Sept. 18 CAMS Industry Summit to feature prominent automotive entrepreneur Jim Koons ahead of a sod-turning dedication for new academic hall and conference center and the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the 63rd Northwood University International Auto Show.
Automotive and mobility leaders will convene at Northwood University on Sept. 18 to explore the future of motorsports, the customer experience and other forces shaping a rapidly evolving industry during the 2026 CAMS Industry Summit.
Hosted by Northwood’s Center for Automotive & Mobility Studies (CAMS), the CAMS Industry Summit brings together industry professionals, students, faculty and alumni for conversations about developments influencing automotive, mobility, retail and motorsports. A highlight of this year’s summit will be a special keynote with prominent automotive entrepreneur and Northwood University alumnus Jim Koons.
“Jim Koons exemplifies entrepreneurial leadership. Since his time at Northwood University, he has combined vision, discipline, and an unwavering commitment to customers to build one of the nation’s most successful automotive enterprises,” said Northwood President Kent MacDonald. “His success reflects the distinctive, free-enterprise education that has always set us apart. He has strengthened his alma mater’s legacy in automotive education and shown generations of students what is possible with a Northwood education. His return to campus isn’t just a homecoming. It is an opportunity for our students to learn from a leader who has helped shape the automotive industry and to see firsthand what can be achieved through ambition, earned success, and a belief in free enterprise. Jim’s story is a powerful example of America’s promise and The Northwood Idea in action.”
Koons, a 1973 Northwood graduate, is the former CEO of Jim Koons Automotive Companies, which grew to become one of the nation’s largest privately owned automotive dealership groups. At the time of its 2023 sale to Asbury Automotive Group, the company included 20 dealerships representing 29 franchises across Virginia, Maryland and Delaware and employed more than 2,500 people. The $1.2 billion transaction was one of the largest automotive retail acquisitions in recent years.
“Jim Koons brings decades of experience building and leading one of America’s most successful automotive retail organizations, but he also understands Northwood and the kind of leaders we seek to develop,” said CAMS Director Dr. Dave Oventhal, the Subaru of New England Professor of Automotive Strategy at Northwood University. “Having someone with Jim’s depth of industry experience engage directly with our students and automotive leaders is exactly what the CAMS Industry Summit is designed to make possible.”
Added Oventhal: “CAMS exists to bring industry, education and the next generation of automotive leaders together, and the Industry Summit is one of the clearest examples of that mission in action. The topics we are exploring this year are shaping the industry in real time, and giving our students direct access to the people leading those conversations is an invaluable part of their Northwood experience.”
The CAMS Industry Summit will run from 8:30 to 10:15 a.m. in Griswold Lecture Hall on Northwood University’s Midland campus. Ted Ings and Sarah Vantine of Ted Ings’ Fixed Ops Roundtable will return as hosts.
In addition to the keynote featuring Jim Koons, this year’s programming will feature:
- Future Trends in Motorsports: Industry leaders will examine developments influencing the business and future of motorsports.
- The Customer Experience: Panelists will discuss how changing expectations, technologies and business practices are reshaping the relationship between automotive businesses and their customers.
The Center for Automotive & Mobility Studies brings together undergraduate and graduate education, professional development, industry engagement and research to strengthen Northwood’s longstanding role in automotive and mobility business education. CAMS is designed to serve as a bridge connecting students, faculty, alumni and industry while preparing future leaders to navigate — and help shape — the changes ahead.
“Northwood is not simply responding to change across automotive and mobility; we are preparing the people who will help lead what comes next,” said Dr. Matthew Bennett, vice president of strategic alliances and corporate partnerships. “The CAMS Industry Summit gives our students the opportunity to learn directly from accomplished professionals while giving industry leaders a place to exchange ideas, strengthen relationships and engage with emerging talent.”
The summit comes during one of Northwood’s most significant weeks for automotive and mobility engagement, as the 63rd Northwood University International Auto Show will bring automotive executives, alumni, students, prospective students, families and enthusiasts to Midland for the nation’s largest student-run outdoor exhibition for aftermarket companies and automotive brands from Sept. 18-20.
Sod-Turning Dedication Event and NUIAS Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony to Follow Summit Keynote Address
Following the keynote with Koons, a sod-turning dedication will be held at 11:30 a.m. at the Hohman Amphitheater to celebrate Northwood’s efforts to transform the existing N.A.D.A. Hotel and Conference Center and the connected Gary Stauffer Academic Building (GSAB). That work includes a new conference facility sponsored by Reynolds and Reynolds that will be constructed adjacent to the existing N.A.D.A. facility and GSAB, which are simultaneously undergoing extensive remodeling to become a new academic hall to be named in honor of Dr. Alan Wildstein. The new hall will feature modern classrooms and collaborative learning environments alongside the new premier conference venue.
Students will lead a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the 63rd Northwood University International Auto Show immediately following the sod-turning dedication.
Like the student-led auto show, the annual CAMS Industry Summit gives students access to industry conversations beyond the classroom and helps them build relationships with professionals across the automotive, mobility and motorsports sectors.
“The strength of Northwood’s automotive education has always come from the connection between what students learn and what is happening in the industry,” said Dr. Steve Poole, director of career services and professional development. “CAMS deepens that connection by creating opportunities for students and industry professionals to learn from one another. The Northwood Auto Show and CAMS Industry Summit help build the talent pipeline our industries will rely on in the years ahead.”
To learn more about the Center for Automotive & Mobility Studies at Northwood University, visit northwood.edu/cams.
