F&I Hall of Fame
The second annual induction recognized luminaries who helped advance F&I training, production, compliance, agency-building and product development.
Terrence O'Loughlin
By Tariq Kamal
Larry Pomarico
Tariq Kamal is an automotive industry executive and consultant with expertise in dealership, agency, administrative and fleet operations.
The 2025 class includes the F&I Hall of Fame’s first posthumously inducted member. Pomarico died suddenly in 2021 at 65. He was represented on the panel and at the induction ceremony by close friend and colleague Bill Wilson, president of sales distribution for Acrisure Protection Group.
Pomarico was a Denver native who earned degrees in marketing and finance from the University of Northern Colorado and joined Pat Ryan & Associates in 1987. He would advance to the position of regional vice president in charge of Colorado, Utah, Wyoming and New Mexico before leaving in 1999 to co-found his own agency, SouthWest Dealer Services, with Steve Alderson.
By the time Pomarico and Alderson sold SWDS to Acrisure, it had grown into a 400-employee, 30-state enterprise. Pomarico served as president of the combined company until his death.
Wilson met Pomarico when he joined the Pat Ryan organization in 1995. He said Pomarico exemplified leadership and adaptability as the industry changed around him.
“When Larry first opened his agency, there really was only one major public company — AutoNation — and now there are multiple public companies, along with many, many other mega-regional dealer groups. To be able to stay competitive, partnerships with your TPAs and size and breadth of your company has become a bigger part of the business.”
Wilson noted that Pomarico, the only nondealer to have been inducted into the Colorado Auto Dealer Association’s Hall of Fame, was known for his big heart and gentle spirit and always put people first, as captured by something Pomarico once wrote to Acrisure staff and that Wilson shared with the Hall of Fame panel audience.
“My preference is to simply celebrate our ‘social and economic gains we’ve achieved’ and never take them for granted. I know for me there has never been a better platform and group of people to achieve my dreams than SWDS [and the] F&I industry has provided me,” Pomarico once said. “With the blessings I and we have achieved, I also never try to forget to not only take but give back and to always remember it’s not just our ability to give back financially but with our hearts.”
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Since 1984, EasyCare has been helping some of the most successful dealerships in the nation drive results in their stores with a full suite of F&I products, forward-thinking training, dealership development, consultative participation programs, and a best-in-class claims experience. EasyCare has the only F&I products named a “MotorTrend Recommended Best Buy” for franchised dealers and has an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau. EasyCare is part of the APCO Holdings, LLC, family of brands, which has protected over 24 million customers and paid over $3.7 billion in claims. For more information about EasyCare, please visit easycare.com.
We're compliance experts, so you don't have to be. Mosaic Compliance Services was founded in 2006 by automotive attorneys who saw the need to make compliance more approachable and effective for dealerships. Today, Mosaic is a leading provider of compliance solutions for dealers. Serving over 150,000 active users, we help dealerships across the country implement compliance systems that are defensible and insurable. As a result, our web-based compliance training has received the Dealers’ Choice Diamond Award nine years in a row, including 2024. We're delighted to support the F&I Hall of Fame, and we look forward to serving you!
Larry
Pomarico
2025
F&I Hall of Fame archives
By Tariq Kamal
David Robertson
Legacy:
Dedication to professionalism, ethics and compliance; innovation in team-building and F&I training
Known as:
Former owner and CEO of American Financial & Automotive Systems
Years in industry:
1976 to 2022
By Tariq Kamal
When then-owner and CEO Arden Hetland sold American Financial & Automotive Services to Assurant in 2020, he was proud to note that, in an industry known for rapid turnover at every level, American Financial’s roster was filled with long-tenured professionals.
“We had so many people that were 25- or 30-year associates, some of whom were close to retirement, and a lot at the 15- to 20-year level,” Hetland says. “Very seldom did we have to have a termination. If you joined our company, everyone knew that if you lied to a dealer, it was grounds for immediate termination.”
Hetland says he believes professionalism and ethics were critical to the success of The Woodlands, Texas-based American Financial — a leading F&I product and training provider that lives on as Assurant Dealer Services — as well as the growth and maturation of the industry as a whole.
But he also lived and worked through the “Wild, Wild West” years of the F&I industry, a sector reputation Hetland has fought hard to change. But he did so quietly. Those who know Hetland describe him as humble and soft-spoken, a welcome aberration in an industry filled with big voices.
“I think it’s just the way I was brought up,” Hetland says of his low-key character, noting his North Dakota farming community upbringing. He earned a geology degree from North Dakota State, hoping to join the U.S. Forest Service as a hydrologist. But he needed a master’s degree to qualify, so he took a sales job at an auto dealership while he figured out his next steps.
“I was fortunate to work with a general manager who provided exceptional training and who knew you don’t have to slam customers to sell cars.”
Hetland stuck to that principle as his career advanced. Along the way, he became a founding member of the Association of Finance & Insurance Professionals and launched the now nationally recognized Automotive Training Academy, originally called F&I University.
Throughout his long career, Hetland says he enjoyed the unwavering support of Donna, his wife and high school sweetheart, their daughters, Laura and Kristen, and their six grandchildren.
Today, he is part of the charter class of the F&I Hall of Fame.
“It was very, very humbling to me, to receive that honor,” he says. “It’s just amazing. Because I love the industry so much. It makes me very proud to be part of it, and I always have been.”
Hetland joins the charter class of the F&I Hall of Fame following a long career built on a foundation of professionalism.
Arden Hetland
Legacy:
Building a people-first F&I product provider and administrator; investing in technology; and connecting variable and fixed operations
Known as:
Co-founder and former chairman of APCO Holdings
Years in industry:
1984 to 2019
By Tariq Kamal
In Atlanta, Larry Dorfman is known as a co-founder of and active partner in Roots, a community-focused investment fund that gives renters an opportunity to invest and build equity in the real estate market.
To his colleagues in the F&I industry, Dorfman is better known as co-founder with wife, Cathy, of APCO Holdings, a leading product provider and administrator, owner of the EasyCare and GWC Warranty brands, home to hundreds of full-time associates, and partner to thousands of agents, dealers and customers.
What do Roots and APCO have in common? They put people first, Dorfman says, and he believes that is the key to success in any endeavor. He notes that when the Dorfmans started their business in 1984, F&I was not a new concept but was still taking shape.
“Pat Ryan built it first. Then there were 40 copies out there, putting out product. We wanted to make sure we delivered fast, effective claims. We were never the cheapest, nor did we try to be,” Dorfman says, crediting longtime APCO executive Mike Curran with bringing a passionate customer service ethos and a strong analytical approach to the business.
“He ran the whole claims operation and more. He was fanatic about claims response times — how long it took to get to a live adjuster — and got it down to 23 seconds. Get the stats, get the information, drive the KPIs that show we execute what we promise.”
As his company grew over his 35 years at the helm, Dorfman continued to develop and invest in new ways to solve old problems. EasyCare was among the first F&I providers to offer a mobile solution designed to create a service experience tied to the products dealers offer.
“We weren’t a tech company. But we built or sought out technology that could drive our information, our data, our claims handling,” he says. “You don’t have to be on the leading edge, but you cannot get behind the curve. You have to be able to adapt your business around the technology designed to make it better.”
But Dorfman never strayed too far from his roots. In 2018, he spent 200 days in the field, mostly in dealerships, supporting agents. “Agents who came to our organization did so because we’re agent-focused. Ask them what APCO is like.”
Dorfman says he is proud to be part of the F&I Hall of Fame’s first class. However, he insists any recognition should be shared with Cathy and every other member, past and present, of their team.
“As a group, we had an impact. We determined things had to be done a certain way. This honor belongs to all of them.”
As founder and longtime leader of APCO Holdings — and in retirement — F&I Hall of Famer has found success by putting people first.
Larry Dorfman
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Guests of the 2025 Agent Summit and the co-located Ethical F&I Managers Conference honored this year’s class of the F&I Hall of Fame.
APCO Holdings CEO Tony Wanderon, who developed and co-sponsored the Hall of Fame program in partnership with BBM and hosted the induction ceremony and an “F&I Legends” panel discussion, said the hall of fame can help create the future of the segment.
“The F&I Hall of Fame is crucial in recognizing and celebrating the achievements of finance and insurance professionals who have made a lasting impact,” he said.
“It serves as a source of inspiration to others in the industry, preserving the legacy of those who have contributed to innovation, ethical leadership and the overall advancement of F&I practices. By honoring F&I trailblazers each year, the Hall of Fame encourages continuous improvement, professional excellence, and a commitment to customer service within the industry.”
In attendance was CEO Jim Ganther and his team from Mosaic Compliance Services, the program’s other co-sponsor.
“Mosaic is grateful to sponsor this initiative,” Ganther said. “On a personal level, those honored in the inaugural class last year all played a role in my development and the success of Mosaic. We stand on the shoulders of giants, and it’s a worthy effort to recognize who those giants are. We are all in their debt.”
Last year’s inaugural hall of fame class included Larry Dorfman, co-founder and former chairman of APCO Holdings, Arden Hetland, former owner and CEO of American Financial & Automotive Services, and David Robertson, founding member, owner and chairman of the Association of Finance & Insurance Professionals.
Having set a high bar, the 2025 selection committee sorted through hundreds of nominations and landed on five “giants” who made their marks in various aspects of the auto finance sector.
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Years in industry:
1976 to 2022
Legacy:
Creating and championing a compliance-based approach to F&I training and product sales
Known as:
A founding member, owner and chairman of the Association of Finance & Insurance Professionals
With hard work, determination and longevity, many of those who dedicate their lives and careers to the auto industry will earn a certain level of esteem among their peers: instant name recognition and a widely held appreciation for their unique contributions.
David Robertson reached that level many years ago. But he didn’t stop there. As a founding member and now owner and chairman of the Forth Worth, Texas-based Association of Finance & Insurance Professionals, Robertson is known within and without the F&I world as an advocate for statutory and regulatory compliance, an expert witness and ass a TV and radio show guest.
Robertson started his career on the sales floor in 1971 after serving as a first lieutenant in the U.S. Army in the Vietnam War and graduating from Fort Lewis (Colo.) College with a degree in business administration. He also holds an MBA from Northwood University.
“I go back far enough to before Regulation Z was even implemented. There were no rules,” he says. “As the industry progressed, and the laws became more stringent, more precise and more tightly controlled, some of us said maybe we’d better do something more formal.”
To that end, Robertson was invited — along with fellow F&I Hall of Fame inductee Arden Hetland — to join the team that would launch AFIP in 1989. Originally conceived in partnership with and to the benefit of General Motors Acceptance Corp., Ford Motor Credit and the Hendricks Automotive Group, AFIP has since certified nearly 100,000 F&I professionals in dealerships across the country.
“Arden and I were a couple of farm boys who learned early that the keys to success are hard work and treating people fairly,” Robertson says.
But in the beginning, many dealers didn’t see the need for compliance training or were concerned that it would hurt production. Today, F&I and compliance are essentially one and the same. What changed?
“Two things: No. 1, there was a mechanism to do it that produced results,” he said. “No. 2, increasing regulations made compliance a more immediate concern. I see all this as a positive evolutionary trend that some have capitalized on and others have benefited from.”
In April, Robertson’s efforts and those of the rest of AFIP team — which include his wife, Linda, and son Shannon, who serve as the organization’s member benefits president and executive director, respectively — culminated in his induction as one of three charter members of the F&I Hall of Fame. “I thought it was a good thing for the industry, and I was honored to be part of it,” he says. “It spoke well to the people who received the honor, and it’s good to have a formal way to recognize people — not just us, but those who will serve the industry in the future.”
Dedication to compliance had an immediate and lasting impact on the F&I industry.
Years in industry:
1971 to present
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5 Industry Legends Join F&I Hall of Fame
Randy Hoffman
Larry Pomarico
Ronald Reahard
Kelly Price
Larry Pomarico
Ronald Reahard
Kelly Price
Terrence O'Loughlin
Randy Hoffman
“And I went to work for probably the crookedest dealer I’ve ever seen to this day,” he said. Concerned about the “less than ethical” practices he’d observed, and with the help of Steve Goble — a then-sales manager at another dealership who sold Reahard a car and remains his best friend — he found his way into a better job, starting as an F&I manager after completing World Service Life’s training program.
“And I’ve been in F&I pretty much ever since,” he said, underselling a storied career as a teacher, mentor, author and speaker whose name and that of the company he founded, Reahard & Associates, would become synonymous with the art and science of F&I training.
Reahard taught his first F&I class in 1985 and founded his company in 2001. But he never forgot the lessons imparted by his first job, pledging to always put people first — for the customer’s sake, as well as the F&I professional’s career goals and personal well-being.
“Customers will pay thousands of dollars to someone capable of informing and educating them about all the options available in connection with their purchase and helping them make an informed decision about those options,” he said. “They won’t pay anything for a sales pitch they don’t want to hear. Our company’s focus is on improving F&I managers’ ability to help customers and provide them with the knowledge, training and tools they need to do that.”
Reahard said he felt humbled by his induction into the F&I Hall of Fame and the recognition it bestowed on his company, his mentors and his role models.
“Leadership is the ability to inspire, motivate and guide people to work together toward a shared goal. It requires you to live, eat, sleep and breathe your core values. It requires a passion for what you do, a clear vision for the future, a plan to make that vision a reality, and a compelling higher purpose that motivates and inspires others to support your efforts.”
Reahard’s auto industry career began inauspiciously. It was 1975, and he was a college student who had answered a classified ad for a car salesman.
Ronald Reahard
In 2020, the pair spearheaded the creation of the F&I Providers Relief Fund for industry workers affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Within the fund’s first few months of existence, more than $500,000 had been raised and donated to more than 400 people.
“We could never have asked for a better partner, and there’s no way in the world — even with the money that we raised — we could have done what we did without her,” Wanderon said.
Those who know Price also know the relief fund is the tip of her charitable iceberg. Yet her tireless efforts on behalf of the disadvantaged are equaled by her contributions to the F&I industry. By the time she sold NAE to Portfolio in 2020, she had established herself as an industry leader, a reputation she maintains as a founding partner and CEO of Driven Capital Partners.
Asked to define leadership, Price said, “Leadership is, first and foremost, about putting people first. A great leader leads by example — demonstrating care, integrity and respect in every interaction. It’s about doing what you say you will do, treating everyone with dignity, and creating an environment where people feel valued and empowered.”
Like her fellow inductees, Price’s career has overlapped with seismic shifts in the F&I industry. She pointed to increased regulatory oversight, and consolidation of dealerships, agencies and providers, as key drivers of change and urged her colleagues to keep their eyes on the proverbial prize.
“The pressure for financial performance has intensified and, unfortunately, that has sometimes come at the cost of customer care,” she said. “Our response must be to prioritize people over profits — ensuring that our dealers, agents and customers receive the service and integrity they deserve.”
Innovation and entrepreneurship have helped define Price’s career, from her early days in retail sales and finance through her stewardship of National Automotive Experts and its signature, game-changing lifetime warranty program, Warranty Forever. But as Wanderon pointed out in his introduction, her legacy will be that of an extraordinarily giving individual.
