Ed Hyde of Legacy Auto Group Found His Competitive Edge with VINCUE

In this episode of Cue the Next Leader, VINCUE CMO Michael Hopkins sits down with Ed Hyde, dealer principal at Legacy Nissan, Legacy Ford, Legacy GMC Chevrolet, and one of VINCUE’s longest-tenured customers.

Ed’s path to dealer principal is anything but conventional. It winds through a family grocery store, his dad’s transmission shop, a stint in the Marine Corps, and a used car lot he opened in 1997 before landing his first franchise store three years later. That grit and resourcefulness still defines how he runs his stores today.

In this conversation, Ed and Michael dig into the real challenges of multi-rooftop inventory management, why sourcing used cars remains the toughest puzzle in the business, and how Ed’s team is using VINCUE to gain a competitive edge that pricing tools alone can’t deliver. Ed also shares his take on AI, what he’s learned about building a team that grows together, and why transparency might be the most powerful tool any dealer has right now.

Managing four franchises across multiple rooftops isn’t something Ed stumbled into, it’s something he built deliberately, and intentionally kept lean. Rather than layering in middle management, his stores operate with general sales managers and service directors at each location, supported by a centralized accounting office and his wife as controller overseeing all business office operations.

The key metrics he’s watching across all of them? Turn rate, aging inventory, trade capture, gross profit, and how many deals include a trade-in. At his Nissan store alone, roughly 60% of new car deals come with a trade, making inventory sourcing a built-in advantage, but one that still requires constant attention.

“Sourcing inventory is a real tough thing to do. It’s tough for everybody, and it’s no different here,” Ed says.

Ed was an early adopter of inventory management technology, he started using legacy tools back in 2008 during the recession. At the time, it gave him a competitive edge. But as the tool became industry standard, that advantage disappeared, and he found himself in a race to the bottom on price.

When he came across VINCUE, he didn’t fully commit right away, he ran both tools simultaneously. But the depth of market-specific data, the ability to exclude specific dealers from comps, and the visibility into inventory across multiple rooftops quickly won him over. He shut off his old tool and never went back.

“VINCUE gave me the peace of mind to cut the cord,” Ed says. “That’s a pretty big deal when it’s the only tool you’ve had.”

One specific feature that made an immediate difference: the ability to block specific competitors from appearing in his comp set. If a nearby dealer specializes in salvage title vehicles, their prices shouldn’t be driving down Ed’s appraisals, and with VINCUE, they don’t.

Ed’s team has started using VINCUE’s service-to-sale functionality, with his BDC coordinating with service managers to identify vehicles in the drive worth pursuing. It’s still early, but the foundation is there, and Ed is intentional about how it’s deployed.

“I’m a little leery of too much high pressure in there. If someone comes in for an oil change, I don’t want to make them uncomfortable, but it’s good to let people know where they stand on their trade and their equity position,” he says.

His team now delivers pre-visit appraisals before customers even arrive for service, printing them off and presenting them on-site. It’s a low-pressure way to start a conversation, and one that VINCUE’s upcoming trade cycle management with conversational AI will only make more scalable.

When the conversation turns to AI, Ed’s perspective is grounded and practical. He doesn’t see it as a threat to jobs, he sees it as a force multiplier.

“I don’t feel like it’s going to eliminate any jobs. I think it’s just going to make everybody’s job better, easier,” he says. “It will always reach out to people if you tell it to, so I think that’s a way to start the conversation for sure.”

On the broader state of the industry, Ed is measured but optimistic. He’s watching EV demand settle in his market, southeast Kentucky skews heavily toward combustion engines, and keeping a close eye on tariffs and interest rates. But at the end of the day, his focus stays close to home.

“Transparency builds trust. And I think that’s what’s going to keep us moving in the right direction,” Ed says. “We all need to keep innovating and find a better way. That’s the main thing.”

Listen to the full episode to hear how Ed Hyde built Legacy Auto Group into a multi-rooftop operation powered by data, trust, and VINCUE. For more resources on strategy and operational excellence, visit our resources tab.