©2025 The Louisiana Automobile Dealers Association (LADA) | The newsLINK Group LLC. All rights reserved. Up to Speed is published four times per year by The newsLINK Group LLC for LADA and is the official publication for this association. The information contained in this publication is intended to provide general information for review, consideration and education. The contents do not constitute legal advice and should not be relied on as such. If you need legal advice or assistance, it is strongly recommended that you contact an attorney as to your circumstances. The statements and opinions expressed in this publication are those of the individual authors and do not necessarily represent the views of LADA, its board of directors or the publisher. Likewise, the appearance of advertisements within this publication does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation of any product or service advertised. Up to Speed is a collective work, and as such, some articles are submitted by authors who are independent of LADA. While a first-print policy is encouraged, in cases where this is not possible, every effort has been made to comply with any known reprint guidelines or restrictions. Content may not be reproduced or reprinted without prior written permission. For further information, please contact the publisher at (855) 747-4003. 2025-2027 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Patton Fritze Red River Chevrolet Chairman Rand Alford Alford Motors Inc. Vice Chairman, District 15 Ryan LeBlanc Sterling Automotive Group Treasurer, District 5 Kristie M. Hebert Arceneaux Ford Immediate Past Chairwoman Lawrence S. Searcy Jr. Walker Automotive District 8 Clint Hixson Hixson Autoplex of Alexandria District 16 Mark A. Hebert Sr. Hebert’s Town & Country Ford Lincoln NADA State Director OUR TEAM Coulter McMahen President/CEO Katherine Carver Director of Events and Communications Alexandra Hughes Director of Membership Cecilia Shahrdar Member Services Coordinator Mignon LaBorde Administrative Assistant A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT 4 A National Challenge to the Franchise System By Coulter McMahen, President/CEO, LADA 7 Ransomware A Response Plan Is Essential for Auto Dealers By Bank of America 10 Politics, Protests and Posts What Employers Can (and Can’t) Do About Employee Speech in a Polarized Climate By Fisher Phillips 17 Workplace Violence and the Risk to Dealerships 20 Fine‑Tuned F&I Machine! By Jason Rasti, Executive Vice President, The LDS Group 22 Driving Louisiana’s Economy Annual Contribution of Louisiana’s New-Car Dealers 24 Is Your Vendor Cutting Corners with AI? The High Cost of Poorly Implemented “Innovation” in Warranty Reimbursement By Jordan Jankowski, Chief Operating Officer, Armatus Dealer Uplift 28 Louisiana Automobile Dealers Self-Insurers’ Trust Fund 30 We Want To Hear From You! CONTENTS 3
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