Kelly Price
But among colleagues and industry members, he is affectionately known as “The Regulator,” a former prosecutor and accountant who led a task force for the Florida attorney general’s office that settled more than 1,600 dealer complaints totaling more than $15 million in penalties and restitution.
He then crossed over to the F&I industry, but unlike most F&I Hall of Famers, O’Loughlin didn’t get his start on a showroom floor.
“I became a receiver of a car dealership when the owner became a person of interest regarding a murder in 1989. The murderer, who had worked as a wrecker for the dealer and became his wife, was convicted in 2023,” O’Loughlin said. “This experience provided me with some understanding of car sales and financing. This responsibility developed into my role as the state’s point of contact for almost all dealer complaints for 16 years.”
That time frame saw the introduction of a “litany” of new rules and regulations that altered the F&I landscape, O’Loughlin said, listing federal and state rules restricting contact, Gramm-Leach-Bliley and Dodd-Frank, the Privacy and Safeguards rules, the establishment of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and passage of hundreds of state laws, not to mention updates and litigation relating to Truth in Lending Act and Unfair, Deceptive and Abusive Practices, among others, as examples.
Before and since joining Reynolds in 2006, O’Loughlin’s industry profile as a trusted source for all things car law has only grown. But when asked about his accomplishments during the F&I Legends panel discussion, he described his work in modest terms.
“I peddle paper documents the consumers sign on all their transactions. And what I’ve learned is to listen to dealers and people in the community, the affiliate companies, to find out what they want in these documents,” he said. “Because, as you know, there are legal requirements. There’s an awful lot of material in there that we draft that should favor one party, and that party is the party we serve, the dealer community and your community.”
The attorney by trade is among the industry’s foremost legal and compliance experts. He is the longtime director of compliance for Reynolds and Reynolds’ Document Solutions division, a prolific author and speaker and frequent interview subject.
Terrence O'Loughlin
“My thought was, I’ll do this for six months until I decided what direction I wanted to pursue for a career,” Hoffman said. “Thirty-seven-plus years later, I could and would never do anything any differently. The auto industry is the best industry in the world.”
Hoffman describes Maroone and Morse as “pioneers” who gave him the opportunity to learn and grow as the industry evolved. And evolve it did, as Hoffman led his dealerships through the advent of online research and shopping and the still-accelerating trend toward consolidation.
Adapting to a digital world and keeping pace with increasingly powerful competitors requires leadership, a quality Hoffman is known for and takes seriously.
“Leadership is the ability to influence and inspire others. True leaders revel in the success of others. That success can be different to each person. A leader will identify others’ goals, attributes, fears and abilities. That same leader will alleviate the fears, accentuate the abilities, assess his or her goals, and help them to achieve all that their life and career has to offer.”
In his introduction preceding the panel, Wanderon, a longtime friend and business partner, noted Hoffman is quick to credit others for his success.
“But he needs to look inside and see what he’s done for the organization and the industry,” he said. “I can’t tell you that there has been somebody that I have ever met that has been so open to help others in the industry that are looking for guidance, direction and opportunity.”
The COO of the Delray, Fla.-based Ed Morse Automotive Group joined the business in 1994 after breaking into the industry at what was then the nation’s largest Chevrolet dealership, part of the Mike Maroone group.
Randy Hoffman
David Robertson
Arden Hetland
Larry Dorfman
2024
Ronald
Reahard
Kelly
Price
Terrence O'Loughlin
Randy
Hoffman
Pomarico was a Denver native who earned degrees in marketing and finance from the University of Northern Colorado and joined Pat Ryan & Associates in 1987. He would advance to the position of regional vice president in charge of Colorado, Utah, Wyoming and New Mexico before leaving in 1999 to co-found his own agency, SouthWest Dealer Services, with Steve Alderson.
By the time Pomarico and Alderson sold SWDS to Acrisure, it had grown into a 400-employee, 30-state enterprise. Pomarico served as president of the combined company until his death.
Wilson met Pomarico when he joined the Pat Ryan organization in 1995. He said Pomarico exemplified leadership and adaptability as the industry changed around him.
“When Larry first opened his agency, there really was only one major public company — AutoNation — and now there are multiple public companies, along with many, many other mega-regional dealer groups. To be able to stay competitive, partnerships with your TPAs and size and breadth of your company has become a bigger part of the business.”
Wilson noted that Pomarico, the only nondealer to have been inducted into the Colorado Auto Dealer Association’s Hall of Fame, was known for his big heart and gentle spirit and always put people first, as captured by something Pomarico once wrote to Acrisure staff and that Wilson shared with the Hall of Fame panel audience.
“My preference is to simply celebrate our ‘social and economic gains we’ve achieved’ and never take them for granted. I know for me there has never been a better platform and group of people to achieve my dreams than SWDS [and the] F&I industry has provided me,” Pomarico once said. “With the blessings I and we have achieved, I also never try to forget to not only take but give back and to always remember it’s not just our ability to give back financially but with our hearts.”
The 2025 class includes the F&I Hall of Fame’s first posthumously inducted member. Pomarico died suddenly in 2021 at 65. He was represented on the panel and at the induction ceremony by close friend and colleague Bill Wilson, president of sales distribution for Acrisure Protection Group.
Larry Pomarico
“And I went to work for probably the crookedest dealer I’ve ever seen to this day,” he said. Concerned about the “less than ethical” practices he’d observed, and with the help of Steve Goble — a then-sales manager at another dealership who sold Reahard a car and remains his best friend — he found his way into a better job, starting as an F&I manager after completing World Service Life’s training program.
“And I’ve been in F&I pretty much ever since,” he said, underselling a storied career as a teacher, mentor, author and speaker whose name and that of the company he founded, Reahard & Associates, would become synonymous with the art and science of F&I training.
Reahard taught his first F&I class in 1985 and founded his company in 2001. But he never forgot the lessons imparted by his first job, pledging to always put people first — for the customer’s sake, as well as the F&I professional’s career goals and personal well-being.
“Customers will pay thousands of dollars to someone capable of informing and educating them about all the options available in connection with their purchase and helping them make an informed decision about those options,” he said. “They won’t pay anything for a sales pitch they don’t want to hear. Our company’s focus is on improving F&I managers’ ability to help customers and provide them with the knowledge, training and tools they need to do that.”
Reahard said he felt humbled by his induction into the F&I Hall of Fame and the recognition it bestowed on his company, his mentors and his role models.
“Leadership is the ability to inspire, motivate and guide people to work together toward a shared goal. It requires you to live, eat, sleep and breathe your core values. It requires a passion for what you do, a clear vision for the future, a plan to make that vision a reality, and a compelling higher purpose that motivates and inspires others to support your efforts.”
Reahard’s auto industry career began inauspiciously. It was 1975, and he was a college student who had answered a classified ad for a car salesman.
Ronald Reahard
In 2020, the pair spearheaded the creation of the F&I Providers Relief Fund for industry workers affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Within the fund’s first few months of existence, more than $500,000 had been raised and donated to more than 400 people.
“We could never have asked for a better partner, and there’s no way in the world — even with the money that we raised — we could have done what we did without her,” Wanderon said.
Those who know Price also know the relief fund is the tip of her charitable iceberg. Yet her tireless efforts on behalf of the disadvantaged are equaled by her contributions to the F&I industry. By the time she sold NAE to Portfolio in 2020, she had established herself as an industry leader, a reputation she maintains as a founding partner and CEO of Driven Capital Partners.
Asked to define leadership, Price said, “Leadership is, first and foremost, about putting people first. A great leader leads by example — demonstrating care, integrity and respect in every interaction. It’s about doing what you say you will do, treating everyone with dignity, and creating an environment where people feel valued and empowered.”
Like her fellow inductees, Price’s career has overlapped with seismic shifts in the F&I industry. She pointed to increased regulatory oversight, and consolidation of dealerships, agencies and providers, as key drivers of change and urged her colleagues to keep their eyes on the proverbial prize.
“The pressure for financial performance has intensified and, unfortunately, that has sometimes come at the cost of customer care,” she said. “Our response must be to prioritize people over profits — ensuring that our dealers, agents and customers receive the service and integrity they deserve.”
Innovation and entrepreneurship have helped define Price’s career, from her early days in retail sales and finance through her stewardship of National Automotive Experts and its signature, game-changing lifetime warranty program, Warranty Forever. But as Wanderon pointed out in his introduction, her legacy will be that of an extraordinarily giving individual.
Kelly Price
But among colleagues and industry members, he is affectionately known as “The Regulator,” a former prosecutor and accountant who led a task force for the Florida attorney general’s office that settled more than 1,600 dealer complaints totaling more than $15 million in penalties and restitution.
He then crossed over to the F&I industry, but unlike most F&I Hall of Famers, O’Loughlin didn’t get his start on a showroom floor.
“I became a receiver of a car dealership when the owner became a person of interest regarding a murder in 1989. The murderer, who had worked as a wrecker for the dealer and became his wife, was convicted in 2023,” O’Loughlin said. “This experience provided me with some understanding of car sales and financing. This responsibility developed into my role as the state’s point of contact for almost all dealer complaints for 16 years.”
That time frame saw the introduction of a “litany” of new rules and regulations that altered the F&I landscape, O’Loughlin said, listing federal and state rules restricting contact, Gramm-Leach-Bliley and Dodd-Frank, the Privacy and Safeguards rules, the establishment of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and passage of hundreds of state laws, not to mention updates and litigation relating to Truth in Lending Act and Unfair, Deceptive and Abusive Practices, among others, as examples.
Before and since joining Reynolds in 2006, O’Loughlin’s industry profile as a trusted source for all things car law has only grown. But when asked about his accomplishments during the F&I Legends panel discussion, he described his work in modest terms.
“I peddle paper documents the consumers sign on all their transactions. And what I’ve learned is to listen to dealers and people in the community, the affiliate companies, to find out what they want in these documents,” he said. “Because, as you know, there are legal requirements. There’s an awful lot of material in there that we draft that should favor one party, and that party is the party we serve, the dealer community and your community.”
The attorney by trade is among the industry’s foremost legal and compliance experts. He is the longtime director of compliance for Reynolds and Reynolds’ Document Solutions division, a prolific author and speaker and frequent interview subject.
Terrence O'Loughlin
“My thought was, I’ll do this for six months until I decided what direction I wanted to pursue for a career,” Hoffman said. “Thirty-seven-plus years later, I could and would never do anything any differently. The auto industry is the best industry in the world.”
Hoffman describes Maroone and Morse as “pioneers” who gave him the opportunity to learn and grow as the industry evolved. And evolve it did, as Hoffman led his dealerships through the advent of online research and shopping and the still-accelerating trend toward consolidation.
Adapting to a digital world and keeping pace with increasingly powerful competitors requires leadership, a quality Hoffman is known for and takes seriously.
“Leadership is the ability to influence and inspire others. True leaders revel in the success of others. That success can be different to each person. A leader will identify others’ goals, attributes, fears and abilities. That same leader will alleviate the fears, accentuate the abilities, assess his or her goals, and help them to achieve all that their life and career has to offer.”
In his introduction preceding the panel, Wanderon, a longtime friend and business partner, noted Hoffman is quick to credit others for his success.
“But he needs to look inside and see what he’s done for the organization and the industry,” he said. “I can’t tell you that there has been somebody that I have ever met that has been so open to help others in the industry that are looking for guidance, direction and opportunity.”
The COO of the Delray, Fla.-based Ed Morse Automotive Group joined the business in 1994 after breaking into the industry at what was then the nation’s largest Chevrolet dealership, part of the Mike Maroone group.
Randy Hoffman
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David Robertson
Arden Hetland
Larry Dorfman
2024
Randy
Hoffman
Terrence O'Loughlin
Kelly
Price
Ronald
Reahard
Larry
Pomarico
2025
F&I Hall of Fame archives
Guests of the 2025 Agent Summit and the co-located Ethical F&I Managers Conference honored this year’s class of the F&I Hall of Fame.
APCO Holdings CEO Tony Wanderon, who developed and co-sponsored the Hall of Fame program in partnership with BBM and hosted the induction ceremony and an “F&I Legends” panel discussion, said the hall of fame can help create the future of the segment.
“The F&I Hall of Fame is crucial in recognizing and celebrating the achievements of finance and insurance professionals who have made a lasting impact,” he said.
“It serves as a source of inspiration to others in the industry, preserving the legacy of those who have contributed to innovation, ethical leadership and the overall advancement of F&I practices. By honoring F&I trailblazers each year, the Hall of Fame encourages continuous improvement, professional excellence, and a commitment to customer service within the industry.”
In attendance was CEO Jim Ganther and his team from Mosaic Compliance Services, the program’s other co-sponsor.
“Mosaic is grateful to sponsor this initiative,” Ganther said. “On a personal level, those honored in the inaugural class last year all played a role in my development and the success of Mosaic. We stand on the shoulders of giants, and it’s a worthy effort to recognize who those giants are. We are all in their debt.”
Last year’s inaugural hall of fame class included Larry Dorfman, co-founder and former chairman of APCO Holdings, Arden Hetland, former owner and CEO of American Financial & Automotive Services, and David Robertson, founding member, owner and chairman of the Association of Finance & Insurance Professionals.
Having set a high bar, the 2025 selection committee sorted through hundreds of nominations and landed on five “giants” who made their marks in various aspects of the auto finance sector.
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Randy Hoffman
Randy Hoffman
Terrence O'Loughlin
Terrence O'Loughlin
Kelly Price
Kelly Price
Ronald Reahard
Ronald Reahard
Larry Pomarico
Larry Pomarico
“My thought was, I’ll do this for six months until I decided what direction I wanted to pursue for a career,” Hoffman said. “Thirty-seven-plus years later, I could and would never do anything any differently. The auto industry is the best industry in the world.”
Hoffman describes Maroone and Morse as “pioneers” who gave him the opportunity to learn and grow as the industry evolved. And evolve it did, as Hoffman led his dealerships through the advent of online research and shopping and the still-accelerating trend toward consolidation.
Adapting to a digital world and keeping pace with increasingly powerful competitors requires leadership, a quality Hoffman is known for and takes seriously.
“Leadership is the ability to influence and inspire others. True leaders revel in the success of others. That success can be different to each person. A leader will identify others’ goals, attributes, fears and abilities. That same leader will alleviate the fears, accentuate the abilities, assess his or her goals, and help them to achieve all that their life and career has to offer.”
In his introduction preceding the panel, Wanderon, a longtime friend and business partner, noted Hoffman is quick to credit others for his success.
“But he needs to look inside and see what he’s done for the organization and the industry,” he said. “I can’t tell you that there has been somebody that I have ever met that has been so open to help others in the industry that are looking for guidance, direction and opportunity.”
The COO of the Delray, Fla.-based Ed Morse Automotive Group joined the business in 1994 after breaking into the industry at what was then the nation’s largest Chevrolet dealership, part of the Mike Maroone group.
Randy Hoffman
But among colleagues and industry members, he is affectionately known as “The Regulator,” a former prosecutor and accountant who led a task force for the Florida attorney general’s office that settled more than 1,600 dealer complaints totaling more than $15 million in penalties and restitution.
He then crossed over to the F&I industry, but unlike most F&I Hall of Famers, O’Loughlin didn’t get his start on a showroom floor.
