Sonic Automotive announced on Monday it has named a chief marketing officer and a chief revenue officer for its EchoPark Automotive standalone used-car store program.

Dino Bernacchi is EchoPark's first CMO and will lead the Sonic pre-owned stores'  marketing as nationwide expansion continues. Most recently, Bernacchi served as the senior vice president of marketing for the Cleveland Browns NFL franchise. And he's no stranger to auto either, having led marketing and branding teams at General Motors, Harley-Davidson and Mazda during his over-20 year career. 

“We are excited to bring Dino Bernacchi on board,” Sonic and EchoPark chief executive officer David Smith said in a news release. “His vast expertise in brand development and marketing is a natural fit with our goal of making EchoPark a nationwide household name synonymous with providing an exceptional guest experience to consumers who shop online or in-store for quality pre-owned vehicles at great prices.”

These two new hires, the company said, further solidifies Sonic Automotive’s commitment to the long-term success of its EchoPark growth plan. 

And Bernacchi will play a big role in that plan. 

“I’m personally excited to be back in the automotive business and professionally excited to help build a brand whose sole focus is driving automotive ownership dreams with the best guest experience,” said Bernacchi, CMO of EchoPark Automotive. “I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to help propel a business that can offer up the best of both. David, Jeff, and team have built the foundation of a strong brand that we’ll take to the next level.”

Meanwhile, Thien Truong has been named EchoPark's first chief revenue officer. Truong is a fintech veteran with over 25 years of experience. Truong joins Sonic’s pre-owned vehicle segment from Brightloom, where he helped launch an omnichannel software solution that "automated restaurant operations and leveraged data for restaurants to create stronger customer relationships." 

Prior to Brightloom, Truon served in the same CRO role as he will at Sonic, leading the product, revenue, marketing, and public relations departments, developing product strategy and commercialization of a new payment platform enabling consumers to digitize cash. 

“We look forward to Thien joining the EchoPark family and sharing his knowledge, fintech expertise, and best practices as we develop our first-class omnichannel car buying platform,” said Smith. “His innovative, customer-driven approach is a perfect fit for our long-term growth strategy.”

Sonic and EchoPark president Jeff Dyke added in the press release: “We remain committed to executing our omnichannel strategy, and the appointment of Thien will take us another step closer to our goal. Thien’s creative, customer-focused approach, combined with his enthusiasm and proven track record of building successful products and solutions, is a great complement to our team.”