SureCritic Adds Former SOCIALDEALER President
Phil Penton, former partner and president at SOCIALDEALER, will lead SureCritic’s business development activities and strategic alliances.

SEATTLE — SureCritic, creators of the industry’s first SocialCSI Customer Experience Management (CEM) platform, announced this week that it has tapped reputation-management expert Phil Penton to lead the firm’s business development activities and strategic alliances.
Penton brings more than a decade of experience in automotive reputation-management and social-media solutions. He currently serves as partner and strategist for Xcite Advertising and CDMdata. Previously, he served as partner and president at SOCIADEALER, a reputation-management firm. Prior to that, he co-founded Social Integration, an end-to-end platform for managing reputation and social-media marketing. He has also served as vice president of business development for HomeNet Automotive.
“I'm most impressed with SureCritic’s technology platform and the new features and functionality we'll be bringing to market over the next 12 months for manufacturers, dealerships, and independent repair shops,” said Penton. “SureCritic is advancing customer experience management from a technology and implementation perspective, which is unlike anything else I've seen out there. They are literally on a mission to dramatically change how businesses and vendors interact with customers."
David Brondstetter, CEO of SureCritic, added: “Phil is at the forefront of reputation management and social media solutions and his expertise and relationships within the automotive industry will be invaluable as we grow our relationships and brand presence. He’s a wonderful asset to our team and we look forward to continued strong growth with him on board.”
For more information on SureCritic and their Customer Experience Management (CEM) solution, please visit www.surecritic.com.
Originally posted on F&I and Showroom
More Dealer Ops

Ladies and Gentlemen, This Is a Dealership: Why the Fundamentals Still Decide Who Wins
A teaching moment by a legendary football coach happens to apply perfectly in the auto retail space. Learn what it is and how to use it to your store’s advantage.
Read More →
Timing the Market Can Hurt Long-Term Program Performance
For dealer-owned reinsurance entities, avoiding volatility entirely can mean falling behind inflation and missing market rebounds that drive long term surplus growth. Missing just a handful of strong market days can materially impact cumulative returns—an important reminder for long horizon trust and investment strategies.
Read More →
Dealer Ads and the FTC
The agency has made it clear in recent enforcement actions and warnings, in auto retail and other industries, that advertised prices must include all nonoptional costs to the consumer.
Read More →
Used Autos Supply Dwindles
The March shopping surge, despite high prices, cut into inventory by the most since the thick of the pandemic, Cox Automotive analysts calculated.
Read More →
Managing Risk Effectively Through Changing Times
The variables influencing risk pricing have changed significantly over the past five years. Being proactive and responsive to emerging trends is not optional but essential.
Read More →
Survey Reveals What Won't Fix What's Breaking Car Sales
AutoPayPlus says extra-long auto loans are trapping consumers and threatening the dealer trade-in cycle, and that the industry is leveraging the wrong tools to combat high MSRPs.
Read More →
IA American Appoints Two Execs
Senior vice presidents of the company's agent and dealer channels chosen to support general agents and help auto dealers with sales and performance.
Read More →
Cox Automotive Acquires Inspection Firm
Full ownership of Alliance Inspection Management, or AiM, meant to unlock growth for Manheim inspection capabilities
Read More →
Assurant Expands Partnership With Holman
Extended collaboration delivers training, products and performance development to 30 newly acquired Holman dealerships
Read More →
Franchises, Throughput Down in First Half
A handful of states see franchise growth through June, while EV sales per store boost overall business in U.S.
Read More →