Image courtesy of Ryan Rohrman
Dealer magazine had the pleasure to start 2025 by interviewing Ryan Rohrman, CEO of Rohrman Automotive Group. Rohrman is a third-generation leader of one of the largest family-owned automotive groups in the U.S. For more than 60 years, Rohrman Automotive Group has provided consumers with the highest quality new and pre-driven automotive products, combined with excellent customer service in sales, leasing and vehicle maintenance services.
As the company’s leader for over eight years, Rohrman’s focus has been on driving relationships and providing awesome experiences for modern-day customers and employees, and focusing on innovation and team-focused leadership, all while carrying on the Rohrman legacy.
Under Ryan’s guidance, the Rohrman team has grown to 22 dealerships with more than 1,600 team members, achieving consistent growth across Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin through strategic business development and a commitment to enhancing the dealership experience.
DEALER MAGAZINE: What was the first job you had in the industry? And what did it teach you?
Ryan Rohrman: Rohrman Automotive Group was started by my grandfather, Bob Rohrman, in 1969, and even though he always wanted me to join the family business, I never expected to end up in the position I’m in today. My first job in the industry was detailing cars in my father’s lot when I was 13 years old. This was a tedious job, but I learned to be patient and thorough with everything I do. I learned to approach each person (or job) with the same level of care and respect. Whether someone is buying the most expensive car on the lot or getting a simple oil change, they deserve the care and attention to detail that we strive to provide at each of our dealerships.
DEALER MAGAZINE: What sets your dealership apart from others in your region?
Rohrman: Rohrman Automotive Group is characterized by the legacy started in the 1960s that communities across the Midwest have long loved and trusted, mixed with the innovation and forward-thinking vision our team implements to elevate the experience for the modern car buyer—and employee. We regularly upgrade our facilities to provide modern-day amenities, comfort, cutting-edge technology, convenience and customer service, including dealerships featuring movie theaters, kids’ areas, comfortable places to work, food and drink, and more. We want to make our dealerships as unique as the communities they serve.
Additionally, our company stands out because of our team. Rohrman employees keep our “TIPS” model at the heart of their job every day: being Transparent, Innovative, Personable, and Servant-minded to really focus on building relationships with customers. Rohrman is unique because the average tenure of our employees is more than four years, compared to a less than two-year industry average. We invest in employee growth, providing first-in-class training and development programs and offering several programs to assist employees and their families to ensure they feel supported inside and outside the dealership walls.
Dealership Priorities
DEALER MAGAZINE: What are the current strategic priorities for your dealership and how have they evolved in the past few years?
Rohrman: The biggest strategic priority we have has been the same since my grandfather started the dealership group decades ago—prioritize relationships, which I’ve continued to practice and teach in my position. Over time we have evolved that frame of mind to create our current mantra, “Driving relationships. Awesome experiences,” which is rooted in what I learned from day one. This mantra is our guiding light and helps guide our team through sales, service and anything in between.
DEALER MAGAZINE: Could you share some recent operational challenges the group has faced and how you’ve managed to overcome them?
Rohrman: Across the country, we are seeing people putting off vehicle maintenance. At the same time, inflation has increased labor costs, making it more expensive to do basic repairs like tire rotations and oil changes. There is also a massive deficit in the used car market, so cars on the road have never been older—12.5 years on average. The older a car gets, the more money you have to put into it, and with a technician shortage on top of it, the cost is being passed along to the consumer, making it the perfect storm for people to delay important repairs.
Some people don’t realize that if your car is still under a factory warranty, but you’re not doing regular maintenance, you can void your warranty. This happened to a friend of mine. He put off some maintenance and eventually his engine exploded. To make matters worse, his warranty was voided and he had to pay out of his own pocket to replace the car’s engine. An $80 oil change is better than the cost of replacing an entire engine.
With all of that said, we have worked diligently to communicate the value and importance of regular maintenance with our customers. The completion rate for submitting a service schedule is roughly 20 to 30 percent, which means that 60 to 70 percent of consumers who start to schedule service do not hit submit. What do you do with that 60 to 70 percent? I would say 95 percent of dealers don't even know that's called an abandoned shopping cart. But with our CDP, we can help guide the customer back to where they left off.
Some of our stores have seen 12-38 percent growth in repairs and fixed operations from previous years, due in part to our communications efforts. We want the best for our customers, so we also try to make sure the repair process is convenient, easy and as affordable as possible.
Growth Opportunities
DEALER MAGAZINE: In terms of current and recent obstacles, how has your dealership navigated these challenges? And tell us about industry shift to adopt CDPs in retail automotive?
