DealerClaw
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About
Eric Dumlao

Eric Dumlao and his family dressed for Halloween on their front steps

DealerClaw

2026–current

I launched DealerClaw in August 2026 to help dealers benefit from AI without making it their second job.

The decision came from watching an earlier shift in automotive. As dealers moved more of their advertising from print, radio, and television to digital channels, the dealerships that chose the right digital partners gained an advantage. I saw firsthand how a company built around digital marketing could move faster than companies trying to add it to an older business model.

I believe AI is creating a similar moment. Automotive companies are adding AI to businesses built for an earlier era, while technology companies are entering automotive without taking the time to understand how dealerships actually operate. One side knows automotive but is still adapting to the technology. The other knows the technology but is still learning automotive.

DealerClaw is my bet on bringing those two sides together: an AI-native company built on more than a decade of experience working directly with dealerships. I believe the dealers that choose the right AI partners early will gain the same kind of advantage that the right digital partners created a decade ago.

Dealer Inspire

2015–2026

I joined Dealer Inspire in 2015 as their 10th account manager. I grew within the Client Services team and eventually became Senior Director, overseeing the field team of 100+ incredible performance managers and leaders responsible for $13 million in revenue.

That experience gave me more than a decade of working directly with dealerships, agencies, and OEMs.

Eric Dumlao visiting Google during his Dealer Inspire years
Eric Dumlao working at an automotive trade show
Eric Dumlao presenting at a Dealer Inspire meeting
Eric Dumlao with Dealer Inspire teammates
Eric Dumlao with David Goggins during his Dealer Inspire years

Outside of work

When I’m not building DealerClaw, you can find me…

  • Shooting an 89 on a golf course rated at 71.1
  • Translating NFL coach-speak into a fantasy football advantage.
  • Listening to a live version of Runaway or the Interstellar soundtrack

Recommendations

Erin Kasch

Brand Experience & Event Partner

· Worked with Eric on different teams

I was fortunate enough to interview Eric years ago and immediately knew he’d make an impact to Dealer Inspire’s growing Account Management team. Fast forward and he was leading a team of his own in Account Management and promoted again to manage a Regional team of Supervisors and Performance Managers. Eric is client centric, process oriented and focused on bringing innovation to his clients and thoughtful leadership to his people.

Danny Budziak

Manager, Salesforce Administration at Cars Commerce

· Worked with Eric on different teams

I had the pleasure of working with Eric during my time at Dealer Inspire on many cross-functional projects. Eric's positive attitude is contagious, and he is always willing to jump in and be a leader on a difficult project.

As one of the members of the Salesforce team, I consistently partnered with Eric on improving the workflows within Client Services department. He is a knowledge expert in his area, and indirectly taught me many lessons about how a business functions that will undoubtedly help me in many years to come.

Danielle Carpenter

Team Lead — Senior Account Manager, Enterprise Accounts at Americaneagle.com

· Reported to Eric

I had the pleasure of being interviewed by Eric back in 2017 when I was interested in joining Dealer Inspire. After obtaining the administrative specialist position on his team, he quickly took me under his wing to show me the ropes and give me as much exposure to the industry that he could. The care that he had for his team, our clients, and the company is unmatched; regardless of how much he had on his plate for the role that he was in, he always made time for his team and for all of us individually to strengthen his relationships with us and to ensure we were as successful as we could be in our roles. Eric is someone who truly leads by example and went out of his way to make sure we were all equally supported regardless of the role that we were in and he genuinely wanted to help us grow in our own career. To say that I'm grateful to have had Eric as my first manager is an understatement. He had a major impact on me since my first day at the company and I look up to him and his leadership experience tremendously.

Matthew Hartmann

Partner / Co-Founder at Cannonball Digital

Eric & I worked closely together over a 4 year span in Client Services. As a manager of people, there is no one you'd rather have leading a team. His dedication to helping his employees succeed is unmatched & his work ethic is admirable. He does all of this with a little humor & a positive attitude that resonates with others. He also has a great ability to bring differing opinions together to accomplish a common goal. If you ever get a chance to work with Eric, you'll quickly learn that he is willing to do whatever it takes to move the needle & succeed!

Brie Whitfield

Senior Product Manager at Cars Commerce

I have had the pleasure of working by Eric’s side in Client Services for four years, cross-departmentally for three years and have yet to come across anyone like him. Eric has an uncanny ability to problem-solve quickly and efficiently while ensuring all parties are satisfied with the resolution. His drive to deliver outcomes will result in him being the first person to take action post meeting and follow up to see the solution through.

Eric is his team’s biggest advocate. He invests in his team by understating how they learn best, helping them overcome challenges and fostering their individual career goals/ambitions.

If you are given the opportunity to work with or for Eric, take it immediately.

