End operations.
Dean Algan’s article focuses primarily on helping eliminate the disconnect between the Sales team and the F&I department. She includes specific tips on how to transition the customers as well as methods to optimize the work flow between the two departments.
These articles were first featured on ADI’s F&I Tips blog in a three part series:
- F&I Desk Integration Part 1: Working with the Sales Department
- F&I Desk Integration Part 2: Transition Approaches
- F&I Desk Integration Part 3: Cooperation
You can also download this article specifically from the GMAC Front-End Operation Supplement Here
National dealership consulting firm Chernek Consulting, Inc. (CCI) has obtained exclusive rights to the Automotive Dealership Institute’s revolutionary web-based F&I Management training program. According to Rebecca D. Chernek, President of Chernek Consulting, the highly-interactive online program, which utilizes a wide range of multi-media techniques and covers a wide range of industry topics, will be integrated into CCI’s dynamic workshops and in-house training sessions.
Ms. Chernek’s clients, who include some of the country’s most successful automotive agents and dealers, will enjoy the added benefit of four months of access to ADI’s online program. This will allow employees to create independent “refresher” courses for themselves, focusing on specific topics. This open accessibility is a unique feature of CCI’s already extensive services, and isn’t offered through any other consultant in the country.