2026 Pub. 8 Issue 1

10 ©2026 New Car Dealers of Utah (NCDU) | MBR Connect™, formerly The newsLINK Group LLC. All rights reserved. Utah Auto Dealer is published four times per year 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 NCDU, 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. Utah Auto Dealer is a collective work, and as such, some articles are submitted by authors who are independent of NCDU. 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 (801) 676-9722. 12 6 CONTENTSPUB. 8 2026 ISSUE 1 EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE 4 Your Association at Work By Jason Bickmore, Executive Director, NCDU 6 2027 TIME Dealer of the Year Nominee Michael Smith 8 FTC Issues Dealer Advertising FAQs By Brad Miller, Co-CEO & Chief Legal Officer, ComplyAuto 10 Is Your Dealership Ready to Explore Alternative Benefits Strategies? By HUB International 12 Winning Back Vehicle Owners The Service Experience Is the Product By Sean Reyes, Chief Marketing Officer, Armatus Dealer Uplift 16 CFO Insights: AI in the Automotive Dealership By Forvis Mazars 19 Driving Utah’s Economy Annual Contributions of Utah’s New-Car Dealers 3 UTAH AUTO DEALER

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