Priority One History

In 1987 Lisa Gladstone created a concept that would change F&I forever. She called it “F&I outsourcing,” and a company called Priority One Financial Services was born. In the beginning Priority One operated strictly in the marine industry — providing F&I services to dealers by taking the place of an expensive in-house F&I manager. Dealers no longer had to handle F&I themselves or throw it to an untrained and inexperienced sales person or office manager. Dealers saw their incomes grow by delivering more boats and earning higher profits on each deal. The original idea expanded through the years, and Priority One grew into what it is today — a provider of turnkey, full service F&I (finance & insurance) solutions for hundreds of dealers across the country in various industries. The company moved into the RV industry several years ago and was acquired by Forest River, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway, Inc., in 2007. Gladstone will continue to run the company from its St. Petersburg, Florida corporate headquarters. She will tell you that the secret to Priority One's success is its people. She hires only the most talented, hard-working, honest, and loyal folks. That’s how Priority One gives you the best and friendliest service and keeps your customers happy.