Episode
The 65-Year Dealership Empire Born Out of the Wild West of NY Auctions & The Hard Lessons Learned | Laddie Stern of Stern Auto Group
- Podcast
- Car Dealership Guy Podcast
- Published
- Aug 27, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 2327
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Summary
Laddie Stern is the Founder of Stern Auto Group, a 20-store empire he has built over 65 years in the car business. He started as a wholesaler for his uncle before buying and scaling the Skyline and Hatfield auctions into the country's largest privately held auction company, then returned to grow a new car group alongside his son Jonathan. He speaks candidly about the 2008 downturn that changed how he manages cash for good, the mistakes he made prioritizing the business over his family, and what he looks for before letting the next generation, including his own grandchildren, into the business. Topics: 02:55 Air Conditioning Was Once Unsellable. 06:25 The Trick That Fixed A Broken Auction. 07:45 Auctions Beat Casinos Every Time. 08:15 Biggest Mistake: Selling The Auctions. 12:05 Stop Working And You Start Dying. 13:25 The '08 Crash Made Cash King. 14:20 Cash Flow Is Thicker Than Blood. 18:45 Two Departments Where Theft Hides. 19:15 The One Regret Money Can't Fix. 27:30 Never Buy A Deal Without Real Estate. 33:55 The Rule For Bringing Kids Into Business. 36:30 Don't Sell Cars And You Go Broke. This episode is brought to you by: 1. Kenect - Kenect helps dealership GMs automate customer outreach by turning days of manual calling into seconds. Go to @ here to see how top rooftops are scaling retention today. 2. CDG Circles - Connect with verified dealers all inside the CDG Platform. Learn more @ here. Check out Car Dealership Guy’s stuff: For dealers: CDG Circles ➤ https://cdgcircles.com/ Industry job board ➤ http://jobs.dealershipguy.com…