When the World Shut Down, Allison Kemp Helped Reinvent Car Sales Overnight

Some people talk about adaptability on their resumes or in interviews, but very few actually get thrown into situations that force them to completely rethink how they work in real time. 

For Allison Kemp, that happened during the COVID-19 pandemic... Almost overnight, the entire automotive industry had to figure out how to operate during shutdowns, restrictions, and complete uncertainty. Instead of freezing under pressure, Allison helped Rich Ford completely shift how it communicated with customers and sold vehicles during one of the strangest periods modern businesses have ever experienced.

During my interview with her, this part of her career stood out the most because it felt like the moment everything changed professionally for her. Before the pandemic, she already handled customer relations management and had slowly taken on more operational and digital responsibilities over the years. But once COVID hit, those responsibilities multiplied fast.

The dealership suddenly had to operate with very limited staff. Employees rotated schedules, managers worked staggered shifts, and departments had to avoid overcrowding the building. Customers could no longer walk through the dealership the way they normally would. At the same time, people still needed vehicles, which meant the dealership had to completely rethink the buying experience almost immediately.

Instead of waiting around for things to “go back to normal,” Allison and her team started building new systems as they went. Customers browsed vehicles online, completed paperwork over Zoom, and communicated almost entirely through digital channels. Employees even delivered vehicles directly to customers while following social distancing rules and sanitizing procedures.

Honestly, hearing her describe it sounded chaotic! At one point during the interview, she laughed and said they were basically “selling cars in parking lots.” Even though she joked about it, that line really stuck with me because it perfectly captured how strange and unpredictable that time was for businesses everywhere.

What I found especially interesting was how much COVID exposed who could adapt under pressure and who couldn’t. Allison explained that the pandemic forced leadership to recognize which employees could problem-solve quickly, learn on the fly, and keep things moving even when nobody had clear answers. That period became a major turning point in her career because leadership noticed that she could find solutions instead of waiting for someone else to give her instructions.

(Allison was a featured speaker at the 2026 National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) Conference)

This part of her story ties to concepts discussed in class about leadership, communication, and resilience. Strong leadership doesn't require a perfect plan, but staying calm enough to adapt. Allison and her team had no roadmap for running a dealership during a shutdown and learned through trial and error while keeping the business afloat.

The pandemic also accelerated the dealership’s shift toward digital marketing and online communication. Allison believes that leadership realized that traditional advertising alone was no longer enough - Digital strategy suddenly became essential. Since she already understood digital communication and online engagement, she naturally stepped into a much larger leadership role during that transition.

What stood out most to me was that she never talked about this period like she had everything perfectly figured out. She talked about learning as she went, adapting constantly, and staying willing to try new ideas even when outcomes felt uncertain.

Looking back now, COVID ended up becoming more than just a difficult chapter in the automotive industry. For Allison, it was the defining moment that propelled her into marketing leadership and underscored just how valuable adaptability and communication are in modern careers.