Rohrman: One of the biggest obstacles we have navigated in recent years is the seemingly endless supply of information we gather about former, current or potential customers. There is so much data out there in the world coming from so many places—we gather a lot of it ourselves, but there are plenty of third-party organizations that are also trying to better understand why people buy the cars they do and what makes them more likely to buy one over another.
Truly the volume of information out there can be a blessing or a curse—a curse because it can be difficult to organize and streamline all of that information, but a huge blessing if it’s something you can harness and use effectively. That’s one of the big things we are working to optimize now across our dealership group – a Consumer Data Platform, or CDP.
My journey to figure out what a CDP actually is started last year at the NADA Convention. CDPs are widely used by a variety of retailers all over the world, but for some reason, it’s not something the automotive industry has really leaned into yet. Rohrman Automotive Group is working to change that by creating our own personalized CDP, which will help us take back control of all of that information and help us improve experiences for both our team and our customers.
As we implement our CDP, we will be able to secure and analyze data directly from our audience and gain a competitive advantage by better understanding our different audiences and their preferences. We’ll also be able to incorporate more relevant marketing tactics, which we think people are really going to like. I went back seven years back and I found that only 48 percent of my data was actually clean and accurate. I do not think that we're doing anything wrong, but I think that we were very average in the way that we intook and utilized data. But what happened instantly is that my marketing started working as soon as I cleaned my data. We've seen our return on advertising go through the roof. We saw more leads with less spend in Q4 than we did in Q2 and Q3.
We still have work to do, but we are really excited about how this CDP can be a gamechanger – not just for Rohrman Automotive Group, but for the automotive industry as a whole.
DEALER MAGAZINE: Looking at the current trends, where do you see the biggest opportunities for growth in the automotive sector?
Rohrman: I believe some of the biggest areas for growth include opportunities for empowerment, transparency and personalization. We can empower customers by giving them the tools and information they need to make informed decisions. We can provide a clear, seamless and transparent buying and service process for our customers. And we can tailor each journey to individual customers’ needs and preferences to deliver an experience that exceeds expectations.
We have to grow by conquest but conquest cannot be our future growth strategy. We have to get to the point where conquest is small and retention is huge and that only happens because of great customer experience.
Digital Solutions
DEALER MAGAZINE: How do you see digital transformation impacting your business, especially in sales and customer service?
Rohrman: By adopting CDPs in our business, we can implement more efficient marketing, so our team can provide more personalized services and offerings—a win/win for customers and employees alike. Customers will no longer receive communication or marketing that doesn’t apply to them, but potential and current customers will receive much more tailored and beneficial communication from us to help them navigate buying decisions.
At Rohrman, we place a high value on social media marketing as well. We encourage our team to be ambassadors for our brand and share their perspectives and unique skills with their audiences on social media. Members of our team regularly create content that informs and entertains audiences, which helps break down complex topics and builds those relationships we want to focus on.
I encourage our staff to utilize their platforms as there are a lot of people doing interesting things. We really leaned in because people consume so much media through video. There is a level of transparency in video that you can't potentially get through an e-mail or text between the customer and the sales associate as the customer gets to see whatever they're asking about while seeing the person talking.
DEALER MAGAZINE: How do you use artificial intelligence at your dealerships?
Rohrman: We do not shy away from using artificial intelligence (AI) at our dealerships because it truly can help us do our job better than we can without it. Our AI basically allows every salesperson and most service advisors to have their own personal assistant working 24/7 behind the scenes. This AI notifies representatives of communications with customers in real-time so they have the most updated information and can follow up directly, which helps avoid the pain points of double entry (going through the buying or service request process online and then basically having to repeat all the same steps at the dealership). With our AI implementations, our internet close rate is double the industry average across all dealerships because it makes the process transparent and easy for customers.
DEALER MAGAZINE: What are some of the technologies or innovations in automotive that excite you the most right now?
Rohrman: CDPs are the most exciting innovations in automotive right now and we’re looking forward to experiencing their benefits at Rohrman. When we can fully optimize our CDP, we’ll be able to save time and resources, which will allow our teams to focus on the sales and service experience. We will also be able to take better stock in our inventory, which will help us cut costs connected to having too many or too few of certain vehicles or parts. We have so much to look forward to and I know there will be more for us to discover along the way.
Leadership Style
DEALER MAGAZINE: As a leader, how do you foster an inclusive culture within such a large and diverse organization?
Rohrman: At Rohrman, we host over 50 in-person “Apple-esque” events to inspire, celebrate, empower and connect our team. These events are hosted in markets across all three states to ensure convenience for every team member, and many are family-friendly to help our staff connect with each other on a personal level outside of work.
