DALLAS — Three former F&I Pacesetters, including F&I and Showroom’s 2016 F&I Dealer of the Year, will be at Industry Summit 2017 for F&I Think Tank’s “The Director’s Chair,” organizers confirmed today. Industry Summit is scheduled for Sept. 11–14 at the Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center in Dallas.

These three top-flight F&I directors have agreed to share their secrets to success during the 50-minute session, which kicks off at 10:15 a.m. on Thursday, Sept. 14. They’ll also address common challenges faced by F&I departments, as well as share how they keep their teams trained, motivated and producing at a high level.

“This is a must-attend session for dealers, F&I directors and F&I managers,” said Gregory Arroyo, show chair and editorial director for F&I and Showroom and Auto Dealer Today. “One of our directors was selected by the magazine as a 2014 F&I Pacesetter, while the other two were named F&I Pacesetters in 2016. Although their backgrounds are diverse, they bring a history of success to F&I Think Tank.”

There will be a fourth F&I director on the stage as well: F&I and Showroom columnist “Mad” Marv Eleazer. He will serve as moderator of a discussion that will include F&I directors Tom Andrews of Sam Pack’s Five Star Ford of Lewisville, Texas, and Justin Gasman of McCaddon Cadillac Buick GMC in Boulder, Colo., and F&I director-turned-general-sales-manager Dan Mason of McGrath Honda of Elgin, Ill.

A 30-year industry veteran, Andrews left his hometown of Boston 18 years ago to join Sam Pack’s Five Star Lewisville location, which is listed as the No. 13 Ford Credit volume dealer in the central market region and  No.79 in the nation out of 3,500 Ford dealerships. The dealership earned Ford Motor Credit’s Partners in Quality in 2015, was named the “Best Car Dealership in Flower Mound” by Living Magazine, and was voted as one of the Top 3 dealerships in the annual Best of Denton County.

Andrews currently supervises a team of 25 sales associates and five finance managers. He spends most of his time coaching, managing finance contracts, and maintaining relationships with more than 40 auto finance institutions. Last year, Andrews and his team earned F&I and Showroom’s F&I Dealer of the Year award.

Also up for the magazine’s 2016 F&I Dealer of the Year award was North Aurora, Ill.-based Gerald Hyundai, where Mason had served as F&I director. During his two-year stint there, the 10-year F&I pro helped increased the F&I department’s per-copy average by $200 and its product-per-deal average by 1.3 products.

This year, Mason took a step forward in his career when he accepted a general sales manager position at McGrath Honda of Elgin, where he is able to apply his 10 years of industry experience and training expertise to the dealership’s entire front-end operations. Mason also serves as an admin for F&I 20 Group, a Facebook group for F&I managers founded by F&I trainer and fellow F&I Think Tank presenter Shaka Dyson.

Returning to the F&I Think Tank stage is Gasman, who served on “F&I Top Guns” during last year’s event. Having grown up in the business, he officially began his industry career in 2003. In 2014, he joined McCaddon as its sole full-time F&I professional. That same year, he was won F&I and Showroom’s F&Idol contest and helped McCaddon earn F&I Pacesetter status.

The producing F&I director is also certified with Automotive Compliance Education (ACE) and the Association of Finance & Insurance Professionals (AFIP). His department averages $1,500 per copy on new and $1,400 on used with a sub-5% chargeback rate.

“If you were at F&I Think Tank 2016, you know Gasman is a unique talent,” said Arroyo. “As for Andrews, he had his team averaging well north of $1,500 per copy on new when Five Star Ford of Lewisville was named F&I Dealer of the Year, while Mason’s consultative approach has his team averaging 2.3 products per deal when his former dealership was named an F&I Pacesetter.

“So we have a very talented and diverse group of directors to lead what I believe will be an information-packed session.”

Registration for Industry Summit 2017 is open at the event’s website. Attendees who register by Aug. 11 will enjoy a $100 discount. To discuss sponsorship and exhibition opportunities, contact David Gesualdo at (727) 947-4027 or via email.