“I became a receiver of a car dealership when the owner became a person of interest regarding a murder in 1989. The murderer, who had worked as a wrecker for the dealer and became his wife, was convicted in 2023,” O’Loughlin said. “This experience provided me with some understanding of car sales and financing. This responsibility developed into my role as the state’s point of contact for almost all dealer complaints for 16 years.”
That time frame saw the introduction of a “litany” of new rules and regulations that altered the F&I landscape, O’Loughlin said, listing federal and state rules restricting contact, Gramm-Leach-Bliley and Dodd-Frank, the Privacy and Safeguards rules, the establishment of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and passage of hundreds of state laws, not to mention updates and litigation relating to Truth in Lending Act and Unfair, Deceptive and Abusive Practices, among others, as examples.
Before and since joining Reynolds in 2006, O’Loughlin’s industry profile as a trusted source for all things car law has only grown. But when asked about his accomplishments during the F&I Legends panel discussion, he described his work in modest terms.
“I peddle paper documents the consumers sign on all their transactions. And what I’ve learned is to listen to dealers and people in the community, the affiliate companies, to find out what they want in these documents,” he said. “Because, as you know, there are legal requirements. There’s an awful lot of material in there that we draft that should favor one party, and that party is the party we serve, the dealer community and your community.”
The attorney by trade is among the industry’s foremost legal and compliance experts. He is the longtime director of compliance for Reynolds and Reynolds’ Document Solutions division, a prolific author and speaker and frequent interview subject.
Terrence O'Loughlin
In 2020, the pair spearheaded the creation of the F&I Providers Relief Fund for industry workers affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Within the fund’s first few months of existence, more than $500,000 had been raised and donated to more than 400 people.
“We could never have asked for a better partner, and there’s no way in the world — even with the money that we raised — we could have done what we did without her,” Wanderon said.
Those who know Price also know the relief fund is the tip of her charitable iceberg. Yet her tireless efforts on behalf of the disadvantaged are equaled by her contributions to the F&I industry. By the time she sold NAE to Portfolio in 2020, she had established herself as an industry leader, a reputation she maintains as a founding partner and CEO of Driven Capital Partners.
Asked to define leadership, Price said, “Leadership is, first and foremost, about putting people first. A great leader leads by example — demonstrating care, integrity and respect in every interaction. It’s about doing what you say you will do, treating everyone with dignity, and creating an environment where people feel valued and empowered.”
Like her fellow inductees, Price’s career has overlapped with seismic shifts in the F&I industry. She pointed to increased regulatory oversight, and consolidation of dealerships, agencies and providers, as key drivers of change and urged her colleagues to keep their eyes on the proverbial prize.
“The pressure for financial performance has intensified and, unfortunately, that has sometimes come at the cost of customer care,” she said. “Our response must be to prioritize people over profits — ensuring that our dealers, agents and customers receive the service and integrity they deserve.”
Innovation and entrepreneurship have helped define Price’s career, from her early days in retail sales and finance through her stewardship of National Automotive Experts and its signature, game-changing lifetime warranty program, Warranty Forever. But as Wanderon pointed out in his introduction, her legacy will be that of an extraordinarily giving individual.
Kelly Price
“And I went to work for probably the crookedest dealer I’ve ever seen to this day,” he said. Concerned about the “less than ethical” practices he’d observed, and with the help of Steve Goble — a then-sales manager at another dealership who sold Reahard a car and remains his best friend — he found his way into a better job, starting as an F&I manager after completing World Service Life’s training program.
“And I’ve been in F&I pretty much ever since,” he said, underselling a storied career as a teacher, mentor, author and speaker whose name and that of the company he founded, Reahard & Associates, would become synonymous with the art and science of F&I training.
Reahard taught his first F&I class in 1985 and founded his company in 2001. But he never forgot the lessons imparted by his first job, pledging to always put people first — for the customer’s sake, as well as the F&I professional’s career goals and personal well-being.
“Customers will pay thousands of dollars to someone capable of informing and educating them about all the options available in connection with their purchase and helping them make an informed decision about those options,” he said. “They won’t pay anything for a sales pitch they don’t want to hear. Our company’s focus is on improving F&I managers’ ability to help customers and provide them with the knowledge, training and tools they need to do that.”
Reahard said he felt humbled by his induction into the F&I Hall of Fame and the recognition it bestowed on his company, his mentors and his role models.
“Leadership is the ability to inspire, motivate and guide people to work together toward a shared goal. It requires you to live, eat, sleep and breathe your core values. It requires a passion for what you do, a clear vision for the future, a plan to make that vision a reality, and a compelling higher purpose that motivates and inspires others to support your efforts.”
Reahard’s auto industry career began inauspiciously. It was 1975, and he was a college student who had answered a classified ad for a car salesman.
Ronald Reahard
Pomarico was a Denver native who earned degrees in marketing and finance from the University of Northern Colorado and joined Pat Ryan & Associates in 1987. He would advance to the position of regional vice president in charge of Colorado, Utah, Wyoming and New Mexico before leaving in 1999 to co-found his own agency, SouthWest Dealer Services, with Steve Alderson.
By the time Pomarico and Alderson sold SWDS to Acrisure, it had grown into a 400-employee, 30-state enterprise. Pomarico served as president of the combined company until his death.
Wilson met Pomarico when he joined the Pat Ryan organization in 1995. He said Pomarico exemplified leadership and adaptability as the industry changed around him.
“When Larry first opened his agency, there really was only one major public company — AutoNation — and now there are multiple public companies, along with many, many other mega-regional dealer groups. To be able to stay competitive, partnerships with your TPAs and size and breadth of your company has become a bigger part of the business.”
Wilson noted that Pomarico, the only nondealer to have been inducted into the Colorado Auto Dealer Association’s Hall of Fame, was known for his big heart and gentle spirit and always put people first, as captured by something Pomarico once wrote to Acrisure staff and that Wilson shared with the Hall of Fame panel audience.
“My preference is to simply celebrate our ‘social and economic gains we’ve achieved’ and never take them for granted. I know for me there has never been a better platform and group of people to achieve my dreams than SWDS [and the] F&I industry has provided me,” Pomarico once said. “With the blessings I and we have achieved, I also never try to forget to not only take but give back and to always remember it’s not just our ability to give back financially but with our hearts.”
The 2025 class includes the F&I Hall of Fame’s first posthumously inducted member. Pomarico died suddenly in 2021 at 65. He was represented on the panel and at the induction ceremony by close friend and colleague Bill Wilson, president of sales distribution for Acrisure Protection Group.
Larry Pomarico
The second annual induction recognized luminaries who helped advance F&I training, production, compliance, agency-building and product development.
5 Industry Legends Join F&I Hall of Fame
F&I Hall of Fame
Welcome to the
By Tariq Kamal
By Tariq Kamal
David Robertson
Legacy:
Creating and championing a compliance-based approach to F&I training and product sales
Known as:
A founding member, owner and chairman of the Association of Finance & Insurance Professionals
With hard work, determination and longevity, many of those who dedicate their lives and careers to the auto industry will earn a certain level of esteem among their peers: instant name recognition and a widely held appreciation for their unique contributions.
David Robertson reached that level many years ago. But he didn’t stop there. As a founding member and now owner and chairman of the Forth Worth, Texas-based Association of Finance & Insurance Professionals, Robertson is known within and without the F&I world as an advocate for statutory and regulatory compliance, an expert witness and ass a TV and radio show guest.
Robertson started his career on the sales floor in 1971 after serving as a first lieutenant in the U.S. Army in the Vietnam War and graduating from Fort Lewis (Colo.) College with a degree in business administration. He also holds an MBA from Northwood University.
“I go back far enough to before Regulation Z was even implemented. There were no rules,” he says. “As the industry progressed, and the laws became more stringent, more precise and more tightly controlled, some of us said maybe we’d better do something more formal.”
To that end, Robertson was invited — along with fellow F&I Hall of Fame inductee Arden Hetland — to join the team that would launch AFIP in 1989. Originally conceived in partnership with and to the benefit of General Motors Acceptance Corp., Ford Motor Credit and the Hendricks Automotive Group, AFIP has since certified nearly 100,000 F&I professionals in dealerships across the country.
“Arden and I were a couple of farm boys who learned early that the keys to success are hard work and treating people fairly,” Robertson says.
But in the beginning, many dealers didn’t see the need for compliance training or were concerned that it would hurt production. Today, F&I and compliance are essentially one and the same. What changed?
“Two things: No. 1, there was a mechanism to do it that produced results,” he said. “No. 2, increasing regulations made compliance a more immediate concern. I see all this as a positive evolutionary trend that some have capitalized on and others have benefited from.”
In April, Robertson’s efforts and those of the rest of AFIP team — which include his wife, Linda, and son Shannon, who serve as the organization’s member benefits president and executive director, respectively — culminated in his induction as one of three charter members of the F&I Hall of Fame. “I thought it was a good thing for the industry, and I was honored to be part of it,” he says. “It spoke well to the people who received the honor, and it’s good to have a formal way to recognize people — not just us, but those who will serve the industry in the future.”
Dedication to compliance had an immediate and lasting impact on the F&I industry.
Years in industry:
1971 to present
Legacy:
Dedication to professionalism, ethics and compliance; innovation in team-building and F&I training
Known as:
Former owner and CEO of American Financial & Automotive Systems
Years in industry:
1976 to 2022
By Tariq Kamal
When then-owner and CEO Arden Hetland sold American Financial & Automotive Services to Assurant in 2020, he was proud to note that, in an industry known for rapid turnover at every level, American Financial’s roster was filled with long-tenured professionals.
“We had so many people that were 25- or 30-year associates, some of whom were close to retirement, and a lot at the 15- to 20-year level,” Hetland says. “Very seldom did we have to have a termination. If you joined our company, everyone knew that if you lied to a dealer, it was grounds for immediate termination.”
Hetland says he believes professionalism and ethics were critical to the success of The Woodlands, Texas-based American Financial — a leading F&I product and training provider that lives on as Assurant Dealer Services — as well as the growth and maturation of the industry as a whole.
But he also lived and worked through the “Wild, Wild West” years of the F&I industry, a sector reputation Hetland has fought hard to change. But he did so quietly. Those who know Hetland describe him as humble and soft-spoken, a welcome aberration in an industry filled with big voices.
“I think it’s just the way I was brought up,” Hetland says of his low-key character, noting his North Dakota farming community upbringing. He earned a geology degree from North Dakota State, hoping to join the U.S. Forest Service as a hydrologist. But he needed a master’s degree to qualify, so he took a sales job at an auto dealership while he figured out his next steps.
“I was fortunate to work with a general manager who provided exceptional training and who knew you don’t have to slam customers to sell cars.”
Hetland stuck to that principle as his career advanced. Along the way, he became a founding member of the Association of Finance & Insurance Professionals and launched the now nationally recognized Automotive Training Academy, originally called F&I University.
Throughout his long career, Hetland says he enjoyed the unwavering support of Donna, his wife and high school sweetheart, their daughters, Laura and Kristen, and their six grandchildren.
Today, he is part of the charter class of the F&I Hall of Fame.
“It was very, very humbling to me, to receive that honor,” he says. “It’s just amazing. Because I love the industry so much. It makes me very proud to be part of it, and I always have been.”
Hetland joins the charter class of the F&I Hall of Fame following a long career built on a foundation of professionalism.
Arden Hetland
Years in industry:
1976 to 2022
Legacy:
Building a people-first F&I product provider and administrator; investing in technology; and connecting variable and fixed operations
Known as:
Co-founder and former chairman of APCO Holdings
Years in industry:
1984 to 2019
By Tariq Kamal
In Atlanta, Larry Dorfman is known as a co-founder of and active partner in Roots, a community-focused investment fund that gives renters an opportunity to invest and build equity in the real estate market.
To his colleagues in the F&I industry, Dorfman is better known as co-founder with wife, Cathy, of APCO Holdings, a leading product provider and administrator, owner of the EasyCare and GWC Warranty brands, home to hundreds of full-time associates, and partner to thousands of agents, dealers and customers.
What do Roots and APCO have in common? They put people first, Dorfman says, and he believes that is the key to success in any endeavor. He notes that when the Dorfmans started their business in 1984, F&I was not a new concept but was still taking shape.
“Pat Ryan built it first. Then there were 40 copies out there, putting out product. We wanted to make sure we delivered fast, effective claims. We were never the cheapest, nor did we try to be,” Dorfman says, crediting longtime APCO executive Mike Curran with bringing a passionate customer service ethos and a strong analytical approach to the business.
“He ran the whole claims operation and more. He was fanatic about claims response times — how long it took to get to a live adjuster — and got it down to 23 seconds. Get the stats, get the information, drive the KPIs that show we execute what we promise.”
As his company grew over his 35 years at the helm, Dorfman continued to develop and invest in new ways to solve old problems. EasyCare was among the first F&I providers to offer a mobile solution designed to create a service experience tied to the products dealers offer.
“We weren’t a tech company. But we built or sought out technology that could drive our information, our data, our claims handling,” he says. “You don’t have to be on the leading edge, but you cannot get behind the curve. You have to be able to adapt your business around the technology designed to make it better.”
But Dorfman never strayed too far from his roots. In 2018, he spent 200 days in the field, mostly in dealerships, supporting agents. “Agents who came to our organization did so because we’re agent-focused. Ask them what APCO is like.”
Dorfman says he is proud to be part of the F&I Hall of Fame’s first class. However, he insists any recognition should be shared with Cathy and every other member, past and present, of their team.
“As a group, we had an impact. We determined things had to be done a certain way. This honor belongs to all of them.”
As founder and longtime leader of APCO Holdings — and in retirement — F&I Hall of Famer has found success by putting people first.
Larry Dorfman
“My thought was, I’ll do this for six months until I decided what direction I wanted to pursue for a career,” Hoffman said. “Thirty-seven-plus years later, I could and would never do anything any differently. The auto industry is the best industry in the world.”
Hoffman describes Maroone and Morse as “pioneers” who gave him the opportunity to learn and grow as the industry evolved. And evolve it did, as Hoffman led his dealerships through the advent of online research and shopping and the still-accelerating trend toward consolidation.
Adapting to a digital world and keeping pace with increasingly powerful competitors requires leadership, a quality Hoffman is known for and takes seriously.
“Leadership is the ability to influence and inspire others. True leaders revel in the success of others. That success can be different to each person. A leader will identify others’ goals, attributes, fears and abilities. That same leader will alleviate the fears, accentuate the abilities, assess his or her goals, and help them to achieve all that their life and career has to offer.”
In his introduction preceding the panel, Wanderon, a longtime friend and business partner, noted Hoffman is quick to credit others for his success.
“But he needs to look inside and see what he’s done for the organization and the industry,” he said. “I can’t tell you that there has been somebody that I have ever met that has been so open to help others in the industry that are looking for guidance, direction and opportunity.”
The COO of the Delray, Fla.-based Ed Morse Automotive Group joined the business in 1994 after breaking into the industry at what was then the nation’s largest Chevrolet dealership, part of the Mike Maroone group.
Randy Hoffman
But among colleagues and industry members, he is affectionately known as “The Regulator,” a former prosecutor and accountant who led a task force for the Florida attorney general’s office that settled more than 1,600 dealer complaints totaling more than $15 million in penalties and restitution.
