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DealerBuilt
DealerBuilt, led by Mike Trasatti, provides a single-database dealership management system to hundreds of US auto retailers from its Iowa HQ.
DealerBuilt
DealerBuilt was launched in 2002 by a team of automotive retail technology veterans and now operates as a lightweight but deeply focused provider of dealer management systems (DMS) to auto retailers across the United States. The firm's core product is a unified software suite that handles everything from inventory management and sales to service, parts, and accounting, offering dealerships a single integrated platform rather than a patchwork of third-party modules. DealerBuilt supplies software specifically to franchise and independent auto dealerships, serving as the operational backbone for client businesses. The platform covers the full vehicle lifecycle: customer relationship management, deal structuring, inventory control, service scheduling, parts inventory, and financial reporting. Unlike some competitors that bolt acquisitions together, DealerBuilt's technology is built on a single database architecture. The firm's clients range from single-rooftop operators to dealer groups running seven or more stores, with the heaviest concentration in the Midwest and Southeast but a footprint that spans over 40 states. Headquartered in Mason City, Iowa, the company is privately held and founder-led, with Mike Trasatti serving as President. DealerBuilt has historically adopted a capital-efficient model, growing through product reinvestment rather than outside venture funding; its ownership and governance remain tightly held. In recent press communications, the firm has emphasized reliability and support responsiveness as competitive edges in a market where system downtime can freeze a dealership's entire sales and service operation. A structural differentiator is DealerBuilt's single-platform, single-database architecture, which avoids the data-sync friction that plagues competitors with modular, acquisition-built product stacks. The company maintains direct relationships with its end users — dealer principals and general managers — rather than selling exclusively through OEM certification programs, giving it a sourcing and feedback model that bypasses the industry's traditional centralized gatekeepers.
General information
Firm type
Asset Manager
Year founded
2002
AUM
Undisclosed
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
Mason City
Corporate office
Mason City, IA, United States
Principals
Mike Trasatti
President
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who runs day-to-day operations at DealerBuilt?
Mike Trasatti serves as President and has led the firm since its founding in 2002. DealerBuilt's leadership team also includes senior technical and customer-support executives, though the firm's private structure limits external visibility on the full C-suite composition. Mr. Trasatti's tenure is notable for consistent product focus on a single-platform DMS architecture.
What makes DealerBuilt's DMS product structurally different from its larger competitors?
DealerBuilt's DMS is built on a single unified database rather than stitching together separately acquired modules — a common practice among larger competitors such as CDK Global and Reynolds and Reynolds. This architecture eliminates data synchronization issues between departments, meaning the sales desk, service bay, and accounting office all work from the same real-time dataset. The product is designed for Windows-based server environments, often deployed on-premise at the dealership rather than as a purely cloud-native SaaS, though recent releases have expanded API capabilities for third-party integrations.
What size and type of dealership does DealerBuilt typically serve?
The firm serves both franchise and independent automotive dealerships, from single-point operators to multi-store dealer groups. DealerBuilt's footprint is concentrated among dealerships that prioritize system reliability and close vendor support over the brand recognition of the market-share leaders. By the firm's own communications, its clients range from single-rooftop operations to groups with seven or more stores.
Has DealerBuilt taken external investment, or is it still founder-owned?
DealerBuilt operates as a privately held, capital-efficient company. No publicly announced venture capital rounds, private equity transactions, or institutional minority investments appear in the firm's history. The ownership structure remains closely held, consistent with the bootstrapped model the firm has maintained since 2002.
What is DealerBuilt's geographic footprint?
While headquartered in Mason City, Iowa, DealerBuilt serves dealerships across more than 40 US states. Client density is highest in the Midwest and Southeast. The firm does not publicly break out international operations, and there is no evidence of an active non-US sales presence.
Profile maintained by Altss using OSINT (open-source intelligence), regulatory filings, licensed data partners, and verified direct submissions. Read the methodology. Last updated: . Continuous refresh with full update cycles at least every 30 days.
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