I pride myself on our investment in employee growth, providing first-in-class training and development programs and offering several programs to assist employees and their families to ensure they feel supported inside and outside the dealership walls. In just over two years, Rohrman Automotive Group has provided nearly $1.8 million in support for health, counseling, education and financial emergencies for over 1,039 Rohrman employee families through our Rohrman Restored Foundation.
DEALER MAGAZINE: Can you share your approach to leadership and decision-making in such a dynamic industry?
Rohrman: Leadership to me means two primary things: prioritizing relationships and being willing to do the tasks you’re asking others to do. Building relationships is what has made Rohrman Automotive Group successful and we prioritize people—both inside and outside the walls of our dealerships. Being willing to do the tasks you’re asking your employees to do demonstrates that you’re not above them or above any necessary task.
Additionally, transparency is key in decision-making in our dynamic industry, particularly as the leader of a family-owned business. I am honest about my points of view and work to create an open-door culture where everyone feels heard and valued. We pull transparency from internal communications through to our customers as well because no one deserves to be blindsided by undisclosed information, hidden fees, etc.
People that are in the car industry for a long time can sometimes get disconnected, and I think that's really important as a leader that you fight to not let that be true of you. What I really want to be true of me is that I can still do a car deal. I don't ever want to just talk about the tools that we launch or implement, I want to know how to use them. It's really important that everyone knows how to use what we ask people to do. If you don't, I just feel like you lose a connection with that end user. Our sales associates, our techs and our advisors that give us the ability to do what we do. We can't ever lose perspective on that.
DEALER MAGAZINE: How does the dealership support the professional development of its employees?
Rohrman: We invest in employee growth, providing first-in-class training and development programs and offering several programs to assist employees and their families to ensure they feel supported in their professional and personal lives.
We also make sure that our employees feel empowered to make the automotive industry more than just a job—it can (and should be!) a profitable career path and a great way to support your family long-term. We have many employees, myself included, who have started in entry-level positions and worked our way up to leadership roles. Many of our directors have done just that, and I’m proud to call them colleagues and friends. I make sure to tell them I love them because I do. They are an integral part of what makes Rohrman Automotive Group so special and I want them to pass that along to the next generation as well.
My grandfather led this company until he was well into his 80’s. I’m only about halfway there, but none of us will live forever, so we need to make sure that the time we have with our dealership helps set up the next group to keep the legacy strong for generations to come.
The Bob Rohrman Legacy
DEALER MAGAZINE: Can you talk about a mentor who has been critical in your career?
Rohrman: My grandfather, Bob Rohrman, was a Founding Father of the automotive industry—I know I wouldn’t be where I am today or the leader I am without him laying the foundation for this business. He was an incredible, innovative businessman who truly wanted the best for people.
He started Rohrman Automotive Group more than 60 years ago by opening a used car lot in Lafayette, Indiana. Now there are more than 22 franchise car dealerships with our name on them in Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin – and that growth came under Bob’s tenure. He led with a primary focus on building relationships, something we continue to practice and teach to this day. He also made incredible investments in the communities Rohrman serves, a throughline that has only gotten stronger through our current charitable commitments to schools, hospitals and other charities.
DEALER MAGAZINE: How do you mentor others?
Rohrman: I mentor others on micro and macro levels, both within Rohrman and in the community.
In terms of macro mentoring, Rohrman hosts six events a year where I really focus on training and mentoring within the automotive group. Four of these events are our signature Recharge events, where I spend time with nearly every one of our 1,600 employees within the group. Within these events, I also share my vision and commitment for the organization so they understand what they can expect from me and what is expected of them.
The other two events are three-day “Summits” with my leadership team and executives, where we ensure we’re following through on our core values and purpose statements and look ahead. Additionally, every quarter I meet with the executive team and hold meetings with management at every single store. Together we review management responsibilities, key performance indicators, and utilize the program I created called The Infinite Pursuit, a framework by which we hold ourselves accountable.
On top of that, we have a Rohrman Academy app platform built from scratch to broadcast trainings, messages, vision, and more, which most employees interact with and benefit from 2-3 times per week.
On a micro level, I am currently mentoring a high school student. We meet on a bi-weekly basis and discuss performance development, business study, bible study, and mindset coaching, as well as discuss struggles with school, sports and life in general.
DEALER MAGAZINE: How do you prioritize community and philanthropic efforts?
Rohrman: Because of the brand recognition Rohrman enjoys today, we have tremendous responsibility and opportunity to serve others in big ways - from our team members to people in the communities we serve. We find huge purpose in partnering with local charities, many of whom are run by individuals who have experienced hardship themselves or who might be struggling to continue with their missions. We do our best to bring awareness to their work while also donating money and locking arms with them to be a true community partner. I use my position within the automotive group to bring goodness to our employees as well, continuously finding ways to celebrate and support them, and creating a working environment that allows people to thrive.
