TORRANCE, Calif. — The deadline to nominate a dealership for F&I and Showroom magazine's 2013 F&I Dealer of the Year Award is this Friday, July 26. The award will be handed out during a special lunchtime ceremony scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 17, at Industry Summit 2013.

Sponsored by The Warranty Group, the F&I Dealer of the Year award is handed out annually to a dealership touting a highly profitable F&I department that also demonstrates a commitment to a customer-centric F&I process.

Dealership employees, general agents, F&I product providers and dealership vendors are encouraged to nominate their dealerships and customers for the award. Deadline to submit a nomination is Friday, July 26, 2013.

“This is the part of the job I enjoy most, being able to meet and honor the best F&I operation in the nation,” said Gregory Arroyo, executive editor of F&I and Showroom magazine. “We’re simply looking for a high-performing F&I department that can demonstrate to us a commitment to regulatory compliance, ethics and a customer-centric sales and F&I process. If that’s your dealership, then nominate it today.”

Past winners of the award include Dick Hannah Dealerships, Lithia Motors Inc., Riverside Auto Group, The Suburban Collection and Tuttle-Click Automotive Group.

The magazine will first select five F&I Pacesetters of the Year, which will serve as finalists for the coveted F&I Dealer of the Year award. Individuals representing the five dealerships will be invited to Industry Summit 2013, where they’ll also be recognized and honored during the luncheon ceremony. Pacesetters also will receive a two-night stay at the Paris Las Vegas Hotel and a complimentary full-conference pass.

Those selected as F&I Pacesetters will also be profiled in the magazine’s September edition and its special conference issue.

At the conclusion of the special luncheon ceremony, one F&I Pacesetter will be named the 2013 F&I Dealer of the Year. That dealership will appear on the cover of the magazine’s November issue, which will include a four-page profile on the dealership’s sales and F&I operation.

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