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50+ Dealerships Later: The Car Business Lessons of an Industry Legend | John Bergstrom, Executive Chairman of Bergstrom Automotive

Car Dealership Guy Podcast Aug 26, 2025 62 min

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About this episode

John Bergstrom, Executive Chairman of Bergstrom Automotive, shares insights from over 50 years in the dealership business. He discusses the strategies behind his company's rapid growth, the importance of customer relationships, and adapting to industry challenges like tariffs and electric vehicles. Bergstrom emphasizes the value of treating customers with care and respect, which has been key to his success. He also touches on the future of the automotive industry, the significance of community involvement, and the lessons learned throughout his career.

Topics: customer relationships dealership growth tariffs impact electric vehicles community involvement business strategies company culture leadership lessons

Cars: Cadillac Escalade Chevrolet Tahoe Ford Expedition

Today I’m joined by John Bergstrom, Executive Chairman of Bergstrom Automotive. We discuss his legendary 50 year career in the car business, the exponential growth curve his dealership empire is on, Why he has no plans for retirement – and much more. This episode is brought to you by: 1. Impel - Impel AI helps you drive loyalty with proactive, personalized service outreach that scales seamlessly. From service milestones to recall alerts and tailored incentives, Impel makes service outreach feel more like a concierge service than marketing. With AI-powered service scheduling via text and email—your team can stop managing calendars and focus on delivering exceptional customer experiences. Future-proof your service drive today. Visit @ https://carguymedia.com/40nWpRj 2. OPENLANE – The world’s best online dealer marketplace for used cars, bringing you exclusive inventory, simple transactions, and better outcomes. Learn more @ https://www.openlane.com 3. CDG Dealer Consulting - The right tech can make or break your dealership—so don’t guess, and don’t go it alone. Backed by insights from 500+ dealerships, CDG Dealer Consulting audits your tech stack, recommends the right products and vendors, and secures guaranteed best pricing. Our team then guides rollout and integration, helping you avoid costly mistakes and hit the ground running. Discover dealership tech that actually works @ http://www.cdgdealerconsulting.com Check out Car Dealership Guy’s stuff: For dealers: Industry job board ➤ ⁠⁠⁠http://jobs.dealershipguy.com⁠⁠⁠ Dealership recruiting ➤ ⁠⁠⁠http://www.cdgrecruiting.com⁠⁠⁠ Fix your dealership’s social media ➤ ⁠⁠⁠http://www.trynomad.co⁠⁠⁠ Request to be a podcast guest ➤ ⁠⁠⁠http://www.cdgguest.com⁠⁠⁠ For industry vendors: Advertise with Car Dealership Guy ➤ ⁠⁠⁠http://www.cdgpartner.com⁠⁠⁠ Industry job board ➤ ⁠⁠⁠http://jobs.dealershipguy.com⁠⁠⁠ Request to be a podcast guest ➤ ⁠⁠⁠http://www.cdgguest.com⁠⁠⁠ Topics: 00:07 Key to 52 years in auto? 01:08 How did you overcome early challenges? 05:10 Secrets to bar business success? 09:23 Building a successful dealership how? 18:47 Why are community relationships vital? 33:37 Lessons from 30 years with Packers? 35:06 NFL vs. auto dealership management? 38:31 Overcoming major health challenges? 49:40 Future of the auto industry? Car Dealership Guy Socials: X ➤ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠x.com/GuyDealership⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Instagram ➤ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠instagram.com/cardealershipguy/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ TikTok ➤ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tiktok.com/@guydealership⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ LinkedIn ➤ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠linkedin.com/company/cardealershipguy⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Threads ➤ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠threads.net/@cardealershipguy⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Facebook ➤ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠facebook.com/profile.php?id=100077402857683⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Everything else ➤ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠dealershipguy.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Technical Too Afraid to Ask

IFCAR (Public domain)

Car

Chevrolet Tahoe

"...arge SUV and you get an in and out of a Chevrolet Tahoe or a Denali, maybe, or an Escalade, or Ford's new..."

Baron Maddock (CC BY 4.0)

Car

Cadillac Escalade

"...ut of a Chevrolet Tahoe or a Denali, maybe, or an Escalade, or Ford's new Expedition, those are the best spo..."

OWS Photography (CC BY 4.0)

Car

Ford Expedition

"...or a Denali, maybe, or an Escalade, or Ford's new Expedition, those are the best sport utilities in the world."

3 cars

3 cars featured

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