MEDFORD, Ore. -

Along with authorizing a share repurchase on Thursday, Lithia Motors’ board of directors appointed a new member who officially came into the fold this week.

Joining the dealer group’s leadership team is David Robino, who will serve as an independent director.

Robino began his management career with Maytag and at Pepsi-Cola and worked as senior vice president of Nielsen International where he led multiple global business functions. Robino also served as vice president of AT&T Solutions and later at AT&T's Business Markets Division, and at Gateway as executive vice president, chief administrative officer and vice chairman.

Robino also has previously served on the boards of Memec and Insight Enterprises. He has a master’s degree from Iowa State University and bachelor’s degree from Graceland College.

“We are pleased to have David join our board of directors,” Lithia chairman Sid DeBoer said. “We look forward to the experience and insight that he will bring.”

Robino replaced William Young, who retired from Lithia’s board of directors effective Tuesday.

“Bill served as a member of our board since 2010, and we thank him for his years of valuable service,” DeBoer said.

Also, the company’s board authorized the repurchase of up to $250 million of Lithia Class A common stock. This decision modified the existing authorization, increasing the total and establishing a maximum dollar rather than share amount.

Lithia had approximately 26 million shares of Class A common stock outstanding as of Tuesday.

CEO completes Morrie's Automotive Group acquisition

In other dealer group news released this week, Fremont Private Holdings and Karl Schmidt announced that they have completed the acquisition of Morrie's Automotive Group, which includes 11 dealership locations. FPH, Schmidt and management acquired the group from Morrie Wagener and the Wagener family.

Morrie’s will continue to be led by Schmidt, chief executive officer of the group based in Minnetonka, Minn.

“FPH is the perfect partner for our business. We share the same vision for the company, and FPH brings a strong knowledge of the industry as well as access to the capital and resources necessary to enable us to continue to improve our offerings and better serve our customers,” Schmidt said.

The acquisition process was first announced last fall.

“We look forward to our partnership with Karl and his team, who created the Buy Happy promise and have led Morrie's to where it is today,” FPH managing partner Scott Earthy said. “The company is one of the leading dealership groups in the Twin Cities area. We are excited about the opportunity we have to enhance our operations and expand in the Upper Midwest region over time."

FPH partner Tim Sheehy added, “Morrie’s exemplifies everything we look for in an investment — an attractive, unique service offering, a proven and dedicated team, and a demonstrated history of success. We look forward to working closely with Karl and the management team to achieve our strategic goals.”