The Dealer Lab

28 | Jamie Dewar: Legend Boats CEO talks AI

Reimagining Dealerships with AI Agents | Jamie Dewar (Legend Boats) with Max Materne & Danny FrenchMax Materne and Danny French interview Jamie Dewar, co-CEO of Legend Boats, about how AI, vibe coding, and agents are reshaping dealerships and manufacturer-dealer operations. Dewar explains Legend’s unique model as a manufacturer, distributor, wholesaler, and direct-to-consumer retailer with four stores and a Canada-wide dealer network, and shares the company’s history from tires and RVs to launching the Legend brand in the mid-’80s. The conversation covers Dewar’s technical/business background, rapid prototyping of internal tools like menu selling/desking and brokerage-style workflows, and the challenge of integrating many small apps through shared data, with Legend using Salesforce as a backend and APIs, anticipating Salesforce’s Headless 360. They discuss an “agentic enterprise” future where humans manage agents that handle repetitive admin work, enabling staff to focus on customer experience, and Dewar outlines plans to rebuild the premium Vetta pontoon brand’s partner and customer experience using AI-built digital tools.00:00 Dealership Reimagined02:11 Meet Jamie Dewar03:10 Legend Boats Overview04:55 Marine Industry Challenges05:49 From Tires to Boats07:57 Culture of Pivots09:31 Jamies Tech Background11:11 Second Generation Leadership12:59 Vibe Coding Explained14:13 First Tools Built16:18 Integration Strategy19:58 Salesforce as Backend21:50 Headless CRM Agents25:00 Local Agents via Slack27:38 Beyond SaaS Interfaces32:37 AI Native Dealerships33:42 Build vs Buy Reality34:43 Agent Layer Over Tools37:27 Understaffed or Underleveraged40:13 Personal Agent Wins42:17 Rapid Prototyping Culture45:40 Quick Win Dealer Tools47:06 Scraping DMS for Quotes49:34 Data Quality and Trust50:00 Training Agents with Docs56:18 Task Based Agent Teams59:23 Vetta Brand Experience Rebuild01:01:37 Next Steps and Wrap Up

27 | Steve Radt: Norton Motorcycles USA CEO

Norton Motorcycles USA CEO Steve Radt on Bringing Norton Back to America, TVS Backing, and the Future of Dealer ExperienceSteve Radt, Norton Motorcycles USA’s first hire and CEO, discusses building Norton’s U.S. subsidiary from scratch (LLC, licensing, homologation, facility, staffing, and dealer strategy) and Norton’s plan to return to the U.S. market. He recounts his background in mechanical engineering, early Ducati roles, turning around and later selling Ducati/Triumph New York, and his work growing Polestar’s dealer network. Radt explains Norton’s revival under TVS, including $300M invested, UK-based design/testing and manufacturing in Solihull for the V4 Manx R, with additional production planned in Hosur, India, and details TVS’s scale, quality culture, and BMW contract manufacturing. He outlines a franchise-dealer approach, a planned U.S. launch target of November, a three-year/36,000-mile warranty, and a focus on reducing purchase/service friction through technology to improve ownership experience.00:00 Big Norton Ambitions01:42 Meet Steve Radt02:22 Norton NYC Backdrop04:23 Restoration Shop Culture05:47 Building Norton USA08:06 Jersey City HQ Plans10:30 Engineering Roots Ducati Dream12:25 Cagiva Chaos Typewriter Era15:25 Back to Ducati Consulting Rise20:47 Leaving Ducati Startup Detour22:03 Saving Ducati New York25:40 Mototainment Dealer Success27:02 NYC Parking Tickets Elevator29:51 Selling During COVID Surge32:52 Polestar EV Network Growth34:30 Why Return to Norton37:10 TVS Buys And Invests43:07 TVS Legacy and Halo43:45 Quality Roots and Kaizen50:19 Bus Line Origin Story52:14 Norton Leadership Bench55:02 Engineering Muscle in Bologna56:27 Manx R Launch Timeline57:21 Building the US Dealer Network01:01:39 Frictionless Buying with Tech01:05:48 Dealer Model and Norton Hub01:10:49 Factory Scale and Logistics01:12:12 Future Dealerships and AI01:30:05 Product Roadmap and Accessibility01:35:06 Closing Thoughts and Thanks

26 | Brendan Baker: Powersports Business Editor in Chief

Brendan Baker on Racing Roots, B2B Publishing, and the Future of Powersports Dealerships Max Materne and Danny French interview Brendan Baker, editor-in-chief of Power Sports Business, covering his publishing career that began after a family racing team ran out of money and his dad launched magazines, including Akron Business Magazine, to fund racing. Baker recounts early years in quarter midgets, karts, and road racing, working as a counterman and mechanic, and later writing for automotive B2B titles like Engine Builder and Counterman. The conversation shifts to the current powersports market, including dealership closures, Harley-Davidson network contraction, and large groups like Sonic acquiring stores and selling 1,100 motorcycles at Sturgis, aided by tools like One Dealer Lane. They discuss challenges in service and parts, low technician pay, staff turnover, and how AI could reduce administrative work to improve customer experience and help dealerships retain talent. 00:00 Racing Needs Money 00:11 Dad Starts A Magazine 04:19 Lost Podcast Callback 06:57 Accidental Publishing Career 07:45 Racing Roots And Team 12:06 Akron Business Magazine 15:31 Automotive Publishing Shift 17:04 Gas Station Side Hustle 20:10 Engine Builder And Blueprinting 24:53 Counterman And Parts Lore 33:03 Closing The Parts Store 34:18 Dealership Closures Today 37:36 Dealers Under Pressure 38:03 Sonic Buys Power Sports 44:40 Auto Groups Struggle Here 47:16 Sturgis Sales Machine 47:30 One Dealer Lane Speed 50:23 Fixing Service And Parts 53:36 Keeping Great Advisors 01:00:05 Tech Exodus And Pay 01:03:52 AI To Remove Admin Work 01:12:40 Next Wave For Dealers 01:15:42 Wrap Up And Thanks