He then crossed over to the F&I industry, but unlike most F&I Hall of Famers, O’Loughlin didn’t get his start on a showroom floor.
“I became a receiver of a car dealership when the owner became a person of interest regarding a murder in 1989. The murderer, who had worked as a wrecker for the dealer and became his wife, was convicted in 2023,” O’Loughlin said. “This experience provided me with some understanding of car sales and financing. This responsibility developed into my role as the state’s point of contact for almost all dealer complaints for 16 years.”
That time frame saw the introduction of a “litany” of new rules and regulations that altered the F&I landscape, O’Loughlin said, listing federal and state rules restricting contact, Gramm-Leach-Bliley and Dodd-Frank, the Privacy and Safeguards rules, the establishment of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and passage of hundreds of state laws, not to mention updates and litigation relating to Truth in Lending Act and Unfair, Deceptive and Abusive Practices, among others, as examples.
Before and since joining Reynolds in 2006, O’Loughlin’s industry profile as a trusted source for all things car law has only grown. But when asked about his accomplishments during the F&I Legends panel discussion, he described his work in modest terms.
“I peddle paper documents the consumers sign on all their transactions. And what I’ve learned is to listen to dealers and people in the community, the affiliate companies, to find out what they want in these documents,” he said. “Because, as you know, there are legal requirements. There’s an awful lot of material in there that we draft that should favor one party, and that party is the party we serve, the dealer community and your community.”
The attorney by trade is among the industry’s foremost legal and compliance experts. He is the longtime director of compliance for Reynolds and Reynolds’ Document Solutions division, a prolific author and speaker and frequent interview subject.
Terrence O'Loughlin
In 2020, the pair spearheaded the creation of the F&I Providers Relief Fund for industry workers affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Within the fund’s first few months of existence, more than $500,000 had been raised and donated to more than 400 people.
“We could never have asked for a better partner, and there’s no way in the world — even with the money that we raised — we could have done what we did without her,” Wanderon said.
Those who know Price also know the relief fund is the tip of her charitable iceberg. Yet her tireless efforts on behalf of the disadvantaged are equaled by her contributions to the F&I industry. By the time she sold NAE to Portfolio in 2020, she had established herself as an industry leader, a reputation she maintains as a founding partner and CEO of Driven Capital Partners.
Asked to define leadership, Price said, “Leadership is, first and foremost, about putting people first. A great leader leads by example — demonstrating care, integrity and respect in every interaction. It’s about doing what you say you will do, treating everyone with dignity, and creating an environment where people feel valued and empowered.”
Like her fellow inductees, Price’s career has overlapped with seismic shifts in the F&I industry. She pointed to increased regulatory oversight, and consolidation of dealerships, agencies and providers, as key drivers of change and urged her colleagues to keep their eyes on the proverbial prize.
“The pressure for financial performance has intensified and, unfortunately, that has sometimes come at the cost of customer care,” she said. “Our response must be to prioritize people over profits — ensuring that our dealers, agents and customers receive the service and integrity they deserve.”
Innovation and entrepreneurship have helped define Price’s career, from her early days in retail sales and finance through her stewardship of National Automotive Experts and its signature, game-changing lifetime warranty program, Warranty Forever. But as Wanderon pointed out in his introduction, her legacy will be that of an extraordinarily giving individual.
Kelly Price
“And I went to work for probably the crookedest dealer I’ve ever seen to this day,” he said. Concerned about the “less than ethical” practices he’d observed, and with the help of Steve Goble — a then-sales manager at another dealership who sold Reahard a car and remains his best friend — he found his way into a better job, starting as an F&I manager after completing World Service Life’s training program.
“And I’ve been in F&I pretty much ever since,” he said, underselling a storied career as a teacher, mentor, author and speaker whose name and that of the company he founded, Reahard & Associates, would become synonymous with the art and science of F&I training.
Reahard taught his first F&I class in 1985 and founded his company in 2001. But he never forgot the lessons imparted by his first job, pledging to always put people first — for the customer’s sake, as well as the F&I professional’s career goals and personal well-being.
“Customers will pay thousands of dollars to someone capable of informing and educating them about all the options available in connection with their purchase and helping them make an informed decision about those options,” he said. “They won’t pay anything for a sales pitch they don’t want to hear. Our company’s focus is on improving F&I managers’ ability to help customers and provide them with the knowledge, training and tools they need to do that.”
Reahard said he felt humbled by his induction into the F&I Hall of Fame and the recognition it bestowed on his company, his mentors and his role models.
“Leadership is the ability to inspire, motivate and guide people to work together toward a shared goal. It requires you to live, eat, sleep and breathe your core values. It requires a passion for what you do, a clear vision for the future, a plan to make that vision a reality, and a compelling higher purpose that motivates and inspires others to support your efforts.”
Reahard’s auto industry career began inauspiciously. It was 1975, and he was a college student who had answered a classified ad for a car salesman.
Ronald Reahard
Pomarico was a Denver native who earned degrees in marketing and finance from the University of Northern Colorado and joined Pat Ryan & Associates in 1987. He would advance to the position of regional vice president in charge of Colorado, Utah, Wyoming and New Mexico before leaving in 1999 to co-found his own agency, SouthWest Dealer Services, with Steve Alderson.
By the time Pomarico and Alderson sold SWDS to Acrisure, it had grown into a 400-employee, 30-state enterprise. Pomarico served as president of the combined company until his death.
Wilson met Pomarico when he joined the Pat Ryan organization in 1995. He said Pomarico exemplified leadership and adaptability as the industry changed around him.
“When Larry first opened his agency, there really was only one major public company — AutoNation — and now there are multiple public companies, along with many, many other mega-regional dealer groups. To be able to stay competitive, partnerships with your TPAs and size and breadth of your company has become a bigger part of the business.”
Wilson noted that Pomarico, the only nondealer to have been inducted into the Colorado Auto Dealer Association’s Hall of Fame, was known for his big heart and gentle spirit and always put people first, as captured by something Pomarico once wrote to Acrisure staff and that Wilson shared with the Hall of Fame panel audience.
“My preference is to simply celebrate our ‘social and economic gains we’ve achieved’ and never take them for granted. I know for me there has never been a better platform and group of people to achieve my dreams than SWDS [and the] F&I industry has provided me,” Pomarico once said. “With the blessings I and we have achieved, I also never try to forget to not only take but give back and to always remember it’s not just our ability to give back financially but with our hearts.”
The 2025 class includes the F&I Hall of Fame’s first posthumously inducted member. Pomarico died suddenly in 2021 at 65. He was represented on the panel and at the induction ceremony by close friend and colleague Bill Wilson, president of sales distribution for Acrisure Protection Group.
Larry Pomarico
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Mosaic Compliance Services
We're compliance experts, so you don't have to be. Mosaic Compliance Services was founded in 2006 by automotive attorneys who saw the need to make compliance more approachable and effective for dealerships. Today, Mosaic is a leading provider of compliance solutions for dealers. Serving over 150,000 active users, we help dealerships across the country implement compliance systems that are defensible and insurable. As a result, our web-based compliance training has received the Dealers’ Choice Diamond Award nine years in a row, including 2024. We're delighted to support the F&I Hall of Fame, and we look forward to serving you!
Since 1984, EasyCare has been helping some of the most successful dealerships in the nation drive results in their stores with a full suite of F&I products, forward-thinking training, dealership development, consultative participation programs, and a best-in-class claims experience. EasyCare has the only F&I products named a “MotorTrend Recommended Best Buy” for franchised dealers and has an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau. EasyCare is part of the APCO Holdings, LLC, family of brands, which has protected over 24 million customers and paid over $3.7 billion in claims. For more information about EasyCare, please visit easycare.com.
Industry members were encouraged to submit nominations for the F&I Hall of Fame. Criteria included:
Best of the Best
Career longevity and consistency
Community and societal impact
Regulatory and policy influence
Educational and mentorship contributions
Ethics and integrity
Leadership and vision
Innovation and impact
Career longevity and consistency
Community and societal impact
Regulatory and policy influence
Educational and mentorship contributions
Ethics and integrity
Leadership and vision
Innovation and impact
Starting with a conversation between Wanderon and Gesualdo, longtime publisher of “F&I and Showroom,” the hall of fame fills what Wanderon saw as a recognition gap. Noting that every established industry he was aware of had a hall of fame, Wanderon recalls, “I said it would probably be nice if we could start recognizing people for the things they’ve done.”
Gesualdo agreed and asked Wanderon to serve as committee chairman. They hammered out criteria, set up a webpage to accept nominations, and put the word out via Bobit Business Media newsletters, emails and magazines. Gesualdo said he kept the company’s late founder, Ed Bobit, in mind as the selection process unfolded.
“I told Tony and Ron we had to be very selective, to only pick people who are no-brainers, true visionaries who saw where we as an industry needed to be, even when it wasn’t clear to the people around them,” Gesualdo says.
Stalwarts and Visionaries
THANK YOU SPONSORS
David Robertson
Arden Hetland
Larry Dorfman
2024
F&I Hall of Fame archives
In March, industry members were encouraged to submit nominations for the F&I Hall of Fame. Criteria included:
Best of the Best
Career longevity and consistency
Community and societal impact
Regulatory and policy influence
Educational and mentorship contributions
Ethics and integrity
Leadership and vision
Innovation and impact
Career longevity and consistency
Community and societal impact
Regulatory and policy influence
Educational and mentorship contributions
Ethics and integrity
Leadership and vision
Innovation and impact
With the inaugural F&I Hall of Fame class in the record books, Wanderon looks forward to honoring more pillars of the industry in the years to come. The next class will be inducted at Agent Summit 2025, scheduled for March 2 to March 5 at Caesars Palace Las Vegas.
“… A lot of people were very happy we acknowledged the people who were up there,” Wanderon says. “They like that we’re taking steps to look at people and the contributions they’ve made to the industry.”
Gesualdo notes that a number of Agent Summit guests told him the ceremony was the highlight of the event and expressed eagerness to nominate their associates for future classes. All seemed to appreciate having a framework in place to recognize those who have helped a relatively young industry grow and mature.
He also credits Wanderon with turning the concept into reality by doing the work of nailing down the nomination process and criteria, as well as a workable, albeit compressed, timeline.
“Tony put his heart and soul into this. Some people want to start something and just be the figurehead. He took the initiative and did a great job,” Gesualdo says. “In the end, we accomplished the goal of electing a class of people who have been doing it right from the very beginning.”
Future Plans
Wanderon believes induction into the F&I Hall of Fame should be based not just on what one has done in the industry but for the industry — in a word, “impact.” The first class exemplifies that criterion, among many others.
Dorfman founded APCO — which includes the EasyCare and GWC Warranty brands, among others — with his wife, Cathy, in 1984. The Norcross, Ga.-based company grew into one of the biggest and best-regarded F&I product, service and technology providers the industry is likely to ever see. Dorfman served as APCO’s chief executive and innovator for the first 30-plus years of its existence.
“Larry has always been one of those people who can knock down walls. He cares about people tremendously — employees, clients, customers. And he still has a big voice in the market,” Wanderon says. “He is one of the best salespeople and relationship-builders I’ve ever seen. Larry is driven to take care of people as well as anyone I’ve met.” Gesualdo agrees, describing Dorfman as “all heart, more than people who don’t know him may realize.” As an example, he points to The Best Training Day Ever, a “legendary” series of events featuring many of the industry’s best and brightest trainers. Dorfman brought it to Industry Summit in 2017 and offered free admission to the F&I professionals, agents and executives who attended.
“Larry really believed in the rising tide theory. It was about providing the best experience possible so more people would do it and benefit from it, even if that meant offering training to people he didn’t do business with,” Gesualdo says. “He put his money where his mouth is. He invested in new ideas and new technology. He never took his foot off the gas.”
Hetland founded and served as CEO of American Financial & Automotive Services. Based in The Woodlands, Texas, American Financial and its Automotive Training Academy were acquired by Assurant in 2020.
Hetland didn’t invent the concept of F&I training, but Gesualdo and many other of his peers credit him with making training and compliance intrinsic elements of a successful program, noting he was among the founding members, with Robertson, of the Association of Finance & Insurance Professionals.
“I always saw Arden as someone who, whether you agreed with him or not, you knew he was doing what he thought was best for the industry,” Gesualdo says. “Even when no one would have known or faulted him for taking the low road, he still took the high road. As a result, he slowly but surely took F&I to a whole new level.”
Gesualdo describes Hetland as “a man of few words” and a “calm force.” That sentiment is echoed by Wanderon, who believes Hetland’s demeanor helped him drive a new way of doing business that dealers and partners embraced. “He is humble, soft-spoken, doesn’t have heightened emotions, up or down,” Wanderon says. “Very professional, very driven, but very respectful and appreciative of where he was able to get to in the industry.”
Robertson had already forged an impressive F&I resume by the time he joined the team that founded AFIP in 1989. He started in sales, then moved to finance, for two Colorado franchised dealerships before serving in executive positions with World Service Life Insurance Co. and Warrantech Corp. He also founded and owned Dealer Based Services and Member Benefits Services.
But Robertson’s legacy will almost certainly be defined by his unerring dedication to compliance.
“Dave was the first one who really brought a full compliance and regulation thought process to the industry,” Wanderon says. “Everybody has great ideas and great thoughts. It’s a matter of executing, fighting through the battles to get people onboard with something new and different. Many dealers didn’t want that kind of training. They feared it would reduce profits.” Robertson would forge an enduring partnership with Bobit, spreading the gospel of compliance through publications and events. In one of their first meetings, Gesualdo recalls, Ed Bobit raised the question on everyone’s minds: Will compliance affect profitability?
“Dave said that, ultimately, it will benefit them. He knew something that few others knew but has proven to be correct: If you do things the right way, we all end up making more money in the long run. And that was a tough road, I’m sure.”
The 2024 Class
Starting with a conversation between Wanderon and Gesualdo, longtime publisher of “F&I and Showroom,” the hall of fame fills what Wanderon saw as a recognition gap. Noting that every established industry he was aware of had a hall of fame, Wanderon recalls, “I said it would probably be nice if we could start recognizing people for the things they’ve done.”
Gesualdo agreed and asked Wanderon to serve as committee chairman. They hammered out criteria, set up a webpage to accept nominations, and put the word out via Bobit newsletters, emails and magazines. Gesualdo said he kept the company’s late founder, Ed Bobit, in mind as the selection process unfolded.
“I told Tony and Ron we had to be very selective, to only pick people who are no-brainers, true visionaries who saw where we as an industry needed to be, even when it wasn’t clear to the people around them,” Gesualdo says. “I know Ed Bobit would have absolutely been pleased with the three inductees. I know how he felt about those guys.”
“I think it’s an outstanding charter class,” Reahard says. “I feel those people who were nominated and inducted deserve to be there. They have made a major impact on our industry and made it much better.”
In the end, four inductees were decided on and notified — the fourth being Pat Ryan, the legendary founder of Pat Ryan & Associates who is considered by Wanderon and many others to be the “godfather of F&I.”
