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Company History
In 1982, John Hosmer, a CPA and owner of Lyons Toyota Dodge in Mason City, Iowa, was discouraged by the high software prices required to run a dealership operation. He also realized that computers could be utilized to easily solve complex business issues, and thus decided to lear the art and science of software programming with the goal of creating an all inclusive, dealer management software program for his dealership.
Using the Macintosh, Mr. Hosmer took advantage of the ease-of-use and quick development that a windows-based system provides. After many years of programming and consulting with numerous finance and insurance experts, used vehicle managers, general sales managers, sales consultants, controllers, and other experienced dealership personnel, his vision, a windows-based PC program called LotLink, became a reality.
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| For 10 years Mr. Hosmer tested and enhanced LotLink within his own stores, continuously updating the application to meet various needs. As the functionality grew, so did LotLink's technology. In 1996, LightYear migrated from a Macintosh based system to a Microsoft Windows based system. The open architecture offered more options including increased product visibility and acceptance, yet maintained a rapid-development environment that allowed the product to continue to efficiently evolve. In addition, this provided a launching pad to begin offering the LotLink solution to other dealers who could benefit from a feature-rich, cost effective system.
As a cost-conscious dealer, Mr. Hosmer wanted to make sure the software solution had a low ownership cost. With that mind set, LotLink was designed to operate on the most basic personal computer with a simple peer-to-peer or client/server network. This philosophy holds true as LightYear continues to take advantage of the cost savings that open-source technology offers.
In 2000, Mr. Hosmer partnered with a leading automotive accounting firm that provided expertise to automotive dealerships nationwide and this led to further program upgrades and enhancements. The software program, now known as LightYear, offers cost-effective performance for dealerships and the system continues to gain broader acceptance in the marketplace. Today, DealerBuilt has 75 current customers and over 110 dealer points ("roof-tops") using LightYear.
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