Optimizing Compliance for a Large, Multi-Location Automotive Dealership

Client Profile

A major automotive dealership group, employing over 1,000 people and serving thousands of customers annually, faced mounting challenges in staying compliant with California’s ever-evolving automotive regulations. The high-turnover nature of the industry made it difficult to efficiently onboard new employees into compliance processes, and reliance on the corporate legal team for day-to-day compliance activities was unsustainable.

Recognizing the need for an expert-driven compliance solution, the dealership sought an external partner that could provide structured processes, robust compliance tools, and centralized documentation management to ensure consistency across locations.

Challenges

• Constantly evolving automotive regulations: The dealership needed a proactive approach to stay compliant without disrupting daily operations.
• High employee turnover: Ensuring new hires seamlessly integrated into compliance workflows was a recurring challenge.
• Overburdened corporate legal team: Routine compliance management was pulling resources away from strategic priorities.
• Decentralized document and renewal tracking: Licensing, permits, and certifications were difficult to monitor, increasing risk exposure.

Solution

To address these challenges, the dealership partnered with KPA for a comprehensive compliance solution tailored to their needs. Through a combination of expert consulting, industry-leading software, and structured compliance frameworks, KPA helped the dealership:

• Implement standardized compliance workflows in key areas, including Advertising, Sales, and Finance (ASF) and Environmental, Health, and Safety (EHS).
• Create well-defined processes to ensure seamless integration for new hires, reducing onboarding time and ensuring compliance from day one.
• Leverage robust privacy and safeguards tools, including structured templates and vendor management, to enhance compliance across multiple locations.
• Centralize compliance documentation, enabling easy tracking of permits, licenses, and certifications while automating renewal reminders to prevent regulatory lapses.
• Reduce dependency on corporate legal by equipping individual dealership locations with the tools and processes needed to handle compliance independently.

Results & Impact

• Significant reduction in litigation risks, ensuring better regulatory compliance and legal preparedness.
• Improved operational efficiency, freeing up corporate leadership to focus on emerging regulations and strategic growth.
• Increased issue resolution at the dealership level, reducing the need for corporate intervention.
• Simplified license and certification tracking, ensuring all compliance-related documents were up-to-date and easily accessible.
• Stronger compliance culture across locations, leading to more streamlined and effective operations.

A Smarter Approach to Dealership Compliance

By integrating KPA’s expert compliance consulting and software solutions, the dealership transformed its approach to regulatory management. Compliance is now embedded into daily operations, reducing risks while empowering employees to focus on delivering exceptional service.