Jeff Salzenstein: Own Your Zone
Monday’s General Session featured Jeff Salzenstein, a former Top 100 professional tennis player, Stanford All-American and leadership speaker who has spent his career studying what separates people who hold up under pressure from people who don’t.
His answer, drawn from years on tour, had less to do with talent than with what you do in the seconds before the point starts. Salzenstein pushed attendees to be deliberate about mindset, energy and purpose rather than treating them as things that either show up or don’t, and he didn’t let anyone stay in their seat while he did it. A “hop and shake” exercise got the room on its feet to physically knock loose the tension it had been carrying.
The takeaway for a room full of dealers: Results are the output. Habits and mindset are the input, and they’re the part you actually control.
Additional Industry Updates
Congressman David Rouzer, representing North Carolina’s 7th District, gave members a read on Washington and what it means for the franchised automotive industry. His update covered regulatory policy, infrastructure and the issues facing North Carolina businesses, along with a frank assessment of what’s moving and what isn’t. Brad Miller, CEO of ComplyAuto and former NADA chief regulatory counsel, brought members up to speed on an advertising compliance environment that is continually evolving. Miller walked through recent federal enforcement activity and laid out where dealers are most exposed. He covered the common failure points, the practices that hold up under scrutiny, and the steps a store can take now rather than after a letter arrives. In another update, Caitlin Leith Fisher of Data Drive Marketing explored the growing role of artificial intelligence in dealerships and the importance of knowing how to delegate to it: what to hand off, what direction to give and where the guardrails go. Fisher walked through where AI genuinely helps a dealership and where human judgment stays non-negotiable. Her conclusion was that AI will not replace great dealers or employees. It will separate the ones who learn to use it from the ones who don’t, while the thing that actually wins customers, relationships and service stays exactly where it has always been.
State of the Association
The Annual Meeting gave members a look at where NCADA stands and what’s still in front of it, and it was also where members approved the incoming 2026-2027 Officers.
Chairman Rob King reflected on the year’s accomplishments and thanking the members, leadership and partners who did the work. His remarks came back repeatedly to dealer unity: the simple truth that the association is only as strong as the dealers who stand behind it.
President John Policastro reported on the association’s work advocating for North Carolina’s franchised dealers over the past year, pointing to member engagement, advocacy results, and the programs and services built to support stores across the state.