In December, we announced a $141,200 donation to Samaritan’s Purse to aid hurricane relief efforts in Florida - an amount we raised by donating $50 for every car sold in October. We had the opportunity to not only present the check to the organization’s leadership in Florida, but to help with boots-on-the-ground efforts and experience the devastation firsthand. It inspired us to think big in our efforts for 2025.
The Rohrman Difference
DEALER MAGAZINE: What values and principles drive your organization, and how do you ensure they are reflected in the day-to-day operations and interactions within the company?
Rohrman: Being servant-minded is a value that drives our organization, both within the walls of our dealerships and in the communities we serve. First, being servant-minded to our employees means putting our customers first, establishing trust and building relationships to ensure they have a positive car-buying or car-service experience. Second, we implement this principle across our Midwest communities, regularly sponsoring charitable events or donating money to causes we stand behind, such as Samaritan’s Purse, through our Rohrman Impact program.
Going hand-in-hand with being servant-minded is being personable. We keep the person at the heart of every interaction, working to understand their needs and how we can best help them - both customers and employees. I believe that every employee should know their leadership team and I work hard to stay in front of every person who works at Rohrman. As a leadership team, we understand their strengths and pain points, create opportunities for feedback, and create a supportive environment where our employees are having fun.
DEALER MAGAZINE: What are the key qualities you look for when you hire leaders for your team?
Rohrman: In my role, talent acquisition is a huge focus for me. I am a firm believer in a Top Grading strategy, where I focus on two main key variables when looking for talent: culture and performance.
The worst decisions as a leader are when I have hired because I have an open spot or hung on to the wrong person too long because I can't fill the spot. What I have learned from this is that we are better off to not hire because we need to fill a spot and not to be scared to part ways with someone because I can't fill that spot. Low Top Grading scores are extremely costly to our business model.
We look at an "A Player" as someone who first fits in with our culture of TIPS – Transparent, Innovative, Personable, and Servant-Minded, but at the same time achieves best-in-class performance key performance indicators in the role they are in. “A Players” in the Rohrman Group exemplify the TIPS traits. All TIPS traits are top-down behaviors. We are transparent with our employees and expect our employees to be transparent with our customers.
You can’t fix culture by saying we need to fix the culture. If we want to change the culture, it starts with leadership, with the people we hire, and the way that we train.
From the top, I am always striving to find and bring in the most innovative products in our industry, and we desire for our customers to have a state-of-the-art innovative experience as they engage with our staff. In the retail industry we have to be personable, this ties in with customer experience, because it has to be exceptional. Servant-Minded is simply putting others first, our employees and our customers. By putting all of these traits together, we are able to strive to be the best versions of ourselves.
Why a Career in Automotive
DEALER MAGAZINE: What is one thing you wish more people knew about the automotive industry today?
Rohrman: People who work in the automotive industry are more than the negative stereotypes that you may have seen in the media (I’m looking at you, ‘Tires’ show on Netflix). The industry as a whole has never been more committed to creating a welcoming, educational experience for the customer by enhancing the overall consumer experience and embracing technology to streamline our efforts. Our team at Rohrman Automotive Group strives to be on the cutting edge to keep the industry moving forward.
DEALER MAGAZINE: What advice would you give those entering the business?
Rohrman: I would encourage people to keep an open mind. I didn’t know I was “entering the business” when I was. After detailing cars as a teenager, I spent time turning wrenches in a body shop and worked as a quick lube technician before I went into sales—selling my first car at my dad’s used car dealership when I was 18 years old—but even then, I didn’t think this would be my career.
When I went to college, I was originally studying pre-med as a biology major but would come home in the summer and help out at the dealerships, which sold only used cars at the time. By the time I was getting ready to graduate, my grandfather started to talk about getting into the new car business, which is quite different than used, and made me consider cars being part of my career path. I cut my teeth at the Rohrman Honda store in Schaumburg, Illinois, which buys and sells the most cars of our auto groups. Side note: in 2024, we held a grand re-opening for our new Schaumburg Honda, which is the largest Honda dealership in the universe in square footage. This was initially envisioned by Bob and I was so excited to bring his dream to life!
From my start in Schaumburg, my career grew as I began to take on additional responsibilities and oversee more stores in my grandfather’s later years. While we knew he never planned on retiring, it was clear I would become the next predecessor to run the business due to my passion and commitment for reimagining the experience for my generation while leveraging the legacy he started. And years later – here I am. I am proud of my journey, even though I never imagined how it would turn out. So for anyone out there who is interested – give the automotive industry a chance. You never know where it could take you.
