About Us

Eric Dragoo is the CEO of Brightline Dealer Advisors, the largest independent insurance agency to offer products exclusively for automotive dealers in finance and insurance (F&I), property and casualty (P&C) and employee benefits. Mr. Dragoo is a recognized industry leader who has an accomplished track record of developing strategy, building teams and delivering superior results.

Prior to Brightline Dealer Advisors, Mr. Dragoo was President and CEO of Risk Theory Dealer Advisors (RTDA). He also served as CEO of TrueRisk Advisors. This year, the two companies merged to create Brightline Dealer Advisors, a truly dealer-centric partner in the marketplace.
Before founding RTDA in 2016, Mr. Dragoo was a Vice President of Sales for Ally Insurance and was responsible for the company’s F&I and P&C businesses in the U.S and Canada. During his tenure, he led Ally’s historic transformation from being a division of GM into an independent provider and grew the company’s revenue to more than $1 Billion.

In addition to his nine years as a senior leader with Ally, Eric spent 12 years with Zurich/Universal Underwriters where he was a top performer and led the number one ranked region.

Jeff Barron is a retail automotive industry training and education professional with more than 20 years’ expertise. Mr. Barron is passionate about helping dealers maximize profitability in variable operations and oversee their vendor relationships. At Brightline Dealer Advisors, he channels this enthusiasm into leading all sales operations and enablement which includes training operations, vendor relationships and reinsurance investment programs.

Mr. Barron started his career at JM&A Group as an F&I specialist and district manager where he was responsible for Michigan, northwest Ohio, and Northern Indiana territories. He previously served as National Dealer Training Manager for Ally Financial where he created and co-designed the Ally Automotive Leadership Academy.

Mr. Barron is a certified facilitator in many of the industry’s leading training programs, including John Maxwell’s five Levels of leadership, Ken Blanchard’s Situational Leadership SLX, Talentsmart’s Emotional Intelligence (EQ) and Communispond.

He resides in Grosse Ile, Michigan.

Doug Avery is an Executive Vice President for Brightline Dealer Advisors and will use his automotive knowledge and leadership skills to help Brightline Dealer Advisors and their clients achieve their goals and drive results to peak performance.

Mr. Avery began in the automotive industry as a salesperson in 1992 where he quickly advanced to be a General Manager. In 2004 he joined Zurich/Universal Underwriters as an F&I Executive in North Carolina. In 2007 he was promoted to Regional Finance & Insurance Manager over Virginia, Delaware and Maryland, in 2014 over New York and then in 2018 over the Northeast. He has accomplished Presidents Club 7 out of 13 years and was #1 in the country in 2006.

Doug resides in Watkins Glen, New York.

Nathan Griffin is an Executive Vice President for Brightline Dealer Advisors. His primary responsibilities are developing unmatched partnerships through strategic acquisition growth as well as industry leading support for the states of Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas. Nathan began his career in the auto industry at Quality Imports Automotive Group in 2003, after making a move to reside in Florida. Throughout his tenure in retail, Nathan held positions from Salesperson, Finance Manager, Sales Manager, F&I Director, General Sales Manager, as well as Director of Variable Operations with automotive groups such as VanTuyl and Quality Imports.

Under his leadership, the organizations were recognized for awards that include but are not limited to the Toyota Presidents Award, Dealer Excellence Awards, and multiple “Best Ever” manufacturer awards. In 2015, Nathan joined Ally as the Area Growth Leader responsible for acquisition strategy and growth for the Michigan/Indiana market. During his time at Ally, the Michigan/Indiana territory grew significantly by acquiring 17 partnerships in the first year.

Mr. Griffin resides in Santa Rosa Beach, FL.

Brian Johnson oversees all sales and operations for the East at Brightline Dealer Advisors. He started his career in the insurance industry as an account executive for Zurich in Madison Wisconsin. He went onto work for Sentry Insurance in Missouri and then Ally Insurance (formerly GMAC) in Kansas City where he assumed a leadership position handling all eastern region sales. Over the course of his career, he won seven President’s Club awards.

In 2019, Mr. Johnson joined TrueRisk Advisors as a sales producer and assumed his leadership position in 2021. He resides in Kansas City, MO.

Judd Mourning is an Executive Vice President for Brightline Dealer Advisors. His responsibilities include attracting talent, hiring, training and developing his team for Brightline Dealer Advisors and leading the growth and retention of new business. Mr. Mourning began his career in the auto industry at Sunflower Motors in Topeka, Kansas while finishing his college degree. In 2000, Mr. Mourning joined Universal Underwriters as an Account Executive in New Hampshire. As an Account Executive with Universal/Zurich he achieved Presidents Club multiple times and rose to the rank of the top Account Executive (out of approximately 250).

