DALLAS — Organizers of F&I Think Tank, an F&I manager-geared event created in partnership with “Mad” Marv Eleazer’s Ethical F&I Managers (EFI) Facebook group, announced a new partnership with F&I trainer Shaka Dyson and his F&I 20 Group — a social media group that includes more than 10,000 members.

Dyson, founder and CEO of Dealer F&I University, launched F&I 20 Group in February 2015 as an online fraternity of F&I managers, all of whom will have the opportunity to meet in person at F&I Think Tank. The daylong event will be held on Thursday, Sept. 14, as part of Industry Summit 2017 at the Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center in Dallas.

“We created F&I Think Tank to be a different type of event, one where F&I professionals could come together to share ideas and techniques, discuss current and future challenges, and to just be surrounded by professionals facing the same daily pressures and situations,” said Gregory Arroyo, F&I Think Tank’s show chair and editorial director of F&I and Showroom and Auto Dealer Today magazines. “With Shaka’s F&I 20 Group and Marv’s EFI group, we now have two of the industry’s premier social media groups for F&I managers tied to what I expect will be a stellar event.”

Dyson will take part in two F&I Think Tank sessions:  “Relationships Matter Again” and “Shark Tank.” During the prior, the F&I trainer will lead a panel of auto finance insiders as they delve into the recent retreat by auto lenders from the high-risk tiers to explain why lender relations and portfolio management matter once again. The panel will also engage the audience in an intelligence-sharing discussion, as attendees will gain insights on which finance sources are active and in what credit spectrum.

The F&I trainer will also join a panel of five top F&I trainers serving on Shark Tank, a “stump the pro”-type session that will have panelists fielding tough-to-handle customer objections from the audience. The panel will also offer their advice on common departmental issues and more.

“I’m excited to be joining the F&I Think Tank roster, and I’m honored to forge this alliance between F&I and Showroom and my F&I 20 Group,” said Dyson. “I created the group two years ago to give F&I professionals a place to call their own, and to share ideas and techniques. Now we’re bringing those discussions to Dallas for this very special event.”

Dyson describes himself as a “national record-breaking F&I trainer” with more than 17 years of “true in-dealership experience.” He started selling cars in 1999 at the age of 21 and became an F&I manager two years later. He quickly moved up the ranks, serving as finance director, platform finance director, and eventually general sales manager before joining Chicago’s Napleton Automotive Group as corporate finance trainer and corporate finance director.

The F&I trainer oversaw 26 finance departments and 58 finance managers during his three-year tenure at Napleton. He left the group in November 2015 to found Dealer F&I University, an F&I training company he launched in March 2016.

“F&I Think Tank’s 2016 debut was groundbreaking. The talent in the room was impressive, and the discussions were on point,” said David Gesualdo, Industry Summit show chair and publisher of F&I and Showroom and Auto Dealer Today magazines. “Now we’re adding Shaka, a high-energy F&I trainer, and his F&I 20 Group to what promises to be an unforgettable event. We’re extremely excited to have them onboard.”

Registration for Industry Summit 2017 is open at the event’s website. Attendees who register by Aug. 11 will enjoy a $100 discount. To discuss sponsorship and exhibition opportunities, contact David Gesualdo at (727) 947-4027 or via email.