Nicolle Lamb

Automotive Marketing · DiSC Executive Leadership Coach · Author · Speaker

Every once in a while you just know you made the right decision when you hire someone. That’s exactly how I felt when I hired Eric. I managed him directly for three years and worked with him cross departmentally for another three. When you onboard someone into a new industry, new technologies and a new company you expect there to be a significant ramp up time. But with Eric, he was ready to take it all on. The sooner he could get the accounts into his hands, the better. His preparation, attention to detail, genuine and honest concern for the client’s needs all came through his presentation that was flawlessly delivered to our clients. And he was already bringing a strategy to “Show them something new” which was his own creation in his first meetings. I was thinking, wow, how did I get this lucky? I knew from that moment on that he was going to continue to be an asset to the company and would be able to teach those around him. And that’s just what he did. After just a year and a half he was promoted to a supervisor level and had learned the industry, the client needs, the technology we offered and was able to lead and teach his young team in the very fast paced environment we were in. His first priority was always to ask me openly, “What do I need to do? What do you see that I can improve?” And he would take my feedback and put it into action. He’s had four more promotions since then, and he just keeps knocking it out of the park. He’s an outstanding, intuitive leader with an amazing future ahead of him. If you get the pleasure of working with him and the good fortune of having him work for you, then you will know quickly that Eric is a rare find in the world that we live in today.

Jennifer Strilko

Senior Director focused on Brand Marketing and Creative Services

· Worked with Eric on the same team

I worked closely with Eric for several years as he grew into a strong, competent leader. He listens first and then responds with thoughtful, creative solutions. Eric balances his concern for his people and the needs of the business. He is a team player who works very hard and I enjoyed the times we collaborated on projects. We worked on different teams that sometimes had competing priorities, but Eric made it easy to work through those and reach solutions that worked for both of us.

Ryan Spoerl

Servant leader in sales, digital marketing and team building

· Was senior to Eric

It is rare to come across someone in life like Eric. I had the pleasure of working with him for nearly two years at Dealer Inspire/Launch Digital Marketing. Eric is in excellent leader in his current role as Director of Client Services after successfully being promoted throughout the ranks from Account Manager, Account Supervisor and Regional Director to Director of Client Services, all in only 4 short years. Eric's ability to juggle multiple projects was unlike anything that I have ever seen and made a dramatic difference in the productivity level of the team. No matter how difficult situations occurred when traveling, he made sure everyone returned with a smile.

Kate Barrea

National Solutions Demo Champion · Client Success Manager

· Reported to Eric

Few people have the opportunity to report to a manager who is also a coach and mentor – but I did when I worked for Eric at Skyline Ohio.

Most notably is Eric’s investment in his team’s success. Whether it was small notes of encouragement like rewarding me with my favorite snack for reaching my recruiting goals, or spending the afternoon working alongside one of his account managers to get them back on their game, Eric was there to help his employees – and in turn, the company succeed. He even helped me to arrange a meeting with the head of the event planning staff so I could get more insight into their structure and goals, because he knew I wanted to learn more about that side of the organization.

Eric is also an inspirational communicator. No matter the circumstances of a meeting, Eric made sure everyone left with a smile and a new sense of determination. Whenever I had questions or concerns, Eric responded right away, and even followed up later in the week or month to make sure the issue had been resolved.

His leadership by example and willingness to help inspired me to do my best work every day. Any employee would be lucky to have Eric as a leader.

Ben Gouwens

Market Director at SGB Plus · Coaching and Leadership Development

· Eric’s mentor

Eric sets the bar when it comes to integrity and resilience in the business field. He's humble in all that he does and is always looking to develop as a professional. Eric will continue to be invaluable to any organization that he works with.

Lamar D. Lee III

Business Transformation and Go-To-Market Strategy Leader

· Eric’s client

To Whom It May Concern:

This letter is my personal recommendation for Eric Dumlao. I worked closely with Eric, as he was a client of Direct Energy, with is Door to Door sales force. I found him to be consistently pleasant, tackling all of his sales goals with dedication and a determination.

Besides being a joy to work with and a hard worker, Eric is a take-charge person who is able to present creative ideas and communicate the benefits. He successfully developed a sales plan for our company that resulted in increased revenue. During his tenure, we saw a steady increase in profit.

Though he was an asset to our sales efforts, Eric was also extraordinarily helpful in other areas of the company. In addition to writing effective training modules for sales representatives, Eric assumed a leadership role in sales meetings, inspiring and motivating other employees.

I highly recommend Eric for employment. She is a team player and would make a great asset to any organization.

Sincerely,

Dominic Gazzo

Student at University of Richmond

· Reported to Eric

Eric is a tremendous leader with an unmatched drive to deliver results. Working together with Eric in a management training, sales, and marketing position, I was fortunate to learn from Eric as a coach and mentor, and see firsthand how he applied analytical and problem-solving skills to generate new revenue and increase market shares. Competitive, dedicated, and highly skilled at communicating, Eric embodies all of the characteristics of a high-level sales professional, and he will be an asset to any organization that he works with in the future.

Matt Corrado

Client Executive · Employee Benefits Advisor at OneDigital

· Eric’s mentor

Eric is one of the most hard-working, studious, and loyal individuals that I know. Having the opportunity to mentor Eric was an extreme pleasure. He is a true professional inside and outside the office. Additionally, he treats people fairly and has an extreme passion for helping others. Eric was a huge asset to our organization and I know he will be to other endeavors he takes on.