Summit and Forum Speakers
Mark Iuppenlatz is the Vice President of Corporate Development for Group 1 Automotive, Inc., an NYSE traded company focused on the automotive retail business. Revenues at GPI exceed $9 billion and the company has approximately 10,000 employees. Mr. Iuppenlatz manages the international business mergers/acquisitions group, the construction department ($120 million in annual construction spend), real estate department (portfolio of over $1.5 billion in assets), and the purchasing department.
George Karolis serves as Asbury Automotive Group’s Vice President of Corporate Development and Real Estate, and is responsible for acquisitions and divestitures, managing the company’s real estate portfolio, construction projects, purchasing, and other strategic initiatives. Mr. Karolis joined Asbury in 2000. Mr. Karolis graduated from Seton Hall University and is a Certified Public Accountant.
Raul Rodriguez has led the valuation, negotiation, due diligence, and integration of over 100 acquisition and divestiture transactions. For AutoNation, Inc., Mr. Rodriguez leads the mergers and acquisitions efforts for the largest automotive retailer in the United States. Since his arrival in 2012, AutoNation has acquired or announced acquisitions of 40 stores generating $3.1 billion in annual revenue. Mr. Rodriguez earned his Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Master of Science in Accounting at Florida International University. He is a licensed Certified Public Accountant in the State of Florida.
Franklin McLarty is the founding executive and the current CEO of RML Automotive Holdings (“RML”), the nation’s 19th largest automotive dealership group according to Automotive News. Since joining RML’s predecessor firm, McLarty-Landers LLC in 2005, McLarty has been directly involved in all aspects of the company’s growth into one of the country’s largest automotive retailers.
Scott Earthy is the Managing Partner of Fremont Private Holdings, the direct investment division of the family office for the San Francisco based Bechtel family. Prior to joining Fremont, Scott was a Managing Director and a member of the Investment Committee at Ingleside Investors. A native of Vancouver, Canada, Scott holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Queen’s University and an MBA from Stanford University.
Rick Ford has over 30 years of automotive management experience including extensive experience with AutoNation and Sonic Automotive. Mr. Ford has held every dealership management position, from sales to GM, giving him an in-depth understanding of every facet of the business. He resides in the Dallas area with his wife and daughter. He also has two grown sons and two grandchildren.
Bill Buckingham changed career paths in 1992 from engineering to the automotive industry when he joined his in-laws at Mike Davidson Ford, a family-owned and operated dealership since 1934. For 23 years, he served in various roles at the dealership before becoming General Manager. In 2002, after his father-in-law’s death, Mr. Buckingham was named Dealer Principal, a position he held until 2015 when the family business was sold to Asbury Automotive Group. He served two terms as President of the Jacksonville Auto Dealers Association and has represented NADA as a delegate in Washington, D.C.
Charlie Fenwick’s experience in the automotive industry spans over three decades. In addition to his position as President and GM, Mr. Fenwick has served as the Director of the Maryland New Car & Truck Dealers Association, and is active in many civic organizations. He earned the Sports Illustrated Dealer of the Year in 1986, and is a graduate of Trinity College in Hartford, CT. He and his wife, Sherry, have three children.
Charlie Tomm was President and CEO of Brumos Automotive (two Mercedes-Benz, one Porsche, two Lexus stores, and a collision center) from January 2009 until February 2016, when the company’s assets and operations were sold to Fields Auto Group. He is a trustee of Mayo Clinic, and a trustee of Jacksonville University. Mr. Tomm served on the Navy’s only troop-carrying submarine as a diver and officer from 1968 to 1972. He received his undergraduate and law degrees from Washington & Lee University and a master of laws in taxation from New York University. He is married to the former Anita deSaussure and has three children.