Five questions with … NextGear Capital’s VP of portfolio management

Nicole Graham-Ponce, vice president of portfolio management at NextGear Capital, has spent much of her life around cars and has applied that experience during a nearly 30-year career in the industry.  

NextGear, an independent dealer floorplan provider and subsidiary of Cox Automotive, sells floorplan financing to dealers to support vehicle sales.  

Graham-Ponce told Auto Finance News that started in the used-car business washing cars in her dad’s dealership and has gone on to be involved in multiple aspects of the auto industry for 27 years.  

“I ended up working for him for several years until I ran the dealership’s day-to-day,” she said. “It was an independent car dealership, so it gave me perspective into the entrepreneurial side of the business and how to not only pay the bills but take care of your team and their families at the same time.” 

Graham-Ponce has held roles ranging from repair to operations to accounting and finance, she said. After 24 years at Manheim, where she led operational and sales teams and served as general manager of the Dallas-Fort Worth location, she joined NextGear in December 2022. 

At NextGear, Graham-Ponce helps independent dealerships deepen their relationships with auto auctions and has assisted with aligning teams to create a seamless experience for dealers from onboarding to maximize their floorplan processes, according to information provided to AFN.  

“I get to stay focused on independent dealers, which is what I built my whole career on,” Graham-Ponce said. She leads a team of more than 220 people and is responsible for the client-facing portfolio management team as well as auction relations, she said.

Her team is “responsible for helping our clients to grow their business, run more efficiently, help them source inventory, and being that trusted adviser and helping them with their floorplan needs,” she said. “Our auction relations team … [is about] owning those relationships and building on how we support our auction partners and independent dealers.” 

NextGear Capital is contracted with more than 17,000 independent dealers in the U.S. and provides about $17 billion in floorplan financing annually, according to information provided to AFN. In 2023, NextGear’s dealer clients used floorplan loans for nearly 1.2 million vehicles.  

AFN asked Graham-Ponce five questions to learn about her goals at NextGear Capital, top-of-mind lending trends and her leadership style.  

Auto Finance News: What are your company goals in about 10 words or less?  

Nicole Graham-Ponce: To be the preferred floorplan provider for independent dealers. 

Not only provide floorplan but solutions that will deliver the highest value for independent dealers; think about how we help them source inventory and run more effectively.  

AFN: What is your favorite piece of leadership advice you ever received?  

NGP: Be your authentic self. Too often, people try to mold you, or you try to feel like you must be something that you’re not. You don’t have to have all the answers, you don’t have to be the smartest person in the room. Show up, learn and absorb the folks around you that may have knowledge that you do not. Learn and grow from it. 

Being genuine and coming across as someone people can trust and build a relationship with is important. 

AFN: Who has had the biggest influence on your career?  

NGP: I’ve had some amazing leaders over the years, but I tie everything back to my dad. He’s retired military, so there was a lot of structure, accountability and expectations growing up. He taught me to be strong in my work ethic and independent and learn from the bottom up. 

He was my toughest boss; I learned so much and he kept me on the straight and narrow.  

AFN: What do you think is the most underrated lending trend?  

NGP: Transparency in pricing. It’s helping our clients understand what they can do to reduce their costs. If you focus on certain behaviors, you can reduce your floorplan costs.  

My team’s responsibility is to make sure that their behaviors are aligned to get the best pricing possible. Think days to sell and turn time and where they source inventory. If you buy the car right, you don’t have to worry about your profitability on the back end. You’re going to sell that car and make a profit.  

A lot of people think that when they sell the car, that’s the most important, but when they buy, it is really the most important. Days to turn are super important. The longer you go, and if you’re in a declining market, you’re leaving money out there, which can be painful if you’re holding on to inventory for 120 to 180 days. 

AFN: What is something your employees would be surprised to learn about you?  

NGP: I love to see people achieve their full potential. That means putting people in uncomfortable situations or scenarios and pushing them to do things that they don’t feel like they can do when I know they can. I have a lot of faith and confidence that they can but maybe they don’t. I’ve always felt that as a leader, it’s my job to help them realize that they have more to give. 

I mentor many younger women and female leaders in the industry, and I love doing it one- on-one.  

Editor’s note: The story has been updated to reflect that NextGear Capital does not provide floorplan financing directly to OEMs. 

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