“He made a decision he wasn’t going to be able to come. It was a long shot. Clearly, he’s elevated himself beyond F&I,” Wanderon says. “No matter. He was talked about and will continue to be, even if he’s not physically there.”
Stalwarts and Visionaries
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Guests of the 14th annual Agent Summit filled a ballroom in April at the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas for a special ceremony: the induction of three longtime industry executives and leaders as the inaugural group of Bobit Dealer Group’s newly formed F&I Hall of Fame.
Larry Dorfman, Arden Hetland and David Robertson stood out among the plethora of nominees that poured in when Bobit put out its call earlier this year.
The ceremony honoring the men was hosted by Tony Wanderon, CEO of APCO Holdings, who posed the idea of a sector hall of fame to Bobit Dealer Group President David Gesualdo. Wanderon, who served as chairman of the hall of fame selection committee, was joined by co-host and committee member Ron Reahard, founder and president of Reahard & Associates.
Start to finish, the ceremony lasted only about 20 minutes, as the inductees gave brief but gracious acceptance speeches and received trophies. Not long, but appropriate for an industry that rewards efficiency, productivity and professionalism — thanks in no small part to the groundwork laid by the honorees.
“All three have different characteristics, supporting different parts of the industry, but all three have made contributions unseen by many,” Wanderon says. “To explain those things and how they got there rewards them and educates us.”
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David Robertson
By Tariq Kamal
In Atlanta, Larry Dorfman is known as a co-founder of and active partner in Roots, a community-focused investment fund that gives renters an opportunity to invest and build equity in the real estate market.
To his colleagues in the F&I industry, Dorfman is better known as co-founder with wife, Cathy, of APCO Holdings, a leading product provider and administrator, owner of the EasyCare and GWC Warranty brands, home to hundreds of full-time associates, and partner to thousands of agents, dealers and customers.
What do Roots and APCO have in common? They put people first, Dorfman says, and he believes that is the key to success in any endeavor. He notes that when the Dorfmans started their business in 1984, F&I was not a new concept but was still taking shape.
“Pat Ryan built it first. Then there were 40 copies out there, putting out product. We wanted to make sure we delivered fast, effective claims. We were never the cheapest, nor did we try to be,” Dorfman says, crediting longtime APCO executive Mike Curran with bringing a passionate customer service ethos and a strong analytical approach to the business.
“He ran the whole claims operation and more. He was fanatic about claims response times — how long it took to get to a live adjuster — and got it down to 23 seconds. Get the stats, get the information, drive the KPIs that show we execute what we promise.”
As his company grew over his 35 years at the helm, Dorfman continued to develop and invest in new ways to solve old problems. EasyCare was among the first F&I providers to offer a mobile solution designed to create a service experience tied to the products dealers offer.
“We weren’t a tech company. But we built or sought out technology that could drive our information, our data, our claims handling,” he says. “You don’t have to be on the leading edge, but you cannot get behind the curve. You have to be able to adapt your business around the technology designed to make it better.”
But Dorfman never strayed too far from his roots. In 2018, he spent 200 days in the field, mostly in dealerships, supporting agents. “Agents who came to our organization did so because we’re agent-focused. Ask them what APCO is like.”
Dorfman says he is proud to be part of the F&I Hall of Fame’s first class. However, he insists any recognition should be shared with Cathy and every other member, past and present, of their team.
“As a group, we had an impact. We determined things had to be done a certain way. This honor belongs to all of them.”
As founder and longtime leader of APCO Holdings — and in retirement — F&I Hall of Famer has found success by putting people first.
Larry Dorfman
Larry Dorfman, Arden Hetland and David Robertson were recently inducted as the first class of Bobit Dealer Group best-of-the-best.
F&I Hall of Fame
Welcome to the
By Tariq Kamal
By Tariq Kamal
David Robertson
Legacy:
Creating and championing a compliance-based approach to F&I training and product sales
Known as:
A founding member, owner and chairman of the Association of Finance & Insurance Professionals
With hard work, determination and longevity, many of those who dedicate their lives and careers to the auto industry will earn a certain level of esteem among their peers: instant name recognition and a widely held appreciation for their unique contributions.
David Robertson reached that level many years ago. But he didn’t stop there. As a founding member and now owner and chairman of the Forth Worth, Texas-based Association of Finance & Insurance Professionals, Robertson is known within and without the F&I world as an advocate for statutory and regulatory compliance, an expert witness and ass a TV and radio show guest.
Robertson started his career on the sales floor in 1971 after serving as a first lieutenant in the U.S. Army in the Vietnam War and graduating from Fort Lewis (Colo.) College with a degree in business administration. He also holds an MBA from Northwood University.
“I go back far enough to before Regulation Z was even implemented. There were no rules,” he says. “As the industry progressed, and the laws became more stringent, more precise and more tightly controlled, some of us said maybe we’d better do something more formal.”
To that end, Robertson was invited — along with fellow F&I Hall of Fame inductee Arden Hetland — to join the team that would launch AFIP in 1989. Originally conceived in partnership with and to the benefit of General Motors Acceptance Corp., Ford Motor Credit and the Hendricks Automotive Group, AFIP has since certified nearly 100,000 F&I professionals in dealerships across the country.
“Arden and I were a couple of farm boys who learned early that the keys to success are hard work and treating people fairly,” Robertson says.
But in the beginning, many dealers didn’t see the need for compliance training or were concerned that it would hurt production. Today, F&I and compliance are essentially one and the same. What changed?
“Two things: No. 1, there was a mechanism to do it that produced results,” he said. “No. 2, increasing regulations made compliance a more immediate concern. I see all this as a positive evolutionary trend that some have capitalized on and others have benefited from.”
In April, Robertson’s efforts and those of the rest of AFIP team — which include his wife, Linda, and son Shannon, who serve as the organization’s member benefits president and executive director, respectively — culminated in his induction as one of three charter members of the F&I Hall of Fame. “I thought it was a good thing for the industry, and I was honored to be part of it,” he says. “It spoke well to the people who received the honor, and it’s good to have a formal way to recognize people — not just us, but those who will serve the industry in the future.”
Dedication to compliance had an immediate and lasting impact on the F&I industry.
Years in industry:
1971 to present
Legacy:
Dedication to professionalism, ethics and compliance; innovation in team-building and F&I training
Known as:
Former owner and CEO of American Financial & Automotive Systems
Years in industry:
1976 to 2022
By Tariq Kamal
When then-owner and CEO Arden Hetland sold American Financial & Automotive Services to Assurant in 2020, he was proud to note that, in an industry known for rapid turnover at every level, American Financial’s roster was filled with long-tenured professionals.
“We had so many people that were 25- or 30-year associates, some of whom were close to retirement, and a lot at the 15- to 20-year level,” Hetland says. “Very seldom did we have to have a termination. If you joined our company, everyone knew that if you lied to a dealer, it was grounds for immediate termination.”
Hetland says he believes professionalism and ethics were critical to the success of The Woodlands, Texas-based American Financial — a leading F&I product and training provider that lives on as Assurant Dealer Services — as well as the growth and maturation of the industry as a whole.
But he also lived and worked through the “Wild, Wild West” years of the F&I industry, a sector reputation Hetland has fought hard to change. But he did so quietly. Those who know Hetland describe him as humble and soft-spoken, a welcome aberration in an industry filled with big voices.
“I think it’s just the way I was brought up,” Hetland says of his low-key character, noting his North Dakota farming community upbringing. He earned a geology degree from North Dakota State, hoping to join the U.S. Forest Service as a hydrologist. But he needed a master’s degree to qualify, so he took a sales job at an auto dealership while he figured out his next steps.
“I was fortunate to work with a general manager who provided exceptional training and who knew you don’t have to slam customers to sell cars.”
Hetland stuck to that principle as his career advanced. Along the way, he became a founding member of the Association of Finance & Insurance Professionals and launched the now nationally recognized Automotive Training Academy, originally called F&I University.
Throughout his long career, Hetland says he enjoyed the unwavering support of Donna, his wife and high school sweetheart, their daughters, Laura and Kristen, and their six grandchildren.
Today, he is part of the charter class of the F&I Hall of Fame.
“It was very, very humbling to me, to receive that honor,” he says. “It’s just amazing. Because I love the industry so much. It makes me very proud to be part of it, and I always have been.”
Hetland joins the charter class of the F&I Hall of Fame following a long career built on a foundation of professionalism.
Arden Hetland
Years in industry:
1976 to 2022
Legacy:
Building a people-first F&I product provider and administrator; investing in technology; and connecting variable and fixed operations
Known as:
Co-founder and former chairman of APCO Holdings
Years in industry:
1984 to 2019
By Tariq Kamal
In Atlanta, Larry Dorfman is known as a co-founder of and active partner in Roots, a community-focused investment fund that gives renters an opportunity to invest and build equity in the real estate market.
To his colleagues in the F&I industry, Dorfman is better known as co-founder with wife, Cathy, of APCO Holdings, a leading product provider and administrator, owner of the EasyCare and GWC Warranty brands, home to hundreds of full-time associates, and partner to thousands of agents, dealers and customers.
What do Roots and APCO have in common? They put people first, Dorfman says, and he believes that is the key to success in any endeavor. He notes that when the Dorfmans started their business in 1984, F&I was not a new concept but was still taking shape.
“Pat Ryan built it first. Then there were 40 copies out there, putting out product. We wanted to make sure we delivered fast, effective claims. We were never the cheapest, nor did we try to be,” Dorfman says, crediting longtime APCO executive Mike Curran with bringing a passionate customer service ethos and a strong analytical approach to the business.
“He ran the whole claims operation and more. He was fanatic about claims response times — how long it took to get to a live adjuster — and got it down to 23 seconds. Get the stats, get the information, drive the KPIs that show we execute what we promise.”
As his company grew over his 35 years at the helm, Dorfman continued to develop and invest in new ways to solve old problems. EasyCare was among the first F&I providers to offer a mobile solution designed to create a service experience tied to the products dealers offer.
“We weren’t a tech company. But we built or sought out technology that could drive our information, our data, our claims handling,” he says. “You don’t have to be on the leading edge, but you cannot get behind the curve. You have to be able to adapt your business around the technology designed to make it better.”
But Dorfman never strayed too far from his roots. In 2018, he spent 200 days in the field, mostly in dealerships, supporting agents. “Agents who came to our organization did so because we’re agent-focused. Ask them what APCO is like.”
Dorfman says he is proud to be part of the F&I Hall of Fame’s first class. However, he insists any recognition should be shared with Cathy and every other member, past and present, of their team.
“As a group, we had an impact. We determined things had to be done a certain way. This honor belongs to all of them.”
As founder and longtime leader of APCO Holdings — and in retirement — F&I Hall of Famer has found success by putting people first.
Larry Dorfman
Mosaic Compliance Services is a leader in the dealership compliance space, offering solutions for policies and training, Safeguards, Environmental, Health & Safety, audits, and CARS Rule compliance. Mosaic has won the Dealers’ Choice Diamond Award for Compliance Training eight years in a row (2016 – 2023), and continues to develop new ways to serve the dealership community.
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Mosaic Compliance Services
Since 1984, EasyCare has been helping some of the most successful dealerships and agents drive results by offering a full suite of F&I products, forward-thinking training, dealership development, and consultative participation programs. EasyCare is part of the APCO Holdings, LLC brand family, which also encompasses Crystal Fusion and GWC Warranty. EasyCare F&I products are the only “MotorTrend® Recommended Best Buy” in the industry. They also carry an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau, support over 8,000 dealers, have protected over 23 million customers, and have paid over $3.7 billion in claims. For more information about EasyCare, please visit easycare.com.
Larry Pomarico
Ronald Reahard
Ronald Reahard
The second annual induction recognized luminaries who helped advance F&I training, production, compliance, agency-building and product development.
Terrence O'Loughlin
By Tariq Kamal
Pomarico was a Denver native who earned degrees in marketing and finance from the University of Northern Colorado and joined Pat Ryan & Associates in 1987. He would advance to the position of regional vice president in charge of Colorado, Utah, Wyoming and New Mexico before leaving in 1999 to co-found his own agency, SouthWest Dealer Services, with Steve Alderson.
By the time Pomarico and Alderson sold SWDS to Acrisure, it had grown into a 400-employee, 30-state enterprise. Pomarico served as president of the combined company until his death.
Wilson met Pomarico when he joined the Pat Ryan organization in 1995. He said Pomarico exemplified leadership and adaptability as the industry changed around him.
“When Larry first opened his agency, there really was only one major public company — AutoNation — and now there are multiple public companies, along with many, many other mega-regional dealer groups. To be able to stay competitive, partnerships with your TPAs and size and breadth of your company has become a bigger part of the business.”
Wilson noted that Pomarico, the only nondealer to have been inducted into the Colorado Auto Dealer Association’s Hall of Fame, was known for his big heart and gentle spirit and always put people first, as captured by something Pomarico once wrote to Acrisure staff and that Wilson shared with the Hall of Fame panel audience.
“My preference is to simply celebrate our ‘social and economic gains we’ve achieved’ and never take them for granted. I know for me there has never been a better platform and group of people to achieve my dreams than SWDS [and the] F&I industry has provided me,” Pomarico once said. “With the blessings I and we have achieved, I also never try to forget to not only take but give back and to always remember it’s not just our ability to give back financially but with our hearts.”
The 2025 class includes the F&I Hall of Fame’s first posthumously inducted member. Pomarico died suddenly in 2021 at 65. He was represented on the panel and at the induction ceremony by close friend and colleague Bill Wilson, president of sales distribution for Acrisure Protection Group.
Larry Pomarico
By Tariq Kamal
“And I went to work for probably the crookedest dealer I’ve ever seen to this day,” he said. Concerned about the “less than ethical” practices he’d observed, and with the help of Steve Goble — a then-sales manager at another dealership who sold Reahard a car and remains his best friend — he found his way into a better job, starting as an F&I manager after completing World Service Life’s training program.
“And I’ve been in F&I pretty much ever since,” he said, underselling a storied career as a teacher, mentor, author and speaker whose name and that of the company he founded, Reahard & Associates, would become synonymous with the art and science of F&I training.
Reahard taught his first F&I class in 1985 and founded his company in 2001. But he never forgot the lessons imparted by his first job, pledging to always put people first — for the customer’s sake, as well as the F&I professional’s career goals and personal well-being.
“Customers will pay thousands of dollars to someone capable of informing and educating them about all the options available in connection with their purchase and helping them make an informed decision about those options,” he said. “They won’t pay anything for a sales pitch they don’t want to hear. Our company’s focus is on improving F&I managers’ ability to help customers and provide them with the knowledge, training and tools they need to do that.”
Reahard said he felt humbled by his induction into the F&I Hall of Fame and the recognition it bestowed on his company, his mentors and his role models.
“Leadership is the ability to inspire, motivate and guide people to work together toward a shared goal. It requires you to live, eat, sleep and breathe your core values. It requires a passion for what you do, a clear vision for the future, a plan to make that vision a reality, and a compelling higher purpose that motivates and inspires others to support your efforts.”
Reahard’s auto industry career began inauspiciously. It was 1975, and he was a college student who had answered a classified ad for a car salesman.
