New leadership is set to guide FordDirect beginning on Feb. 1.
In a move cheered by an Ohio dealer and chairman of the FordDirect board of managers, the joint venture between Ford and its franchise dealers announced on Friday that it has been appointed Matt VanDyke as chief executive officer.
And also effective at the start of February, the FordDirect board announced the promotion of Mike Gingell to chief operating officer.
The leadership moves for the team responsible for delivering marketing and advertising solutions to Ford and Lincoln dealers throughout the United States arrived as the Blue Oval is rolling out its 2021 new-model lineup, which includes a hybrid version of the automaker’s bell cow — the F-150.
“We are thrilled to have Matt VanDyke lead the FordDirect team,” said Mike Pallotta, president of Pallotta Ford Lincoln in Wooster, Ohio and chairman of the FordDirect board of managers. “His passion for the digital auto retailing business is clear. His experience around the world shepherding the Ford and Lincoln brands, along with his knowledge of FordDirect following two terms as a board member, will serve him well as CEO.
“Our board is confident Matt will continue the positive momentum FordDirect has made in its digital transformation. Our mission is to help Ford and Lincoln dealers sell and service more cars and trucks. Matt is the best person to lead this team in continuing that work,” Pallotta continued in a news release.
VanDyke, was most recently director of marketing for Ford. Beginning in 2018, VanDyke led integrated communications, digital consumer experience, brand alliances, revenue management, and retail go-to market strategies.
Prior to that role, VanDyke was vice president of marketing for Ford of Europe, where he oversaw the Fiesta and Focus vehicle launches and led the piloting of various digital and retail consumer experiences, the rollout of new Ford websites, and the development and introduction of e-commerce solutions.
He also served on the FordDirect board for more than five years.
“I know the power of the Ford and Lincoln brands, and it is no secret that our Ford and Lincoln Dealers across the country are crucial in connecting those brands with interested consumers,” VanDyke said. “It is an honor to work with the FordDirect team to continue building our dealer relationships with the outstanding digital connections we can provide. I am excited to get to work to drive FordDirect forward.”
VanDyke joined Ford in 2008 as director of U.S. marketing communications and global fixed marketing, where he led Ford and Lincoln advertising.
In 2012, VanDyke and his team began the Lincoln transformation, including rebranding and developing a new product and experience strategy for the badge.
The company said VanDyke’s focus was revitalizing Lincoln in North America and launching the brand in China. In 2016, he became director for Global Lincoln, leading the marketing, sales and service team for the luxury brand.
Outside of his Blue Oval responsibilities, VanDyke also serves on the board of the Association of National Advertisers.
Meanwhile, Gingell is set to become COO of FordDirect, which he joined as senior vice president, product, marketing and dealer engagement in 2019.
The company mentioned Gingell has been responsible for delivering products that are designed to help Ford and Lincoln dealers maximize their digital resources by increasing new vehicle and service sales. He also oversaw the FordDirect dealer engagement team and FordDirect’s internal and external marketing and communications strategies.
Prior to joining FordDirect, Gingell spent more than 20 years in the automotive information industry and has led teams that have focused on delivering data and technology solutions for automotive OEMs, automotive retailers, the automotive aftermarket, the commercial truck industry and the F&I market.
After its recent announcement of a $15 million Series A financing, e-commerce company Modal said it made six senior-level hires. The hires are for the positions of chief technology officer, chief operating officer, vice president of marketing, vice president of sales and two vice presidents of strategic relationships.
Modal (formerly Drive Motors), which provides e-commerce to automotive dealers and brands, said the financing allowed it to scale its team to develop new e-commerce technologies. The company said it will also be able to further streamline the online transaction and ownership experience.
Modal’s recently expanded team will work on the automotive e-commerce platform. The company said that with the platform, car dealers and brands can deliver contactless, optimized, and fully transacted online buying that fits inside their own webpages. That can help them increase sales profits by up to 80%, according to Modal.
The company also said it has experienced a surge in demand since the pandemic. That has resulted in a 700% increase in online-checkout customers, and the company said it achieved profitability in May.
The company’s team has seen dramatic growth to meet that demand, and Modal will continue to make new hires throughout this year.
One of the new hires announced on Tuesday is Mike Sachs to the post of vice president of strategic relationships. Sachs’ more than 20 years of senior-level automotive sales and marketing experience includes work with Volkswagen of America, BMW of North America, Maserati, and automotive-brand agencies.
Todd Somerville is another new hire, also to the position of vice president of strategic relationships, and he was previously with Cox Automotive and Reynolds and Reynolds. In those posts, he offered expertise in enterprise/major account sales and performance management in automotive retail.
Another new senior-level hire is JJ Gangi for the position of chief technology officer, and Gangi comes with 15 years of Silicon Valley engineering and product leadership positions with Words With Friends (acquired by Zynga), Parallel6 (acquired by PRA Health Sciences), Swoop (acquired by Agero), Comcast/Xfinity X1, and Omnicom Group.
Sameer Bhalla is another new hire, to the position of chief operating officer. Bhalla’s experience includes more than 10 years of high-growth technology work as an exited founder (Swoop/Agero) and growth investor (TCV).
