How Family Turmoil—And A Patriarch’s Dying Wish—Sparked A Bold New Chapter For Crain Automotive | Christian Crain, VP of Operations at Crain Automotive

Today I’m joined by Christian Crain, VP of Operations at Crain Automotive — a 16-store dealer group based in Arkansas. We dig into a story that’s both unique and all too common in the car business: generational turmoil, how control can fracture a family, what it takes for the next generation to rebuild and much more. CDG's Automotive Tariff Tracker mentioned in this episode: https://news.dealershipguy.com/p/breaking-cdg-s-automaker-tariff-tracker-is-here-2025-04-03 This episode is brought to you by: 1. Qmerit - Selling EVs can have a lot of friction points. But home charging installation shouldn’t be one of them. That’s why dealers and automakers trust Qmerit—the go-to expert for home charging installations. Join Qmerit’s dealership partner program and start earning referral incentives on every installation. Visit @ https://www.qmerit.com/carguy to learn more. 2. CDK Global - CDK Global is the go-to tech partner for car dealers and automakers. Beyond top-tier software, their Research and Insights team delivers powerful reports year-round—like the Friction Points study, revealing what slows down the buying process and why F&I still matters. Want the full report? Learn more @ https://www.CDK.com/insights 3. CDG Recruiting - The Go-To Talent Partner for Dealers. Hire pre-vetted GMs, sales, F&I, fixed ops, C-suite, and back-office talent—ready to perform. Faster hires, better results. Book a call → http://www.CDGRecruiting.com 🚨 Don’t forget to subscribe to Car Dealership Guy Bites, for quick, daily insights into automotive retail — delivered in less than 5 minutes: Subscribe on Apple: https://carguymedia.com/apple_bites Subscribe on Spotify: https://carguymedia.com/spotify_bites Subscribe on YouTube: https://carguymedia.com/youtube_bites Need help finding top automotive talent? Get started here: https://www.cdgrecruiting.com/ Interested in advertising with Car Dealership Guy? Drop us a line here: https://cdgpartner.com Interested in being considered as a guest on the podcast? Add your name here: https://bit.ly/3Suismu Topics: 00:20 – How have tariffs impacted dealership operations? 02:35 – What shaped this family automotive legacy? 05:05 – How do family dynamics affect business decisions? 10:16 – What leadership changes drove transformation? 18:28 – Which technologies revolutionized your operations? 23:18 – What were your first critical challenges? 24:57 – How do you elevate customer experience? 29:26 – Why are OEM relationships crucial? 38:09 – What's your vision for strategic growth? Check out Car Dealership Guy’s stuff: CDG News ➤ https://news.dealershipguy.com/ CDG Jobs ➤ https://jobs.dealershipguy.com/ CDG Recruiting ➤ https://www.cdgrecruiting.com/ My 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 This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as a basis for investment decisions.