25 | Jason White: Fay Myers & One Dealer Lane

Jason White on AI, One Dealer Lane, and Digitizing the Powersports Dealership ExperienceMax Materne and Danny French interview Jason White, managing partner of Fay Myers Motorcycle World in Denver and a VP within the fourth-generation Schomp Automotive Group, about why AI will reshape dealerships and why operators must engage or be left behind. White explains his role in automotive software A to Z Sync and the creation of One Dealer Lane (ODL), a powersports-focused middleware platform built after A to Z Sync couldn’t be adapted to powersports needs like VIN decoding, taxation, and rate/remittance. He describes ODL’s modular “lanes,” its growth from in-store pilots to dozens of dealerships and major events like Sturgis, and the change-management challenges of moving staff from paper and desktops to iPads. The conversation covers digitizing sales and compliance, integrating with Lightspeed, using AI in service (Blink AI scheduling/texting, See It Now video walkarounds), AI assistants in sales follow-up, data normalization issues, and the future of agents, training, and end-to-end digital transactions. 00:00 AI Is Not A Fad01:58 Meet The Guests 03:36 Jason’s Roles And Background 06:29 From AtoZ Sync To One Dealer Lane 10:14 Building ODL For Powersports 14:23 Scaling ODL With Dealers 17:22 Change Management In Stores 24:10 One Price One Profit Model 28:29 Inventory Pricing And Data Gaps 36:27 Removing Friction For Staff 41:34 AI In The Dealership Today 42:25 Blink AI Service Scheduling 46:09 Lightspeed Integration Outlook 47:02 API Fees and Workarounds 48:44 Video Walkarounds and Integrations 49:43 Sales AI Assistant in CRM 53:19 Data Normalization Challenges 56:00 Local AI Agents for Service 01:01:01 Service Videos and Upsell Trust 01:05:10 Digitizing the Full Deal 01:10:32 Amazon Effect and Industry Change 01:19:08 Dealer Advice for AI Adoption 01:27:15 Privacy Risks and Wrap Up

24 | Oz Osburn: GM of Motohouse

From Marine to GM: Oz Osburn on Building a Powersports Dealership, Leading Teams, and Using AIOz Osburn discusses his career path from Marine Corps infantry to law enforcement, then into automotive service and management in Colorado, including managing a high-volume Ford service operation, before moving to Mississippi and briefly working at a Ford dealer in Metairie. He joined MotoHouse in early 2022 as the store was being built and opened, initially servicing Can-Am before adding Polaris, CFMoto, Yamaha, Sea-Doo, and other lines, and he explains key differences between automotive and powersports service such as diagnostic complexity, parts lead times, and warranty gray areas. Oz describes being promoted to general manager in May 2024, absorbing multiple department responsibilities amid staffing changes, focusing on numbers, staffing, and performance. He also covers hiring challenges, team dynamics, inventory aging/seasonality pricing decisions, and how AI and a new CRM are being used to manage customer follow-up, transparency, and accountability.00:00 Jumping In Headfirst03:02 Origin of Oz04:43 Mississippi Connections06:00 Colorado to Marines06:28 Cop to Car Sales08:38 Climbing Service Ranks09:16 Running Mega Service Drive12:25 Move to Mississippi Fast13:33 Metairie Culture Shock15:39 Indeed to Moto House18:22 Opening Store From Scratch20:34 Mud Builds and Warranty Gray24:24 Diagnostics and Parts Delays26:33 Customer Emotions and Ops29:40 Adding Brands and Growth30:45 Service Lines and PWC Flow31:01 Small Shop Staffing31:35 Service Org Chart Explained32:45 From Service to GM34:56 Wearing Every Hat37:18 Hiring Travis into Service38:59 Niagara Falls Learning Curve40:06 Math Over Feelings42:59 Pricing and Floorplan Reality48:02 Seasonality and MAP Limits51:31 Service Manager Skills as GM56:45 Dispatch and Tech Motivation01:05:41 Coordinator Pipeline and Hiring01:07:30 Sales Team Pressure Culture01:09:18 Hiring Sales Risks01:10:33 Empathy Versus Accountability01:12:18 Setting Effort Expectations01:14:24 AI CRM Customer Mining01:16:41 Sales Transparency With AI01:24:39 AI For Reviews And Texting01:28:21 Agentic AI For Service01:35:12 Future Roles And Silos01:44:59 Outsourcing Warranty Claims01:47:05 Efficiency And Closing Thoughts