Auto Remarketing is recognizing the 2026 Women in Retail honorees in the July edition of the magazine and will be posting Q&As with each of these outstanding leaders on the website. Next up, in alphabetical order by first name, is BreAnna McCready, senior vice president of sales of StoneEagle.

The Women in Retail program is presented by CarGurus.

What prompted/inspired you to join the auto industry and what do you enjoy most about it?
I fell into automotive the way most good things happen not planned, but exactly right. What made me stay is the entrepreneurial spirit embedded in dealer culture. Dealers are operators. They move fast, they take risk, they build things. That energy is home to me. I thrive at the intersection of people and growth, and this industry gives me that every single day.

What is the top trend you’re watching in the used-car industry this year?
Affordability. Rising payments and shifting consumer finance behavior are quietly reshaping how dealers think about profitability. Buyers are not disappearing, but they are more payment sensitive than ever and the math that worked two years ago does not work the same way today. The dealers who are winning are the ones getting ahead of that shift at the structure level, not reacting to it deal by deal.

What accomplishment are you most proud of in your career?
The people. Full stop. Titles and revenue numbers fade. What stays with me is watching someone I managed find their footing, grow into their confidence, and go on to lead. That is the work I am most proud of.

What book, film or song has inspired you personally or professionally?
“Ego Is the Enemy” by Ryan Holiday. The premise is simple. Ego is the thing that gets in the way of the work. It changed how I think about my own ambition and how I coach the people around me. In an industry that rewards confidence and rewards it loudly, this book is a quiet counterweight. It does not tell you to shrink. It tells you to build something real enough that it does not need you to be the loudest person in the room.

Who is someone who has inspired you personally or professionally?
My kids. All five of them. They are the reason I lead the way I do and the standard I hold myself to every single day. Each one of them teaches me something different about resilience, grit, and showing up. The better leader I become, the better parent I become. Those two things have never been separate for me. My kids do not inspire me to work harder. They inspire me to work better.