Chuck Hartle is the President and co-founder of PartsEdge, with over 42 years of experience in the automotive industry. Starting as a parts delivery driver, he rose to Fixed Operations Director and has since led over 300 seminars, including workshops for the National Auto Dealers Association. Chuck’s deep industry knowledge helps PartsEdge tackle key dealership challenges. Outside of work, he’s a dedicated family man, marathon runner, and loyal Seattle Seahawks fan.

Chuck breaks down the real challenges dealerships face with source management, why most DMS vendors fall short in education and default settings, and how properly leveraging sources can drive smarter parts inventory control, more accurate accounting, and easier pricing strategies.

Kaylee and Chuck also unpack the origin story of PartsEdge—why the platform was built, what it aims to fix, and how it takes the heavy lifting and guesswork out of inventory management.

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This show is powered by PartsEdge: Your go-to solution for transforming dealership parts inventory into a powerhouse of profitability. Their strategies are proven to amp up parts sales by a whopping 20%, all while cutting down on idle inventory. If you're looking to optimize your parts management, visit 🔗 www.partsedge.com.

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Takeaways

1. Don’t fear more sources

2. Education is power

3. Manage Your Inventory, Don’t Work Around It

   
   

Chapters

00:00 "Source Management & Pricing Strategies"

05:43 Parts Management Requires Organization

06:31 "Tire Source Management Challenges"

10:30 Optimizing Inventory Management

14:37 Intentional, Structured Development Yields Success

18:09 Managing Aging Special Orders

19:56 Techeon's Inventory Misunderstandings

23:34 Embrace Improvement Through Education

Quote

"Accessories, you know, nobody matrixes accessories. If you do, you don't sell them."

"The biggest failure for most parts managers and their fear of adding a new source to their system is it's just not as easy as, oh, I want to copy this to this. And you know, it takes some work.”

Connect

Chuck Hartle

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chuck-hartle-1923ab14

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chuck.hartle.39/

Kaylee Felio

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gotopartsgirl

Website: https://www.partsedge.com

Kaylee Felio

Website: https://www.partsedge.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/partsedge

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gotopartsgirl

Phone Number: (800) 825-7562

Email: info@partsedge.com

It all started with one small change. He thought his DMS setup was fine—until he tweaked a phase-in criteria and suddenly realized how much he was missing.

This week on the PartsEdge Podcast, we sat down with Zach Don, a Toyota parts manager who took that moment of chaos and turned it into a better system. He shares what broke, how he fixed it, and why he’s now running a smarter, more controlled department.

Zach also talks about bringing in team members with different backgrounds, the value of having a “co-pilot” on the reporting side, and how these changes are not only improving efficiency but making his conversations with upper management more impactful.

Together, they explore how data-driven decision-making and personalized support have helped shift inventory from inactive to active, and freed up valuable time to focus on growing the business.

Tune in for practical insights, relatable moments, and actionable tips for anyone looking to up their game in fixed ops and parts management!

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This show is powered by PartsEdge: Your go-to solution for transforming dealership parts inventory into a powerhouse of profitability. Our strategies are proven to amp up parts sales by a whopping 20%, all while cutting down on idle inventory. If you're looking to optimize your parts management, visit 🔗 www.partsedge.com

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Takeaways

1. Don’t fear change—embrace tools.

2. Actionable reporting is critical.

3. Diverse experience builds better managers.

Chapters:

00:00 - Intro

01:41 - Expanding Inventory Breadth

03:21 - Keeping Up with Inventory Adjustments

05:01 - Shifting Strategies into Action

06:43 - Easy Tools That Simplify the Process

08:24 - Transition to Service Advisor Role

10:04 - Ideal Personality for the Parts Counter

11:55 - Managing Multiple Roles and Maintenance

13:43 - Key Considerations for Parts Managers

15:34 - Simplifying Complex Reports

17:14 - Embracing the Learning Curve

19:04 - Kaylee Reflects on the Experience

20:54 - Team Collaboration and Inventory Analysis

22:43 - Final Thoughts and Summary

Kaylee Felio

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gotopartsgirl

Website: https://www.partsedge.com

Kaylee Felio

Website: https://www.partsedge.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/partsedge

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gotopartsgirl

Phone Number: (800) 825-7562

Email: info@partsedge.com

In this episode, Kaylee talks with Alex Hines, VP of North America at Eccentric, about one of the biggest missed opportunities in automotive: accessories. With only 5% of a $50B market flowing through franchise dealers, Alex shares how Eccentric is helping stores win back sales using 3D visualization, early intent capture, and smarter upsell tools.

They dive into:

• Why accessories don’t get sold

• How tech is removing friction from the process

• The impact on parts inventory and dealer profitability

From lead to post-sale, Alex lays out a bold vision for bridging the gap between consumer desire and dealership execution.

🔗 Learn more about Eccentric: weareeccentric.com