They settled into the F&I corner of the automotive retail business for different reasons, but they stayed for the same one: It’s a rewarding business to work in.
The newest members of Bobit Business Media’s F&I Hall of Fame are from different generations and have different stories but share a common conviction that finance-and-insurance has added value to auto retail and to all the individuals it touches.
Kelly Price of Driven Capital Partners, one of five in the 2025 class of Hall of Fame inductees, put it this way:
“It’s an industry that once it’s in your blood, it doesn’t go away,” she said as she and the other honorees discussed their careers and the segment they’ve pledged loyalty to.
One reason F&I appeals to people such as Price is its service aspect. Yes, service, not sales.
“F&I is about helping people and not about selling stuff,” said Ron Reahard, founder and president of F&I training firm Reahard & Associates.
The company he established more than 20 years ago focuses on helping F&I managers help customers.
Kelly and Reahard were joined in the 2025 class by three others: Terry O’Loughlin of Reynolds and Reynolds; Ed Morse Automotive Group veteran Randy Hoffman; and the late Larry Pomarico, who served as president of Acrisure and co-founded SouthWest Dealer Services.
O’Loughlin, an F&I compliance expert, entered the automotive world by way of a murder, that is one he was assigned to tackle for the Florida attorney general. He soon became the state’s point of contact for nearly all auto dealer complaints, and he now helps dealer F&I departments navigate regulation so they’re freed up to do what they do best.
A story Acrisure President of Sales Distribution Bill Wilson, who spoke for Pomarico, told during the Hall of Fame induction about the establishment of a sanctuary for abandoned dogs showed that F&I sector leaders have big hearts.
Wilson choked up when describing the newfound home of a dog that had lost the use of its hind legs and got newfound mobility with customized wheels.
“They’re good people that put lot of thought and effort into other people,” said Tony Wanderon, CEO of APCO Holdings brand EasyCare, as he led the inductees discussion.
The subjects the inductees gravitated to when talking about F&I proved the segment is truly about more than dealer profits. They know firsthand that, whether behind the desk or in front of it, it’s really about relationships.
