The Leadership Network was held at The Westin at The Domain in Austin, Texas.
Ben Keating of Keating Auto Group led a discussion during the Tuesday morning session on the current state of the industry. He shared his personal story of his journey in the car industry, purchasing his first dealership in Port Lavaca in 2002. Over the last 24 years, the Keating Auto Group has grown to 30 dealerships with many ancillary businesses related to the retail automotive market, all of which are in Texas.
In addition to being passionate about the competitive nature of the retail car business, Ben is also a successful racing driver in endurance sports car racing all over the world.
Ben has won the Michelin North American Endurance Cup in five of the last six years. Ben won the GT-AM class in the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the World Championship in both 2022 and 2023. In 2026, Ben once again won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in a GT3 Corvette and is hopeful to finish off the season with another World Championship. Ben is the only American racing driver to have won two World Championships in the FIA World Endurance Championship (2022, 2023).
On Tuesday afternoon, Matthew Gillrie, CEO of Gillrie Institute, provided a practical, dealer-focused update on the current state of the major DMS platforms. Drawing on his work with thousands of dealerships nationwide, he covered key developments across the leading vendors, including:
- CDK’s ongoing debt situation and what it means for dealers
- AI adoption and capabilities across the major platforms
- Current market popularity and momentum of each vendor
- Other recent news and trends shaping the DMS landscape
In the evening, the group went to Topgolf for some light-hearted fun and great networking opportunities.
Wednesday morning, Karen Phillips, TADA Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Counsel, discussed current advertising issues and OCCC audits.
Thank you to everyone who attended this year’s TADA Leadership Network, and we can’t wait to see you again next year!
