Ryan Junek of Junek CDJR on Rural Dealerships, Legacy, and VINCUE

In this episode of Cue the Next Leader, VINCUE CMO Michael Hopkins sits down with Ryan Junek, owner and GM at Junek CDJR in Spearfish, South Dakota, a fourth-generation automotive family whose roots in the Black Hills go back to a broken-down Model T in the late 1930s.

Ryan’s story isn’t just about cars. It’s about a family that lost everything farming in 1929, rebuilt from a gas station on a highway corner, and kept going through every wave of industry change since. That same resilience shapes how Ryan runs his store today, lean, loyal, and deeply connected to his community.

In this conversation, Ryan and Michael dig into what it’s really like to compete as a single-rooftop dealer in a market packed with big groups, why used car acquisition in a rural area is a fundamentally different challenge, and how VINCUE helped him more than triple his monthly appraisal volume in under a year. He also shares his perspective on what small-town dealers have that no consolidator can replicate, and what he’s watching as the industry keeps evolving.

Ryan has been the dealer principal at Junek CDJR since 1998, operating out of the same city block his family has occupied for nearly 90 years. His showroom is a converted Piggly Wiggly. His service department was built in 1951. And in a 200-mile radius with four Stellantis dealers, six Chevrolets, eight Fords, and a full metro market in Rapid City, he’s one of the last single-rooftop independents left standing.

His competitive advantage isn’t square footage or marketing spend. It’s presence.

“I’m typically in our sales tower, right inside the front door. I’m greeting customers and walking them into service,” Ryan says. “That personal touch is really hard for anyone with two, three, four stores to match.”

Used car sourcing in the Black Hills isn’t like sourcing in a market with a Manheim down the road. The nearest auction is six hours away, in any direction. For years, that geography made wholesale buying a losing proposition before a car even hit the lot.

Ryan largely avoided the auction from 2008 to 2021, relying almost entirely on trades and curb purchases. It worked when new car volume was strong. When things slowed down, it left him exposed. VINCUE changed the math. With transportation costs built directly into the appraisal and the ability to shop sales across the country from his desk, Ryan started buying in markets he’d never touched before, and making it pencil.

“Is this worth going all the way to Las Vegas or Dallas to get this piece? Sometimes the answer is yes by $500. Multiply that times 20, and pretty soon it’s someone’s paycheck,” he says.

Ryan went live on VINCUE in December 2023. In January, his team appraised 60 vehicles. By July, they hit 200, the same month they sold 21 used cars. The shift wasn’t just volume. It was visibility. Within the first week, the used car demand tab showed Ryan he only had 8 of the top 24 in-demand vehicles for his market sitting on his lot. An F-150 was selling three units a day in his area. He didn’t have one so he started “filling in the holes.”

He also turned his entire sales floor into a more functional appraisal team. Salespeople now walk the trade, take photos, and have the data to answer objections on the spot, no more pulling Ryan away from other conversations to go drive a customer’s car.

“You’ll be the one who overcomes the objections. I don’t want you to hem and haw about why we can’t give full price,” Ryan says. “If the check engine light’s on and we’re looking at a $600 cleanup bill, just say that. The objection goes straight, it’s not even a discussion anymore.”

With 18 to 20 customers walking into service every day versus 3 or 4 in the showroom, Ryan sees the service lane as one of his biggest untapped acquisition channels. He’s using VINCUE to pull service appointments into the appraisal system, filter for vehicles worth pursuing, and is watching closely as trade cycle management with equity data integration comes online.

“There’s no reason not to present the idea, hey, we’re also here to acquire your car,” he says.

For Ryan, the through-line from his great-grandfather’s gas station to today is the same: know your people, give them a straight answer, and show up every day. VINCUE fits that philosophy because it gives him the data to back up every number, and the confidence to let his team do the same.

“He who has the best mousetrap is going to win and keep their customers,” Ryan says. “Especially as this industry keeps getting more data-heavy.”

Listen to the full episode to hear how Ryan Junek built a fourth-generation dealership into a data-driven operation without losing the personal touch that keeps customers coming back. For more resources on strategy and operational excellence, visit our resources tab.