The 2024 Dealership Minds Summit, held at the Marriott Hotel & Conference Center in Madison, Wis., on August 6-7, drew a crowd of 219 attendees — including 88 first-timers — from 45 different dealerships across the United States and Canada.

I have to admit that in nearly 20 years of covering the business and as a business owner myself, there’s a heaping helping of skepticism on the subject of the viability of the company store.