Dale Pollak, founder of vAuto, has a career in the automotive industry spanning more than four decades. As a dealer, technology entrepreneur, and best-selling author, Pollak has helped over 12,000 automotive dealers in North America and Australia make dramatic improvements in their new and used vehicle operation.
Pollak pioneered the Velocity Method of Management™, which maximizes a dealer’s profitability through the use of new and used vehicle market metrics. Pollak crafted this approach during his years as a Cadillac dealer in Chicago in response to not being able to physically observe his used vehicle inventory due to blindness.
In 2019, Pollak changed course to a new investment-minded management approach called ProfitTime, which addresses fundamental shifts that occurred in prior years. This new approach has proven to dramatically improve and restore dealer profitability.
In late 2010, AutoTrader.com acquired vAuto, with both companies now operating as a part of the Cox Automotive family. Pollak continues to guide strategic product development/integration for vAuto and other Cox Automotive companies. Prior to vAuto, Pollak helped build and lead Digital Motorworks, Inc., to its successful acquisition in 2002.
Pollak’s first four books detail the application of the Velocity Method of Management™ in dealerships. His fifth and latest book, titled Gross Deception: A Tale of Shifting Markets, Shrinking Margins and the New Truth of Used Car Profitability introduces the latest investment-minded approach for used vehicle management.
Pollak holds a BS in business administration from Indiana University and a law degree from DePaul University's College of Law, and is a four-time winner of the American Jurisprudence Award. In addition, Pollak received the 2010 Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award, and in 2011, he was inducted into the Chicago Area Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame. In 2014, Pollak was named as Poling Chair of Business and Government at the Indiana University Kelley School of Business. In addition to his role with Cox Automotive, Pollak is also a board member of DriveTime and Hireology, Inc., and serves as a transportation advisor to the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago.