Marketing firm, behind its like-heavy Facebook status, dreams big

In February 2016, Pete Petersen took the first of several steps that dramatically changed the course of the business he oversees, Dealers United.

That’s when Petersen accepted a next-day invitation to fly from Sarasota to Austin, Texas, to meet with Phillip Rather, then the top executive for Facebook’s automotive advertising unit. Dealers United, back then, was a buyer’s group for independent auto dealers, giving smaller players nationwide buying power on everything from light bulbs to printer paper. Clients had been asking Petersen and his team how they could create Facebook ads that drive traffic to their websites — and sales?