Ronald Reahard
By Tariq Kamal
In 2020, the pair spearheaded the creation of the F&I Providers Relief Fund for industry workers affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Within the fund’s first few months of existence, more than $500,000 had been raised and donated to more than 400 people.
“We could never have asked for a better partner, and there’s no way in the world — even with the money that we raised — we could have done what we did without her,” Wanderon said.
Those who know Price also know the relief fund is the tip of her charitable iceberg. Yet her tireless efforts on behalf of the disadvantaged are equaled by her contributions to the F&I industry. By the time she sold NAE to Portfolio in 2020, she had established herself as an industry leader, a reputation she maintains as a founding partner and CEO of Driven Capital Partners.
Asked to define leadership, Price said, “Leadership is, first and foremost, about putting people first. A great leader leads by example — demonstrating care, integrity and respect in every interaction. It’s about doing what you say you will do, treating everyone with dignity, and creating an environment where people feel valued and empowered.”
Like her fellow inductees, Price’s career has overlapped with seismic shifts in the F&I industry. She pointed to increased regulatory oversight, and consolidation of dealerships, agencies and providers, as key drivers of change and urged her colleagues to keep their eyes on the proverbial prize.
“The pressure for financial performance has intensified and, unfortunately, that has sometimes come at the cost of customer care,” she said. “Our response must be to prioritize people over profits — ensuring that our dealers, agents and customers receive the service and integrity they deserve.”
Innovation and entrepreneurship have helped define Price’s career, from her early days in retail sales and finance through her stewardship of National Automotive Experts and its signature, game-changing lifetime warranty program, Warranty Forever. But as Wanderon pointed out in his introduction, her legacy will be that of an extraordinarily giving individual.
Kelly Price
By Tariq Kamal
But among colleagues and industry members, he is affectionately known as “The Regulator,” a former prosecutor and accountant who led a task force for the Florida attorney general’s office that settled more than 1,600 dealer complaints totaling more than $15 million in penalties and restitution.
He then crossed over to the F&I industry, but unlike most F&I Hall of Famers, O’Loughlin didn’t get his start on a showroom floor.
“I became a receiver of a car dealership when the owner became a person of interest regarding a murder in 1989. The murderer, who had worked as a wrecker for the dealer and became his wife, was convicted in 2023,” O’Loughlin said. “This experience provided me with some understanding of car sales and financing. This responsibility developed into my role as the state’s point of contact for almost all dealer complaints for 16 years.”
That time frame saw the introduction of a “litany” of new rules and regulations that altered the F&I landscape, O’Loughlin said, listing federal and state rules restricting contact, Gramm-Leach-Bliley and Dodd-Frank, the Privacy and Safeguards rules, the establishment of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and passage of hundreds of state laws, not to mention updates and litigation relating to Truth in Lending Act and Unfair, Deceptive and Abusive Practices, among others, as examples.
Before and since joining Reynolds in 2006, O’Loughlin’s industry profile as a trusted source for all things car law has only grown. But when asked about his accomplishments during the F&I Legends panel discussion, he described his work in modest terms.
“I peddle paper documents the consumers sign on all their transactions. And what I’ve learned is to listen to dealers and people in the community, the affiliate companies, to find out what they want in these documents,” he said. “Because, as you know, there are legal requirements. There’s an awful lot of material in there that we draft that should favor one party, and that party is the party we serve, the dealer community and your community.”
The attorney by trade is among the industry’s foremost legal and compliance experts. He is the longtime director of compliance for Reynolds and Reynolds’ Document Solutions division, a prolific author and speaker and frequent interview subject.
Terrence O'Loughlin
David Robertson
Arden Hetland
Larry Dorfman
2024
Arden Hetland
Larry Dorfman
By Tariq Kamal
“My thought was, I’ll do this for six months until I decided what direction I wanted to pursue for a career,” Hoffman said. “Thirty-seven-plus years later, I could and would never do anything any differently. The auto industry is the best industry in the world.”
Hoffman describes Maroone and Morse as “pioneers” who gave him the opportunity to learn and grow as the industry evolved. And evolve it did, as Hoffman led his dealerships through the advent of online research and shopping and the still-accelerating trend toward consolidation.
Adapting to a digital world and keeping pace with increasingly powerful competitors requires leadership, a quality Hoffman is known for and takes seriously.
“Leadership is the ability to influence and inspire others. True leaders revel in the success of others. That success can be different to each person. A leader will identify others’ goals, attributes, fears and abilities. That same leader will alleviate the fears, accentuate the abilities, assess his or her goals, and help them to achieve all that their life and career has to offer.”
In his introduction preceding the panel, Wanderon, a longtime friend and business partner, noted Hoffman is quick to credit others for his success.
“But he needs to look inside and see what he’s done for the organization and the industry,” he said. “I can’t tell you that there has been somebody that I have ever met that has been so open to help others in the industry that are looking for guidance, direction and opportunity.”
The COO of the Delray, Fla.-based Ed Morse Automotive Group joined the business in 1994 after breaking into the industry at what was then the nation’s largest Chevrolet dealership, part of the Mike Maroone group.
Randy Hoffman
By Tariq Kamal
But among colleagues and industry members, he is affectionately known as “The Regulator,” a former prosecutor and accountant who led a task force for the Florida attorney general’s office that settled more than 1,600 dealer complaints totaling more than $15 million in penalties and restitution.
He then crossed over to the F&I industry, but unlike most F&I Hall of Famers, O’Loughlin didn’t get his start on a showroom floor.
“I became a receiver of a car dealership when the owner became a person of interest regarding a murder in 1989. The murderer, who had worked as a wrecker for the dealer and became his wife, was convicted in 2023,” O’Loughlin said. “This experience provided me with some understanding of car sales and financing. This responsibility developed into my role as the state’s point of contact for almost all dealer complaints for 16 years.”
That time frame saw the introduction of a “litany” of new rules and regulations that altered the F&I landscape, O’Loughlin said, listing federal and state rules restricting contact, Gramm-Leach-Bliley and Dodd-Frank, the Privacy and Safeguards rules, the establishment of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and passage of hundreds of state laws, not to mention updates and litigation relating to Truth in Lending Act and Unfair, Deceptive and Abusive Practices, among others, as examples.
Before and since joining Reynolds in 2006, O’Loughlin’s industry profile as a trusted source for all things car law has only grown. But when asked about his accomplishments during the F&I Legends panel discussion, he described his work in modest terms.
“I peddle paper documents the consumers sign on all their transactions. And what I’ve learned is to listen to dealers and people in the community, the affiliate companies, to find out what they want in these documents,” he said. “Because, as you know, there are legal requirements. There’s an awful lot of material in there that we draft that should favor one party, and that party is the party we serve, the dealer community and your community.”
The attorney by trade is among the industry’s foremost legal and compliance experts. He is the longtime director of compliance for Reynolds and Reynolds’ Document Solutions division, a prolific author and speaker and frequent interview subject.
Terrence O'Loughlin
By Tariq Kamal
In 2020, the pair spearheaded the creation of the F&I Providers Relief Fund for industry workers affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Within the fund’s first few months of existence, more than $500,000 had been raised and donated to more than 400 people.
“We could never have asked for a better partner, and there’s no way in the world — even with the money that we raised — we could have done what we did without her,” Wanderon said.
Those who know Price also know the relief fund is the tip of her charitable iceberg. Yet her tireless efforts on behalf of the disadvantaged are equaled by her contributions to the F&I industry. By the time she sold NAE to Portfolio in 2020, she had established herself as an industry leader, a reputation she maintains as a founding partner and CEO of Driven Capital Partners.
Asked to define leadership, Price said, “Leadership is, first and foremost, about putting people first. A great leader leads by example — demonstrating care, integrity and respect in every interaction. It’s about doing what you say you will do, treating everyone with dignity, and creating an environment where people feel valued and empowered.”
Like her fellow inductees, Price’s career has overlapped with seismic shifts in the F&I industry. She pointed to increased regulatory oversight, and consolidation of dealerships, agencies and providers, as key drivers of change and urged her colleagues to keep their eyes on the proverbial prize.
“The pressure for financial performance has intensified and, unfortunately, that has sometimes come at the cost of customer care,” she said. “Our response must be to prioritize people over profits — ensuring that our dealers, agents and customers receive the service and integrity they deserve.”
Innovation and entrepreneurship have helped define Price’s career, from her early days in retail sales and finance through her stewardship of National Automotive Experts and its signature, game-changing lifetime warranty program, Warranty Forever. But as Wanderon pointed out in his introduction, her legacy will be that of an extraordinarily giving individual.
Kelly Price
By Tariq Kamal
“And I went to work for probably the crookedest dealer I’ve ever seen to this day,” he said. Concerned about the “less than ethical” practices he’d observed, and with the help of Steve Goble — a then-sales manager at another dealership who sold Reahard a car and remains his best friend — he found his way into a better job, starting as an F&I manager after completing World Service Life’s training program.
“And I’ve been in F&I pretty much ever since,” he said, underselling a storied career as a teacher, mentor, author and speaker whose name and that of the company he founded, Reahard & Associates, would become synonymous with the art and science of F&I training.
Reahard taught his first F&I class in 1985 and founded his company in 2001. But he never forgot the lessons imparted by his first job, pledging to always put people first — for the customer’s sake, as well as the F&I professional’s career goals and personal well-being.
“Customers will pay thousands of dollars to someone capable of informing and educating them about all the options available in connection with their purchase and helping them make an informed decision about those options,” he said. “They won’t pay anything for a sales pitch they don’t want to hear. Our company’s focus is on improving F&I managers’ ability to help customers and provide them with the knowledge, training and tools they need to do that.”
Reahard said he felt humbled by his induction into the F&I Hall of Fame and the recognition it bestowed on his company, his mentors and his role models.
“Leadership is the ability to inspire, motivate and guide people to work together toward a shared goal. It requires you to live, eat, sleep and breathe your core values. It requires a passion for what you do, a clear vision for the future, a plan to make that vision a reality, and a compelling higher purpose that motivates and inspires others to support your efforts.”
Reahard’s auto industry career began inauspiciously. It was 1975, and he was a college student who had answered a classified ad for a car salesman.
Ronald Reahard
By Tariq Kamal
Pomarico was a Denver native who earned degrees in marketing and finance from the University of Northern Colorado and joined Pat Ryan & Associates in 1987. He would advance to the position of regional vice president in charge of Colorado, Utah, Wyoming and New Mexico before leaving in 1999 to co-found his own agency, SouthWest Dealer Services, with Steve Alderson.
By the time Pomarico and Alderson sold SWDS to Acrisure, it had grown into a 400-employee, 30-state enterprise. Pomarico served as president of the combined company until his death.
Wilson met Pomarico when he joined the Pat Ryan organization in 1995. He said Pomarico exemplified leadership and adaptability as the industry changed around him.
“When Larry first opened his agency, there really was only one major public company — AutoNation — and now there are multiple public companies, along with many, many other mega-regional dealer groups. To be able to stay competitive, partnerships with your TPAs and size and breadth of your company has become a bigger part of the business.”
Wilson noted that Pomarico, the only nondealer to have been inducted into the Colorado Auto Dealer Association’s Hall of Fame, was known for his big heart and gentle spirit and always put people first, as captured by something Pomarico once wrote to Acrisure staff and that Wilson shared with the Hall of Fame panel audience.
“My preference is to simply celebrate our ‘social and economic gains we’ve achieved’ and never take them for granted. I know for me there has never been a better platform and group of people to achieve my dreams than SWDS [and the] F&I industry has provided me,” Pomarico once said. “With the blessings I and we have achieved, I also never try to forget to not only take but give back and to always remember it’s not just our ability to give back financially but with our hearts.”
The 2025 class includes the F&I Hall of Fame’s first posthumously inducted member. Pomarico died suddenly in 2021 at 65. He was represented on the panel and at the induction ceremony by close friend and colleague Bill Wilson, president of sales distribution for Acrisure Protection Group.
Larry Pomarico
THANK YOU SPONSORS
David Robertson
Arden Hetland
Larry Dorfman
2024
Randy Hoffman
Terrence O'Loughlin
Kelly Price
Ronald Reahard
Larry Pomarico
2025
F&I Hall of Fame archives
In March, industry members were encouraged to submit nominations for the F&I Hall of Fame. Criteria included:
Best of the Best
Career longevity and consistency
Community and societal impact
Regulatory and policy influence
Educational and mentorship contributions
Ethics and integrity
Leadership and vision
Innovation and impact
Career longevity and consistency
Community and societal impact
Regulatory and policy influence
Educational and mentorship contributions
Ethics and integrity
Leadership and vision
Innovation and impact
With the inaugural F&I Hall of Fame class in the record books, Wanderon looks forward to honoring more pillars of the industry in the years to come. The next class will be inducted at Agent Summit 2025, scheduled for March 2 to March 5 at Caesars Palace Las Vegas.
“… A lot of people were very happy we acknowledged the people who were up there,” Wanderon says. “They like that we’re taking steps to look at people and the contributions they’ve made to the industry.”
Gesualdo notes that a number of Agent Summit guests told him the ceremony was the highlight of the event and expressed eagerness to nominate their associates for future classes. All seemed to appreciate having a framework in place to recognize those who have helped a relatively young industry grow and mature.
He also credits Wanderon with turning the concept into reality by doing the work of nailing down the nomination process and criteria, as well as a workable, albeit compressed, timeline.
“Tony put his heart and soul into this. Some people want to start something and just be the figurehead. He took the initiative and did a great job,” Gesualdo says. “In the end, we accomplished the goal of electing a class of people who have been doing it right from the very beginning.”
Future Plans
Wanderon believes induction into the F&I Hall of Fame should be based not just on what one has done in the industry but for the industry — in a word, “impact.” The first class exemplifies that criterion, among many others.
Dorfman founded APCO — which includes the EasyCare and GWC Warranty brands, among others — with his wife, Cathy, in 1984. The Norcross, Ga.-based company grew into one of the biggest and best-regarded F&I product, service and technology providers the industry is likely to ever see. Dorfman served as APCO’s chief executive and innovator for the first 30-plus years of its existence.
“Larry has always been one of those people who can knock down walls. He cares about people tremendously — employees, clients, customers. And he still has a big voice in the market,” Wanderon says. “He is one of the best salespeople and relationship-builders I’ve ever seen. Larry is driven to take care of people as well as anyone I’ve met.” Gesualdo agrees, describing Dorfman as “all heart, more than people who don’t know him may realize.” As an example, he points to The Best Training Day Ever, a “legendary” series of events featuring many of the industry’s best and brightest trainers. Dorfman brought it to Industry Summit in 2017 and offered free admission to the F&I professionals, agents and executives who attended.
“Larry really believed in the rising tide theory. It was about providing the best experience possible so more people would do it and benefit from it, even if that meant offering training to people he didn’t do business with,” Gesualdo says. “He put his money where his mouth is. He invested in new ideas and new technology. He never took his foot off the gas.”
Hetland founded and served as CEO of American Financial & Automotive Services. Based in The Woodlands, Texas, American Financial and its Automotive Training Academy were acquired by Assurant in 2020.
Hetland didn’t invent the concept of F&I training, but Gesualdo and many other of his peers credit him with making training and compliance intrinsic elements of a successful program, noting he was among the founding members, with Robertson, of the Association of Finance & Insurance Professionals.
