Jose Esparza used a medical analogy to describe the most important element of his automotive career. “I am most proud of the professional network of friends and colleagues that I have been able to develop,” Esparza said. “These relationships are the ‘central nervous system’ for my career.  “These connections aid me in navigating the professional […] [Read More]

Like many of this year’s honorees, Kathy Hopkins’ career blossomed from something she thought would be temporary. “I was 16 years old and part of a high school program called ICE, Interdisciplinary Cooperative Education,” she said, explaining that it entailed a half day of school with a half day of work. “During my search for […] [Read More]

Annie Duguid has been a part of the Cox Enterprises team for much of her professional career. In 2012, Duguid was looking for her next opportunity within the Cox family — “a company that truly lives out its stated values of dedication to community, customers and employees” — and met with Joe George and Amy […] [Read More]

Whether it’s admiring the can-do spirit of his co-workers or helping others advance in their careers, it’s the interpersonal aspect that has endeared Ryan Hawley to the auto industry. It was a phone call from a recruiter that got him started, but from there, “it was the people. Car dealers have the entrepreneurial spirit that […] [Read More]

Jeremy Cope wanted to make a career change about 15 years ago. An opportunity to enter the automotive industry presented itself. Cope took it, and now he’s a critical cog in MetroGistics’ machine. “I am responsible for leading our experienced and motivated dispatch and operations team to exceed customer expectations, meet revenue and margin goals, […] [Read More]

The new top boss at NextGear Capital is one familiar with the organization. Cox Automotive on Thursday announced that Shane O’Dell has been named president of Financial Solutions. As president, O’Dell will oversee NextGear Capital, which services more than 23,000 dealers across North America, the United Kingdom and Ireland. O’Dell will report to Mark O’Neil, […] [Read More]

For Peter Grupposo, professional fulfillment comes from being part of what he calls a dynamic ecosystem. “Although my entry into the automotive industry was not strategically planned, once I became part of it, I became passionate about its people, complexity and opportunity,” he said. “I’m thrilled that players range from single-store independent dealerships to large, […] [Read More]

As president of Dallas Pre-Owned Auto Group, Ray Chorfi is responsible for the purchase and remarketing of vehicles nationwide, while also having a hand in the company’s digital and online presence. Despite being the boss, he never forgets his roots. “I am proud of my humble beginnings from a one-man operation to the current team […] [Read More]

Growing up, Scott Chesrown spent Saturdays roaming around his father’s dealership. Today, the chief revenue officer for Vroom has a front-row seat to what he describes as the evolution of the auto industry. “When we started the company, we never would have guessed that at this point in the company’s history, we would have achieved […] [Read More]

Julie Derybowski is not one to shy away from a challenge. “Throughout my career I have been given challenging tasks to make the vehicle remarketing process faster, easier and more profitable. Although these assignments have been weighing, I am proud that top industry leaders entrusted me with these important responsibilities,” she said. “After tackling and […] [Read More]