USA Today and NADA Name First Dealer Innovation Award Winner
USA Today and the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) awarded the first annual Dealer Innovation Award March 25 to Fitzgerald Auto Malls of Gaithersburg, Md.
The award recognizes franchised new-vehicle dealers who have positively impacted their dealerships through the use of technology.
Fitzgerald Auto Malls uses a Matrix Pricing system -- a software application that automatically updates new vehicle prices to reflect market changes and ensure consistency on inventory pricing -- across Fitzgerald Auto Malls' Web site and showroom floor.
Jack Fitzgerald, chairman of Fitzgerald Auto Malls, received the award March 25 in a presentation on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange.
"Dealers are embracing new technologies to enhance their businesses, and we are pleased to join USA Today in paying tribute to those efforts," said H. Carter Myers III, NADA chairman.
More F&I

Sell Value, Build Trust
In this video, Trent White explains why selling on value, not fear, builds lasting customer trust, reduces cancellations, and drives long-term success.
Read More →
F&I Sales Give Dealers First-Half Lift
Product business shored up total profits to avoid an overall revenue tanking as product penetrations held steady, StoneEagle reported.
Read More →
Targeted Training Drives Results
Today’s technology, instead of threatening F&I managers, can actually make them better, according to an industry veteran who’s watched market setbacks roil the unprepared.
Read More →
Double the Change, Double the Chance
When an F&I manager gets a customer refusal, it’s a wise move to tweak more than one thing in the product offering.
Read More →
Just Do It
F&I managers need training, but instead of resisting application or expecting perfection, they should improve by simply acting on what they learn.
Read More →
Dealer Lender Preferences Revealed
When lenders provide consistent, fast service, their overall satisfaction scores with dealers greatly improve, according to JD Power research.
Read More →
Leading with Purpose
In this video, Trent White explains how understanding your people’s 'why' is a key leadership responsibility of F&I professionals and how that mindset drives dealership engagement, trust and performance.
Read More →
Integrating Nontraditional F&I Products
The niche presents a strategic advantage for auto dealerships as they move to adapt to fast-changing consumer expectations in today’s market.
Read More →
Trust Is Personal
Technology, no matter how efficient, can’t replace what the human F&I manager can do, which is to bridge the divide between cyberspace and the in-store experience.
Read More →
Amplify 2026 Billed as Turning Innovation Into Results
Reynolds and Reynolds says its annual retail summit will connect dealers with practical strategies, peer insight, and technology-driven ideas.
Read More →