“I always saw Arden as someone who, whether you agreed with him or not, you knew he was doing what he thought was best for the industry,” Gesualdo says. “Even when no one would have known or faulted him for taking the low road, he still took the high road. As a result, he slowly but surely took F&I to a whole new level.”
Gesualdo describes Hetland as “a man of few words” and a “calm force.” That sentiment is echoed by Wanderon, who believes Hetland’s demeanor helped him drive a new way of doing business that dealers and partners embraced. “He is humble, soft-spoken, doesn’t have heightened emotions, up or down,” Wanderon says. “Very professional, very driven, but very respectful and appreciative of where he was able to get to in the industry.”
Robertson had already forged an impressive F&I resume by the time he joined the team that founded AFIP in 1989. He started in sales, then moved to finance, for two Colorado franchised dealerships before serving in executive positions with World Service Life Insurance Co. and Warrantech Corp. He also founded and owned Dealer Based Services and Member Benefits Services.
But Robertson’s legacy will almost certainly be defined by his unerring dedication to compliance.
“Dave was the first one who really brought a full compliance and regulation thought process to the industry,” Wanderon says. “Everybody has great ideas and great thoughts. It’s a matter of executing, fighting through the battles to get people onboard with something new and different. Many dealers didn’t want that kind of training. They feared it would reduce profits.” Robertson would forge an enduring partnership with Bobit, spreading the gospel of compliance through publications and events. In one of their first meetings, Gesualdo recalls, Ed Bobit raised the question on everyone’s minds: Will compliance affect profitability?
“Dave said that, ultimately, it will benefit them. He knew something that few others knew but has proven to be correct: If you do things the right way, we all end up making more money in the long run. And that was a tough road, I’m sure.”
The 2024 Class
Starting with a conversation between Wanderon and Gesualdo, longtime publisher of “F&I and Showroom,” the hall of fame fills what Wanderon saw as a recognition gap. Noting that every established industry he was aware of had a hall of fame, Wanderon recalls, “I said it would probably be nice if we could start recognizing people for the things they’ve done.”
Gesualdo agreed and asked Wanderon to serve as committee chairman. They hammered out criteria, set up a webpage to accept nominations, and put the word out via Bobit newsletters, emails and magazines. Gesualdo said he kept the company’s late founder, Ed Bobit, in mind as the selection process unfolded.
“I told Tony and Ron we had to be very selective, to only pick people who are no-brainers, true visionaries who saw where we as an industry needed to be, even when it wasn’t clear to the people around them,” Gesualdo says. “I know Ed Bobit would have absolutely been pleased with the three inductees. I know how he felt about those guys.”
“I think it’s an outstanding charter class,” Reahard says. “I feel those people who were nominated and inducted deserve to be there. They have made a major impact on our industry and made it much better.”
In the end, four inductees were decided on and notified — the fourth being Pat Ryan, the legendary founder of Pat Ryan & Associates who is considered by Wanderon and many others to be the “godfather of F&I.”
“He made a decision he wasn’t going to be able to come. It was a long shot. Clearly, he’s elevated himself beyond F&I,” Wanderon says. “No matter. He was talked about and will continue to be, even if he’s not physically there.”
Stalwarts and Visionaries
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Guests of the 2025 Agent Summit and the co-located Ethical F&I Managers Conference honored this year’s class of the F&I Hall of Fame.
APCO Holdings CEO Tony Wanderon, who developed and co-sponsored the Hall of Fame program in partnership with BBM and hosted the induction ceremony and an “F&I Legends” panel discussion, said the hall of fame can help create the future of the segment.
“The F&I Hall of Fame is crucial in recognizing and celebrating the achievements of finance and insurance professionals who have made a lasting impact,” he said.
“It serves as a source of inspiration to others in the industry, preserving the legacy of those who have contributed to innovation, ethical leadership and the overall advancement of F&I practices. By honoring F&I trailblazers each year, the Hall of Fame encourages continuous improvement, professional excellence, and a commitment to customer service within the industry.”
In attendance was CEO Jim Ganther and his team from Mosaic Compliance Services, the program’s other co-sponsor.
“Mosaic is grateful to sponsor this initiative,” Ganther said. “On a personal level, those honored in the inaugural class last year all played a role in my development and the success of Mosaic. We stand on the shoulders of giants, and it’s a worthy effort to recognize who those giants are. We are all in their debt.”
Last year’s inaugural hall of fame class included Larry Dorfman, co-founder and former chairman of APCO Holdings, Arden Hetland, former owner and CEO of American Financial & Automotive Services, and David Robertson, founding member, owner and chairman of the Association of Finance & Insurance Professionals.
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Randy Hoffman
Terrence O'Loughlin
Kelly Price
Ronald Reahard
Larry Pomarico
By Tariq Kamal
“My thought was, I’ll do this for six months until I decided what direction I wanted to pursue for a career,” Hoffman said. “Thirty-seven-plus years later, I could and would never do anything any differently. The auto industry is the best industry in the world.”
Hoffman describes Maroone and Morse as “pioneers” who gave him the opportunity to learn and grow as the industry evolved. And evolve it did, as Hoffman led his dealerships through the advent of online research and shopping and the still-accelerating trend toward consolidation.
Adapting to a digital world and keeping pace with increasingly powerful competitors requires leadership, a quality Hoffman is known for and takes seriously.
“Leadership is the ability to influence and inspire others. True leaders revel in the success of others. That success can be different to each person. A leader will identify others’ goals, attributes, fears and abilities. That same leader will alleviate the fears, accentuate the abilities, assess his or her goals, and help them to achieve all that their life and career has to offer.”
In his introduction preceding the panel, Wanderon, a longtime friend and business partner, noted Hoffman is quick to credit others for his success.
“But he needs to look inside and see what he’s done for the organization and the industry,” he said. “I can’t tell you that there has been somebody that I have ever met that has been so open to help others in the industry that are looking for guidance, direction and opportunity.”
The COO of the Delray, Fla.-based Ed Morse Automotive Group joined the business in 1994 after breaking into the industry at what was then the nation’s largest Chevrolet dealership, part of the Mike Maroone group.
Randy Hoffman
By Tariq Kamal
But among colleagues and industry members, he is affectionately known as “The Regulator,” a former prosecutor and accountant who led a task force for the Florida attorney general’s office that settled more than 1,600 dealer complaints totaling more than $15 million in penalties and restitution.
He then crossed over to the F&I industry, but unlike most F&I Hall of Famers, O’Loughlin didn’t get his start on a showroom floor.
“I became a receiver of a car dealership when the owner became a person of interest regarding a murder in 1989. The murderer, who had worked as a wrecker for the dealer and became his wife, was convicted in 2023,” O’Loughlin said. “This experience provided me with some understanding of car sales and financing. This responsibility developed into my role as the state’s point of contact for almost all dealer complaints for 16 years.”
That time frame saw the introduction of a “litany” of new rules and regulations that altered the F&I landscape, O’Loughlin said, listing federal and state rules restricting contact, Gramm-Leach-Bliley and Dodd-Frank, the Privacy and Safeguards rules, the establishment of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and passage of hundreds of state laws, not to mention updates and litigation relating to Truth in Lending Act and Unfair, Deceptive and Abusive Practices, among others, as examples.
Before and since joining Reynolds in 2006, O’Loughlin’s industry profile as a trusted source for all things car law has only grown. But when asked about his accomplishments during the F&I Legends panel discussion, he described his work in modest terms.
“I peddle paper documents the consumers sign on all their transactions. And what I’ve learned is to listen to dealers and people in the community, the affiliate companies, to find out what they want in these documents,” he said. “Because, as you know, there are legal requirements. There’s an awful lot of material in there that we draft that should favor one party, and that party is the party we serve, the dealer community and your community.”
The attorney by trade is among the industry’s foremost legal and compliance experts. He is the longtime director of compliance for Reynolds and Reynolds’ Document Solutions division, a prolific author and speaker and frequent interview subject.
Terrence O'Loughlin
By Tariq Kamal
In 2020, the pair spearheaded the creation of the F&I Providers Relief Fund for industry workers affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Within the fund’s first few months of existence, more than $500,000 had been raised and donated to more than 400 people.
“We could never have asked for a better partner, and there’s no way in the world — even with the money that we raised — we could have done what we did without her,” Wanderon said.
Those who know Price also know the relief fund is the tip of her charitable iceberg. Yet her tireless efforts on behalf of the disadvantaged are equaled by her contributions to the F&I industry. By the time she sold NAE to Portfolio in 2020, she had established herself as an industry leader, a reputation she maintains as a founding partner and CEO of Driven Capital Partners.
Asked to define leadership, Price said, “Leadership is, first and foremost, about putting people first. A great leader leads by example — demonstrating care, integrity and respect in every interaction. It’s about doing what you say you will do, treating everyone with dignity, and creating an environment where people feel valued and empowered.”
Like her fellow inductees, Price’s career has overlapped with seismic shifts in the F&I industry. She pointed to increased regulatory oversight, and consolidation of dealerships, agencies and providers, as key drivers of change and urged her colleagues to keep their eyes on the proverbial prize.
“The pressure for financial performance has intensified and, unfortunately, that has sometimes come at the cost of customer care,” she said. “Our response must be to prioritize people over profits — ensuring that our dealers, agents and customers receive the service and integrity they deserve.”
Innovation and entrepreneurship have helped define Price’s career, from her early days in retail sales and finance through her stewardship of National Automotive Experts and its signature, game-changing lifetime warranty program, Warranty Forever. But as Wanderon pointed out in his introduction, her legacy will be that of an extraordinarily giving individual.
Kelly Price
By Tariq Kamal
“And I went to work for probably the crookedest dealer I’ve ever seen to this day,” he said. Concerned about the “less than ethical” practices he’d observed, and with the help of Steve Goble — a then-sales manager at another dealership who sold Reahard a car and remains his best friend — he found his way into a better job, starting as an F&I manager after completing World Service Life’s training program.
“And I’ve been in F&I pretty much ever since,” he said, underselling a storied career as a teacher, mentor, author and speaker whose name and that of the company he founded, Reahard & Associates, would become synonymous with the art and science of F&I training.
Reahard taught his first F&I class in 1985 and founded his company in 2001. But he never forgot the lessons imparted by his first job, pledging to always put people first — for the customer’s sake, as well as the F&I professional’s career goals and personal well-being.
“Customers will pay thousands of dollars to someone capable of informing and educating them about all the options available in connection with their purchase and helping them make an informed decision about those options,” he said. “They won’t pay anything for a sales pitch they don’t want to hear. Our company’s focus is on improving F&I managers’ ability to help customers and provide them with the knowledge, training and tools they need to do that.”
Reahard said he felt humbled by his induction into the F&I Hall of Fame and the recognition it bestowed on his company, his mentors and his role models.
“Leadership is the ability to inspire, motivate and guide people to work together toward a shared goal. It requires you to live, eat, sleep and breathe your core values. It requires a passion for what you do, a clear vision for the future, a plan to make that vision a reality, and a compelling higher purpose that motivates and inspires others to support your efforts.”
Reahard’s auto industry career began inauspiciously. It was 1975, and he was a college student who had answered a classified ad for a car salesman.
Ronald Reahard
By Tariq Kamal
Pomarico was a Denver native who earned degrees in marketing and finance from the University of Northern Colorado and joined Pat Ryan & Associates in 1987. He would advance to the position of regional vice president in charge of Colorado, Utah, Wyoming and New Mexico before leaving in 1999 to co-found his own agency, SouthWest Dealer Services, with Steve Alderson.
By the time Pomarico and Alderson sold SWDS to Acrisure, it had grown into a 400-employee, 30-state enterprise. Pomarico served as president of the combined company until his death.
Wilson met Pomarico when he joined the Pat Ryan organization in 1995. He said Pomarico exemplified leadership and adaptability as the industry changed around him.
“When Larry first opened his agency, there really was only one major public company — AutoNation — and now there are multiple public companies, along with many, many other mega-regional dealer groups. To be able to stay competitive, partnerships with your TPAs and size and breadth of your company has become a bigger part of the business.”
Wilson noted that Pomarico, the only nondealer to have been inducted into the Colorado Auto Dealer Association’s Hall of Fame, was known for his big heart and gentle spirit and always put people first, as captured by something Pomarico once wrote to Acrisure staff and that Wilson shared with the Hall of Fame panel audience.
“My preference is to simply celebrate our ‘social and economic gains we’ve achieved’ and never take them for granted. I know for me there has never been a better platform and group of people to achieve my dreams than SWDS [and the] F&I industry has provided me,” Pomarico once said. “With the blessings I and we have achieved, I also never try to forget to not only take but give back and to always remember it’s not just our ability to give back financially but with our hearts.”
The 2025 class includes the F&I Hall of Fame’s first posthumously inducted member. Pomarico died suddenly in 2021 at 65. He was represented on the panel and at the induction ceremony by close friend and colleague Bill Wilson, president of sales distribution for Acrisure Protection Group.
Larry Pomarico
The second annual induction recognized luminaries who helped advance F&I training, production, compliance, agency-building and product development.
5 Industry Legends Join F&I Hall of Fame
F&I Hall of Fame
Welcome to the
By Tariq Kamal
By Tariq Kamal
David Robertson
Legacy:
Creating and championing a compliance-based approach to F&I training and product sales
Known as:
A founding member, owner and chairman of the Association of Finance & Insurance Professionals
With hard work, determination and longevity, many of those who dedicate their lives and careers to the auto industry will earn a certain level of esteem among their peers: instant name recognition and a widely held appreciation for their unique contributions.
David Robertson reached that level many years ago. But he didn’t stop there. As a founding member and now owner and chairman of the Forth Worth, Texas-based Association of Finance & Insurance Professionals, Robertson is known within and without the F&I world as an advocate for statutory and regulatory compliance, an expert witness and ass a TV and radio show guest.
Robertson started his career on the sales floor in 1971 after serving as a first lieutenant in the U.S. Army in the Vietnam War and graduating from Fort Lewis (Colo.) College with a degree in business administration. He also holds an MBA from Northwood University.
“I go back far enough to before Regulation Z was even implemented. There were no rules,” he says. “As the industry progressed, and the laws became more stringent, more precise and more tightly controlled, some of us said maybe we’d better do something more formal.”
To that end, Robertson was invited — along with fellow F&I Hall of Fame inductee Arden Hetland — to join the team that would launch AFIP in 1989. Originally conceived in partnership with and to the benefit of General Motors Acceptance Corp., Ford Motor Credit and the Hendricks Automotive Group, AFIP has since certified nearly 100,000 F&I professionals in dealerships across the country.
“Arden and I were a couple of farm boys who learned early that the keys to success are hard work and treating people fairly,” Robertson says.
But in the beginning, many dealers didn’t see the need for compliance training or were concerned that it would hurt production. Today, F&I and compliance are essentially one and the same. What changed?
“Two things: No. 1, there was a mechanism to do it that produced results,” he said. “No. 2, increasing regulations made compliance a more immediate concern. I see all this as a positive evolutionary trend that some have capitalized on and others have benefited from.”
