TORRANCE, Calif. — Results for the 2013 F&Idol contest are in. And for the first time in the contest’s three-year history, a single contestant took three out of the five categories.

There were other firsts for the IAS-sponsored F&Idol contest. For the first time, four out of the five categories were won by contestants employed by the same dealer group. This year’s contest also boasted a female winner in four out of the five categories.

In July, readers of F&I and Showroom magazine were asked to submit their best on-camera pitch in the following categories: Vehicle Service Contract, Tire & Wheel, Key Replacement, F&I Product for Lease Customers and an open category.

Video entries had to be less than five minutes long, and show the producer handling at least two customer objections. Submission were reviewed by a panel of seven judges, including Bob Corbin of IAS, F&I and Showroom’s Gregory Arroyo and Mad Marv Eleazer, F&I trainer Rick McCormick of Reahard & Associates, Great Lakes Companies’ Steve Veldkamp, Reynolds and Reynolds Co.’s Terry O’Loughlin, and United Development Systems’ Randy Crisorio.  

The following are this year’s category winners:

• Vehicle Service Contract: Stephanie Cooper, Timbrook Automotive, Cumberland, Md.

• Tire & Wheel (Tie): Candy Serra and Jeremey Johnston, Suburban Ford of Sterling Heights, Mich.

• Key Replacement: Candy Serra, Suburban Ford of Sterling Heights, Mich.

• F&I Product for Lease Customers: Candy Serra, Suburban Ford of Sterling Heights, Mich.

• Other Category: Jeremey Johnston, Suburban Ford of Sterling Heights, Mich.

These three finalists are now in the running for the overall F&Idol award, which, for the first time, will be decided by attendees of the 2013 F&I Conference and Expo. During a special lunchtime ceremony on Tuesday, Sept. 17, at 12 p.m., attendees will be asked to review and vote on the best F&I presentation. The winner will be named shortly after the votes are cast.

The F&I Conference is one of three shows being hosted at Industry Summit 2013, which is being held at the Paris Las Vegas hotel Sept. 16-18. For more information, visit www.industrysummit.com.