The greater auto retail industry recently lost two heavyweights in products developer Jerry Lacour and F&I training leader Jim Ziegler.

Both men made lasting marks on a sector they devoted their careers to, and many colleagues have looked to them as examples of the right way to do business and represent one’s chosen field.

Lacour, lauded for his selflessness in a competitive market, made a lasting name for himself with creative products that became industry standbys and for his relational approach to business. He’d hop on a plane with little notice to meet with a client, and he declined to hold grudges. His integrity stood out in a sometimes dog-eat-dog economy. Lacour died at the ripe age of 89 after retiring in 2008, leaving his son Garret to carry on in his big footsteps.

Ziegler is remembered for championing his field with a gusto that was contagious, his energy rippling throughout the national web of fellow training specialists, product providers and administrators, and auto dealers. His passing after a battle with cancer was mourned as many in the industry gathered for this year’s Agent Summit in Las Vegas.

The two leaders’ legacies bring to mind the industry’s future. Where will it head with the new generations and the rise of artificial intelligence? It’s a good chance to reflect on how auto retail can develop its next chapter by building on the foundation that veterans like Lacour and Ziegler laid down. Their surviving colleagues can intentionally develop teams that foster the kind of people-first approaches the two men lived out in their work.

Company owners and managers would do themselves and their industry well by making a point of baking those principles into their cultures, emphasizing that their businesses aren’t about making money only but about leaving things better than they found them, particularly relationships. That, far more than financial bequests, is a legacy worth building.