In April, Robertson’s efforts and those of the rest of AFIP team — which include his wife, Linda, and son Shannon, who serve as the organization’s member benefits president and executive director, respectively — culminated in his induction as one of three charter members of the F&I Hall of Fame. “I thought it was a good thing for the industry, and I was honored to be part of it,” he says. “It spoke well to the people who received the honor, and it’s good to have a formal way to recognize people — not just us, but those who will serve the industry in the future.”
Dedication to compliance had an immediate and lasting impact on the F&I industry.
Years in industry:
1971 to present
Legacy:
Dedication to professionalism, ethics and compliance; innovation in team-building and F&I training
Known as:
Former owner and CEO of American Financial & Automotive Systems
Years in industry:
1976 to 2022
By Tariq Kamal
When then-owner and CEO Arden Hetland sold American Financial & Automotive Services to Assurant in 2020, he was proud to note that, in an industry known for rapid turnover at every level, American Financial’s roster was filled with long-tenured professionals.
“We had so many people that were 25- or 30-year associates, some of whom were close to retirement, and a lot at the 15- to 20-year level,” Hetland says. “Very seldom did we have to have a termination. If you joined our company, everyone knew that if you lied to a dealer, it was grounds for immediate termination.”
Hetland says he believes professionalism and ethics were critical to the success of The Woodlands, Texas-based American Financial — a leading F&I product and training provider that lives on as Assurant Dealer Services — as well as the growth and maturation of the industry as a whole.
But he also lived and worked through the “Wild, Wild West” years of the F&I industry, a sector reputation Hetland has fought hard to change. But he did so quietly. Those who know Hetland describe him as humble and soft-spoken, a welcome aberration in an industry filled with big voices.
“I think it’s just the way I was brought up,” Hetland says of his low-key character, noting his North Dakota farming community upbringing. He earned a geology degree from North Dakota State, hoping to join the U.S. Forest Service as a hydrologist. But he needed a master’s degree to qualify, so he took a sales job at an auto dealership while he figured out his next steps.
“I was fortunate to work with a general manager who provided exceptional training and who knew you don’t have to slam customers to sell cars.”
Hetland stuck to that principle as his career advanced. Along the way, he became a founding member of the Association of Finance & Insurance Professionals and launched the now nationally recognized Automotive Training Academy, originally called F&I University.
Throughout his long career, Hetland says he enjoyed the unwavering support of Donna, his wife and high school sweetheart, their daughters, Laura and Kristen, and their six grandchildren.
Today, he is part of the charter class of the F&I Hall of Fame.
“It was very, very humbling to me, to receive that honor,” he says. “It’s just amazing. Because I love the industry so much. It makes me very proud to be part of it, and I always have been.”
Hetland joins the charter class of the F&I Hall of Fame following a long career built on a foundation of professionalism.
Arden Hetland
Years in industry:
1976 to 2022
Legacy:
Building a people-first F&I product provider and administrator; investing in technology; and connecting variable and fixed operations
Known as:
Co-founder and former chairman of APCO Holdings
Years in industry:
1984 to 2019
By Tariq Kamal
In Atlanta, Larry Dorfman is known as a co-founder of and active partner in Roots, a community-focused investment fund that gives renters an opportunity to invest and build equity in the real estate market.
To his colleagues in the F&I industry, Dorfman is better known as co-founder with wife, Cathy, of APCO Holdings, a leading product provider and administrator, owner of the EasyCare and GWC Warranty brands, home to hundreds of full-time associates, and partner to thousands of agents, dealers and customers.
What do Roots and APCO have in common? They put people first, Dorfman says, and he believes that is the key to success in any endeavor. He notes that when the Dorfmans started their business in 1984, F&I was not a new concept but was still taking shape.
“Pat Ryan built it first. Then there were 40 copies out there, putting out product. We wanted to make sure we delivered fast, effective claims. We were never the cheapest, nor did we try to be,” Dorfman says, crediting longtime APCO executive Mike Curran with bringing a passionate customer service ethos and a strong analytical approach to the business.
“He ran the whole claims operation and more. He was fanatic about claims response times — how long it took to get to a live adjuster — and got it down to 23 seconds. Get the stats, get the information, drive the KPIs that show we execute what we promise.”
As his company grew over his 35 years at the helm, Dorfman continued to develop and invest in new ways to solve old problems. EasyCare was among the first F&I providers to offer a mobile solution designed to create a service experience tied to the products dealers offer.
“We weren’t a tech company. But we built or sought out technology that could drive our information, our data, our claims handling,” he says. “You don’t have to be on the leading edge, but you cannot get behind the curve. You have to be able to adapt your business around the technology designed to make it better.”
But Dorfman never strayed too far from his roots. In 2018, he spent 200 days in the field, mostly in dealerships, supporting agents. “Agents who came to our organization did so because we’re agent-focused. Ask them what APCO is like.”
Dorfman says he is proud to be part of the F&I Hall of Fame’s first class. However, he insists any recognition should be shared with Cathy and every other member, past and present, of their team.
“As a group, we had an impact. We determined things had to be done a certain way. This honor belongs to all of them.”
As founder and longtime leader of APCO Holdings — and in retirement — F&I Hall of Famer has found success by putting people first.
Larry Dorfman
By Tariq Kamal
“My thought was, I’ll do this for six months until I decided what direction I wanted to pursue for a career,” Hoffman said. “Thirty-seven-plus years later, I could and would never do anything any differently. The auto industry is the best industry in the world.”
Hoffman describes Maroone and Morse as “pioneers” who gave him the opportunity to learn and grow as the industry evolved. And evolve it did, as Hoffman led his dealerships through the advent of online research and shopping and the still-accelerating trend toward consolidation.
Adapting to a digital world and keeping pace with increasingly powerful competitors requires leadership, a quality Hoffman is known for and takes seriously.
“Leadership is the ability to influence and inspire others. True leaders revel in the success of others. That success can be different to each person. A leader will identify others’ goals, attributes, fears and abilities. That same leader will alleviate the fears, accentuate the abilities, assess his or her goals, and help them to achieve all that their life and career has to offer.”
In his introduction preceding the panel, Wanderon, a longtime friend and business partner, noted Hoffman is quick to credit others for his success.
“But he needs to look inside and see what he’s done for the organization and the industry,” he said. “I can’t tell you that there has been somebody that I have ever met that has been so open to help others in the industry that are looking for guidance, direction and opportunity.”
The COO of the Delray, Fla.-based Ed Morse Automotive Group joined the business in 1994 after breaking into the industry at what was then the nation’s largest Chevrolet dealership, part of the Mike Maroone group.
Randy Hoffman
By Tariq Kamal
But among colleagues and industry members, he is affectionately known as “The Regulator,” a former prosecutor and accountant who led a task force for the Florida attorney general’s office that settled more than 1,600 dealer complaints totaling more than $15 million in penalties and restitution.
He then crossed over to the F&I industry, but unlike most F&I Hall of Famers, O’Loughlin didn’t get his start on a showroom floor.
“I became a receiver of a car dealership when the owner became a person of interest regarding a murder in 1989. The murderer, who had worked as a wrecker for the dealer and became his wife, was convicted in 2023,” O’Loughlin said. “This experience provided me with some understanding of car sales and financing. This responsibility developed into my role as the state’s point of contact for almost all dealer complaints for 16 years.”
That time frame saw the introduction of a “litany” of new rules and regulations that altered the F&I landscape, O’Loughlin said, listing federal and state rules restricting contact, Gramm-Leach-Bliley and Dodd-Frank, the Privacy and Safeguards rules, the establishment of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and passage of hundreds of state laws, not to mention updates and litigation relating to Truth in Lending Act and Unfair, Deceptive and Abusive Practices, among others, as examples.
Before and since joining Reynolds in 2006, O’Loughlin’s industry profile as a trusted source for all things car law has only grown. But when asked about his accomplishments during the F&I Legends panel discussion, he described his work in modest terms.
“I peddle paper documents the consumers sign on all their transactions. And what I’ve learned is to listen to dealers and people in the community, the affiliate companies, to find out what they want in these documents,” he said. “Because, as you know, there are legal requirements. There’s an awful lot of material in there that we draft that should favor one party, and that party is the party we serve, the dealer community and your community.”
The attorney by trade is among the industry’s foremost legal and compliance experts. He is the longtime director of compliance for Reynolds and Reynolds’ Document Solutions division, a prolific author and speaker and frequent interview subject.
Terrence O'Loughlin
By Tariq Kamal
In 2020, the pair spearheaded the creation of the F&I Providers Relief Fund for industry workers affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Within the fund’s first few months of existence, more than $500,000 had been raised and donated to more than 400 people.
“We could never have asked for a better partner, and there’s no way in the world — even with the money that we raised — we could have done what we did without her,” Wanderon said.
Those who know Price also know the relief fund is the tip of her charitable iceberg. Yet her tireless efforts on behalf of the disadvantaged are equaled by her contributions to the F&I industry. By the time she sold NAE to Portfolio in 2020, she had established herself as an industry leader, a reputation she maintains as a founding partner and CEO of Driven Capital Partners.
Asked to define leadership, Price said, “Leadership is, first and foremost, about putting people first. A great leader leads by example — demonstrating care, integrity and respect in every interaction. It’s about doing what you say you will do, treating everyone with dignity, and creating an environment where people feel valued and empowered.”
Like her fellow inductees, Price’s career has overlapped with seismic shifts in the F&I industry. She pointed to increased regulatory oversight, and consolidation of dealerships, agencies and providers, as key drivers of change and urged her colleagues to keep their eyes on the proverbial prize.
“The pressure for financial performance has intensified and, unfortunately, that has sometimes come at the cost of customer care,” she said. “Our response must be to prioritize people over profits — ensuring that our dealers, agents and customers receive the service and integrity they deserve.”
Innovation and entrepreneurship have helped define Price’s career, from her early days in retail sales and finance through her stewardship of National Automotive Experts and its signature, game-changing lifetime warranty program, Warranty Forever. But as Wanderon pointed out in his introduction, her legacy will be that of an extraordinarily giving individual.
Kelly Price
By Tariq Kamal
“And I went to work for probably the crookedest dealer I’ve ever seen to this day,” he said. Concerned about the “less than ethical” practices he’d observed, and with the help of Steve Goble — a then-sales manager at another dealership who sold Reahard a car and remains his best friend — he found his way into a better job, starting as an F&I manager after completing World Service Life’s training program.
“And I’ve been in F&I pretty much ever since,” he said, underselling a storied career as a teacher, mentor, author and speaker whose name and that of the company he founded, Reahard & Associates, would become synonymous with the art and science of F&I training.
Reahard taught his first F&I class in 1985 and founded his company in 2001. But he never forgot the lessons imparted by his first job, pledging to always put people first — for the customer’s sake, as well as the F&I professional’s career goals and personal well-being.
“Customers will pay thousands of dollars to someone capable of informing and educating them about all the options available in connection with their purchase and helping them make an informed decision about those options,” he said. “They won’t pay anything for a sales pitch they don’t want to hear. Our company’s focus is on improving F&I managers’ ability to help customers and provide them with the knowledge, training and tools they need to do that.”
Reahard said he felt humbled by his induction into the F&I Hall of Fame and the recognition it bestowed on his company, his mentors and his role models.
“Leadership is the ability to inspire, motivate and guide people to work together toward a shared goal. It requires you to live, eat, sleep and breathe your core values. It requires a passion for what you do, a clear vision for the future, a plan to make that vision a reality, and a compelling higher purpose that motivates and inspires others to support your efforts.”
Reahard’s auto industry career began inauspiciously. It was 1975, and he was a college student who had answered a classified ad for a car salesman.
Ronald Reahard
By Tariq Kamal
Pomarico was a Denver native who earned degrees in marketing and finance from the University of Northern Colorado and joined Pat Ryan & Associates in 1987. He would advance to the position of regional vice president in charge of Colorado, Utah, Wyoming and New Mexico before leaving in 1999 to co-found his own agency, SouthWest Dealer Services, with Steve Alderson.
By the time Pomarico and Alderson sold SWDS to Acrisure, it had grown into a 400-employee, 30-state enterprise. Pomarico served as president of the combined company until his death.
Wilson met Pomarico when he joined the Pat Ryan organization in 1995. He said Pomarico exemplified leadership and adaptability as the industry changed around him.
“When Larry first opened his agency, there really was only one major public company — AutoNation — and now there are multiple public companies, along with many, many other mega-regional dealer groups. To be able to stay competitive, partnerships with your TPAs and size and breadth of your company has become a bigger part of the business.”
Wilson noted that Pomarico, the only nondealer to have been inducted into the Colorado Auto Dealer Association’s Hall of Fame, was known for his big heart and gentle spirit and always put people first, as captured by something Pomarico once wrote to Acrisure staff and that Wilson shared with the Hall of Fame panel audience.
“My preference is to simply celebrate our ‘social and economic gains we’ve achieved’ and never take them for granted. I know for me there has never been a better platform and group of people to achieve my dreams than SWDS [and the] F&I industry has provided me,” Pomarico once said. “With the blessings I and we have achieved, I also never try to forget to not only take but give back and to always remember it’s not just our ability to give back financially but with our hearts.”
The 2025 class includes the F&I Hall of Fame’s first posthumously inducted member. Pomarico died suddenly in 2021 at 65. He was represented on the panel and at the induction ceremony by close friend and colleague Bill Wilson, president of sales distribution for Acrisure Protection Group.
Larry Pomarico
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Stalwarts and Visionaries
Starting with a conversation between Wanderon and Gesualdo, longtime publisher of “F&I and Showroom,” the hall of fame fills what Wanderon saw as a recognition gap. Noting that every established industry he was aware of had a hall of fame, Wanderon recalls, “I said it would probably be nice if we could start recognizing people for the things they’ve done.”
Gesualdo agreed and asked Wanderon to serve as committee chairman. They hammered out criteria, set up a webpage to accept nominations, and put the word out via Bobit newsletters, emails and magazines. Gesualdo said he kept the company’s late founder, Ed Bobit, in mind as the selection process unfolded.
“I told Tony and Ron we had to be very selective, to only pick people who are no-brainers, true visionaries who saw where we as an industry needed to be, even when it wasn’t clear to the people around them,” Gesualdo says. “I know Ed Bobit would have absolutely been pleased with the three inductees. I know how he felt about those guys.”
“I think it’s an outstanding charter class,” Reahard says. “I feel those people who were nominated and inducted deserve to be there. They have made a major impact on our industry and made it much better.”
In the end, four inductees were decided on and notified — the fourth being Pat Ryan, the legendary founder of Pat Ryan & Associates who is considered by Wanderon and many others to be the “godfather of F&I.”
“He made a decision he wasn’t going to be able to come. It was a long shot. Clearly, he’s elevated himself beyond F&I,” Wanderon says. “No matter. He was talked about and will continue to be, even if he’s not physically there.”
In March, industry members were encouraged to submit nominations for the F&I Hall of Fame. Criteria included:
Best of the Best
Career longevity and consistency
Community and societal impact
Regulatory and policy influence
Educational and mentorship contributions
Ethics and integrity
Leadership and vision
Innovation and impact
Career longevity and consistency
Community and societal impact
Regulatory and policy influence
Educational and mentorship contributions
Ethics and integrity
Leadership and vision
Innovation and impact
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