Acknowledgments:
"Writing this book has been a wonderfully challenging experience. My loving family supported, for the most part, the all-nighters required to complete the project. However, my son, Wyatt, did hold me to midnight bedtimes from time to time. I also received well-wishes and blessings from many friends and colleagues to whom I am grateful.
"My eternal love and gratitude to my amazing wife, Lauri, who has endured the countless emotional roller-coaster rides inherent with the car business. She is also my warmest critic. The eleventh-hour marathon final editing sessions we pulled off together made this book!
"My love and wonder for our two beautiful children, Wyatt and Isabella, who provide me with unconditional love, regardless of the frustrated expressions Daddy had on his face from time to time during the project.
"Love, thanks, and honor to my parents George and Beverly Ragsdale, who provided me an education, a financial head start, and parental love and guidance that I enjoy to this day.
"To my in-laws, Bob and Mary Ann Avolizi, many thanks for your love and support. You are all wonderful models for our children.
"To my editor, Diane Solomon, who organized a navigable forest out of the chapters of trees I flung at her throughout the writing process. Without her, Car Wreck would have been nothing more than a series of isolated rants.
"To the employees of Langdon Street Press, for their patience and encouragement.
"To Kathy Smith for creating the book’s subtitle.
"To Del LeMond and Barry Kerrigan of Desktop Miracles for both superior interior and cover designs.
"To Dottie DeHart of DeHart and Company, my publicist, for keeping the word out on me and my work.
"To the former employees of Ragsdale Motor Group—300 strong—especially Rob Baker, Terry Bush, Brenda Bouvier, Kimberly Kennedy, Barbara Reynolds, Tonia Smith, Paula Stafinski, Charlene White, Scott Chase, Dean Lemovitz, Glen Reed, Paul Bernard, Colleen Letendre, and Buddy Irby. Your warm hearts and hard work are a beacon of example to anyone working in the car industry today.
"To Bob Recore, for his tireless pragmatism as acting COO of Ragsdale Motor Group while we wound down operations in 2008.
"To Peter “Zip” Zipfel of Creative Electronic Media, Gary Green of Gary L. Green Marketing, and Charlie Perry and his team at C. Perry and Associates, who have become my friends and partners in helping dealers with their challenges today.
"To Grant Cardone and Scott Morgan of Cardone Enterprises, as well as Marc Smith of Marc Smith International for their sales training throughout the last decade of my career.
"To Bob O’Koniewski Esq., Executive Vice-President of MSADA, for sharing vital legislative content and insight.
"To Abbas Qutab M.D., President of Elan Vital, and Rob Rossetti, President of Northeast Seminars, for getting me off the ground and keeping me going.
"To Mitz Qutab, Tim Valentijn, Steve O’Neill, Terry Condon, Lisa Abraham, Linda Knight, Owen Blevins, Larry Glick, Traci Fleischman, Pete Paldino, and Kris Koss, D.V.M., Cindy Weir, and Mark and Karyn Wagner, for the finest early manuscript analysis of the work I could ever imagine.
"To John Lajoie of Lajoie Investigations, a published author and friend, for guidance in writing style and direction regarding an author’s role in book marketing.
"To my brothers at NADA 20-Group KI-01, for smacking me upside the back of my head when needed and honoring me with the Chairmanship post. We shared some tremendous times of glory and sorrow together. I miss you all.
"And especially to Dave and Pam Penttila, as well as Pastor William and Kathy McKinnon, for taking an interest in my personal relationship with God.
“Jesus, come into my heart, which I open up to you.
I repent of all my sins, both known and unknown. Amen.”
