ATLANTA -

As part of its ongoing commitment to introduce products and services that drive business growth for customers, Manheim tapped on Tuesday two former NextGear Capital executives to be new vice presidents of national accounts.

Now reporting to Manheim vice president of commercial sales Rich Coutu are Peter Grupposo and Janet Hendrixson.

“We’re excited to have the industry expertise and strong leadership of Peter and Janet on the commercial team,” Coutu said. “In these roles, Peter and Janet will provide influence and direction to a team of commercial account managers charged with implementation and execution of the company’s plan to protect and grow current market share.”

Grupposo most recently served as NextGear Capital’s vice president of operations and business development.

In that role, Grupposo oversaw NextGear’s corporate support departments of business initiatives and operational planning.  Manheim highlighted that he led the effort to broaden NextGear’s value proposition through delivery of unparalleled service and operating efficiency. 

Grupposo also directed all of NextGear’s internal business development functions to drive new business growth as well as strategic initiatives.

Prior to joining NextGear Capital last year, Grupposo worked with Dealer Services Corp. (DSC) from 2005 until the company was acquired by Manheim in 2012.

Grupposo held a variety of roles at DSC, including sales executive, general manager and regional director for the Northeast region.

Prior to joining DSC, Grupposo worked for Enterprise Rent-A-Car during his career.

Hendrixson served as regional director for NextGear Capital prior to this new role. She was responsible for the management and oversight of all aspects of NextGear business in the Mid-Atlantic Region.

Manheim noted Hendrixson was also charged with driving sales strategies for new business development, maximizing market return and deploying new initiatives to exceed budgeted goals and revenue. 

Prior to joining NextGear Capital, Hendrixson served as general sales manager for Manheim’s Southeast Market. She joined Manheim in 2000 following the acquisition of ADT Automotive.

During her Manheim career, Hendrixson has held many roles in the field, including assistant general manager, mobile inspection strategy, sales and operational leadership.

During her career at ADT Automotive, Hendrixson focused primarily on establishing relationships with key customers and sales support.

Manheim Technology Finishes as Finalist for PMI Award

Manheim Technology, a part of Manheim, was selected as one of three finalists for the Project of the Year Award by the Atlanta chapter of the Project Management Institute (PMI). Manheim was in the running because of its strategic plan and implementation of a newly created demand management office effort last year.

Officials highlighted the Manheim project was among eight nominations, and was chosen as one of three finalists for the annual PMI award.

“It was not an easy decision for our judges to make,” said Yvonne Byars, chairwoman of PMI’s Atlanta chapter. “Our three finalists had very detailed and effective presentations. We were excited to select Manheim’s Demand Management Office as one of the finalists.”

A panel of judges evaluated all three projects following separate 10-minute presentations from the finalists, including Manheim, Coca-Cola and Home Depot.  Coca-Cola’s project was selected as the winner by the judges, and Manheim was awarded second place.

“We are honored to have been selected by PMI as a finalist for this award,” Manheim chief technology officer Michael Noel said. “It is very nice to see our teams recognized for their great teamwork and dedication to this effort. This new function truly helps Manheim deliver on our promise to add value for our customers.”

System Evolution, assisted Manheim during this project, which was led by Lauren Foster.

“SEI is proud to be a part of the Manheim team and this important initiative,” System Evolution chief operating officer Rob Seichter said. “We are thrilled to see Manheim honored as a torchbearer in the Demand Management space and look forward to our continued partnership.”

PMI Atlanta, an organization that serves project managers throughout many industries in metro Atlanta, hosted the awards dinner that featured analysis of the finalists’ projects on June 9 at the Westin Atlanta Perimeter North.

As part of the project, Manheim IT is being recognized for the merger of two technology functions into one group and the Demand Management roll out last year to satisfy business needs. The new team provided a solution to business requests that required support from both IT functions. Demand management is a planning methodology used to manage and forecast the demand of products services.