Service & Parts Pathway

Dealer Week | Dec 7 - 10, 2025 | Tampa Convention Center

Keep Your Service Department Running Like a Well-Oiled Machine

The Parts & Service Pathway at Dealer Week 2025 gives you the chance to build stronger systems, develop your team, and implement strategies that improve efficiency, increase revenue, and create a better experience for both staff and boat owners.

Every session in the Parts & Service Pathway is rooted in the day-to-day realities of running a marine service department.

Service & Parts Best Ideas Panel & Roundtable Discussion

Valerie Ziebron, VRZ Consulting

Stop Missing So Many Opportunities: Start Marketing Your Service, Parts & Accessories

Max Materne, Garage Composites

From Forecast to Flourish: Master Budgeting in Service

Jeremy Anderson, WaveGuide Consulting

How Service & Parts Can Keep More Customers Boating

Valerie Ziebron, VRZ Consulting

Close Service & Parts Workforce Gaps (Without Hiring Unicorns)

Max Materne, Garage Composites

For the Operators, the Fixers, and the Leaders Driving the Shop

If you're a service manager, parts manager, advisor, service specialist or leader of fixed operations, this pathway is built for you. Whether you're solving problems in the shop or managing a full team, you'll leave with tools to run a tighter, more profitable operation.

Pathway Host: Valerie Ziebron

Valerie Ziebron has spent more than two decades helping businesses 'fire on all 8' through education and motivation.

Valerie Ziebron bought her first car at the age of 14. That 1967 Dodge Coronet 440 took her through high school and college shop classes and eventually helped to launch her career. Through studying and comparing hundreds of dealerships across North America, VRZ specializes on what stores can do to maximize their resources, specifically their people, processes, space and location.

Chances are, there are other businesses that are similar to yours. You work the same hours, offer the same product and services and have similar seasonality and customer bases. Yet, some stores are so much more profitable than others. We help your team figure out why - and what you can do about it.

She makes it a point to uncover best practice "golden nuggets" that help people flip the switch from reactive to proactive for greater profitability and customer loyalty. She has delivered over 5,000 presentations and has helped more than 1,000 small businesses. Her clients have included: Chrysler, General Motors, Yamaha Motor Company, Boating Industry Magazine, Shelby American Collection, Eastman Kodak, IPIX, and many others.