In 2007, Mr. Mourning joined GMAC Insurance (Ally) as the Area Sales Manager for Texas and southern Louisiana where his area became the leading area in the company, and he achieved the MVP Area Sales Manager in 2009. In 2011, he was promoted to Property and Casualty Portfolio Director for Ally which oversaw the Wholesale Floorplan Insurance Program and Garage Liability. In 2013, Mr. Mourning was promoted to Director of Sales for Property and Casualty over the Wholesale Floorplan Insurance Program and Garage Liability. Under Mr. Mourning’s leadership Ally doubled their book of business three years in a row. Then, in 2015 Mr. Mourning was promoted to Managing Director of the Central Region for F&I and P&C where his Region led the country for new business conquests for both F&I and P&C.

Mr. Mourning resides in Ottawa, Kansas.

Steve Pate is an Executive Vice President for Brightline Dealer Advisors. His responsibilities include attracting talent, training & developing his team and leading the development of business within his area. Mr. Pate began his career in the auto industry in 2001 at Quality Mazda/Volkswagen in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. In 2003, Mr. Page joined the staff of Med Center Mazda as a Sales Consultant. He was promoted to Finance Manager in 2006. In 2008, Mr. Page joined the staff of Premier Ford in Columbus, MS as Finance Director. In 2011, Mr. Page join Ally Auto as an Account Executive.

During his tenure at Ally, he more than doubled the number of contracts sold in his territory and had training and growth responsibilities for 28 stores throughout Alabama and the Florida Panhandle. He won two President Club Awards as an Account Executive. He served on the transition team from GMPP to APP and helped transform the organization from a captive provider to an independent F&I company. In 2015, Mr. Page was promoted to Area Growth Leader and was responsible for all product acquisitions for the SE for Ally Dealer Products and Services. He was awarded an MVP award as the nation’s top Area Growth Leader in 2016.

Mr. Pate attended the University of Alabama as an accounting major. He resides in Tuscaloosa, AL.

Winston Tripp heads all sales and operations for the West at Brightline Dealer Advisors. He began his career as an underwriter with Universal Underwriters/Zurich and quickly transitioned into sales leadership. In 1993, he assumed responsibilities for leading the company’s Dallas, Texas office. During his tenure with Zurich, he won multiple Top Gun and President’s Club awards.

In 2018, Mr. Tripp joined TrueRisk Advisors as a sales producer. He was later promoted to Executive Vice President at Risk Theory. In January 2021, Mr. Tripp moved back to TrueRisk Advisors to assume sales leadership responsibilities.

Mr. Tripp resides in Plano, TX.

Tim Zlomke is an Executive Vice President for Brightline Dealer Advisors. He is responsible for managing the Texas and Louisiana area, attracting top industry talent, and leading a world class team to drive business within the sales area. While serving a 10-year worldwide commitment in the U.S.A.F. Tim completed his A.A.S. from C.C.A.F. and B.A.S. in International Business Management from Bellevue University.

Mr. Zlomke’s retail career began at Edward’s Cadillac, Subaru, Hyundai in Council Bluffs, IA in 2004 where he started in sales and worked his way to GSM and eventually New Sales Director for the Van Tuyl Auto Group in Springfield, MO. In 2009, Tim joined GMAC Insurance (Ally) as the Account Executive for Louisiana, accepted additional responsibilities and relocated to Houston, TX in 2010 and was promoted to Area Sales Manager for the Upper Mid-West in 2013. Tim earned multiple President’s Club Awards throughout his tenure from his successful work with dealerships to increase profits and drive finance and insurance products.

Mr. Zlomke is a certified instructor of “The Five Levels of Leadership” – John Maxwell Company, “The Five Dysfunctions of a Team” and “Overcoming the Five Dysfunctions” leadership curriculum.

He resides in Houston, TX.

Chris Plaza is an Executive Vice President for Brightline Dealer Advisors. He is a seasoned professional with over 25 years of experience in the auto retail and F&I arena. Mr. Plaza has earned an outstanding reputation in the market place and has accumulated a proven track record of success in acquiring new business and in training and development. Prior to joining BDA, he was the Director of Business Development for Pro Consulting, a regional F&I agency in the northwest and was also a top F&I Executive for Zurich. Mr. Plaza resides in Phoenix, AZ.

Kathy’s background brings over three decades of experience with health and welfare plans, encompassing traditional and alternative funding programs with a variety of employer groups. Her comprehensive technical and compliance knowledge, along with a broad base understanding of coverage options, allows her to guide clients in achieving their cost strategy goals while enhancing employee experience towards better outcomes. Kathy's experience includes bringing significant retention and growth to organizations by providing expertise, innovation, and responsiveness to clients, while being a mentor and leader internally. Kathy is a Certified Employee Benefits Specialist (CEBS) and is a graduate of the American College Registered Health Underwriter program (RHU). She earned her Bachelor of Science in Business Management from LeTourneau University. Kathy currently serves as the 2021 President for the DFW ISCEBS Board.