Another new hire is Brandee Sanders, to the position vice president of marketing, and Modal describes Sanders as an award-winning digital data expert and sought-after keynote speaker. Sanders is also a women-in-technology educator who has collaborated and worked with Sony Music, BlackLine, Nasdaq, Etsy, G2, and, most recently, Appetize.
And Chris Bair joins Modal as vice president of sales after 10 years leading high-growth startups such as NGINX, Samsara, and Keeptruckin.
DriveTime Automotive Group and Bridgecrest Acceptance Corp. are adding to their workforces at a time when the U.S. still is shedding thousands of jobs because of the pandemic.
The companies announced they will be hiring more than 500 full-time workers nationwide for roles in retail, automotive repair and customer service as part of their 2021 growth strategy.
In fact, DriveTime, Bridgecrest and SilverRock are hosting a virtual career fair on Thursday for all customer service positions in both Dallas and Mesa, Ariz.
More than 60 open DriveTime positions include frontline sales representatives at DriveTime dealerships, known as customer experience guides. Another 100 of these open roles are for skilled automotive technician and cosmetic repair specialists.
In addition, DriveTime indicated customer service operations centers will be hiring 100 employees a month for the first quarter of 2021 in areas including customer service, loan servicing, underwriting, titles and automotive claims. The average pay will be $19 an hour plus bonus.
Due to the current pandemic, many positions offer a temporary work from home option, according to the company.
The DriveTime hiring plans arrived as the National Association of Federally Insured Credit Unions (NAFCU) reacted on Friday to the latest data from the U.S. Department of Labor.
“December’s employment report fittingly capped a bizarre and painful year. Job losses totaled a staggering 140,000, but they were highly concentrated in restaurants, hotels and casinos,” NAFCU chief economist and vice president of research Curt Long said.
“Areas like construction, manufacturing and even retail showed strong gains during the month. The headline number will keep Congress on track to provide more fiscal relief, but the underlying figures still support the view that the economy can recover fairly quickly once vaccines are more widely distributed.”
Keeping safety protocols in mind, DriveTime said interviews will be conducted virtually during its upcoming career fair. You can reserve your time slot now by going to https://events.indeed.com/event/78344/.
Applicants also can see the full list of openings and apply online via the company’s career site at jobs.drivetime.com.
Consignment-to-retail used-vehicle marketplace CarLotz nominated four individuals to its board of directors, with the company’s chief executive officer and co-founder Michael Bor describing them as “pioneers in their industries.”
CarLotz recently announced it would become a public company via a merger with special purpose acquisition company Acamar Partners Acquisition Corp. The company said it nominated Linda Abraham, Sarah Kauss, Kimberly Sheehy and James Skinner to its board of directors effective at the closing of the business combination transaction.
Abraham is currently managing director of Crimson Capital. She invests in and advises early stage technology companies. CarLotz said the CarLotz board will benefit from her strong strategy and growth experience.
Abraham previously co-founded comScore. For that digital measurement and analytics company, she helped lead efforts to grow the company to 32 offices in 23 countries before it went public in 2007.
She also co-founded Paragren Technologies. Oracle later acquired that company. She also serves on the board of various public, private, and non-profit sector companies. Site Centers, Tiger 21, Upskill, Zum, and Humanest are among those companies.
She also serves on the board of the University of Virginia’s School of Data Science. In addition, she is a 2020-2021 Fellow in the Stanford Distinguished Careers Institute. Abraham will serve as chair of the compensation committee on the CarLotz board.
Kauss is founder and chairwoman of S’well and was previously chief executive officer at S’well for 10 years. In that post, she turned $30K of bootstrap funding from her savings into more than $100 million in revenue, according to CarLotz.
Kauss brings consumer products experience to the CarLotz board. CarLotz said she has a track record of launching companies, building multi-million dollar brands, and assembling leadership teams. She previously worked in international real estate development and accounting, with experience leading international collaboration and partnerships.
She has also provided professional services to public and privately held companies in the technology, consumer products, and media sectors.
Kauss has been recognized as one of Fortune’s “40 Under 40” honoree and EY Entrepreneurial Winning Woman. She also received the Harvard Business School of New York’s Entrepreneurship Award. She will serve on the audit and compensation committees for the CarLotz board.
As for Sheehy, she offers decades of financial and advisory experience to the CarLotz board, most recently serving as chief financial officer for ResMan LLC. That privately owned company provides software to multi-family residential property managers.
Sheehy previously served as chief financial officer of Lori’s Gifts, a privately owned retail company serving U.S. hospitals. Sheehy was previously chief financial & administrative officer for CyrusOne. That public real estate investment trust specializes in engineering, building and managing data center properties.
Sheehy also served in senior posts at Cincinnati Bell Inc. and Ernst & Young. She was honored as Dallas Business Journal’s CFO of the Year and Cincinnati’s One Hundred Wise Women program., She has served as an independent board member and as Audit Committee Chair for Switch Inc. for the past three years. She will serve as the Chair of the Audit Committee on the CarLotz board, also serving as a member of the nominating and corporate governance committee.
Skinner is a retired vice chair of luxury fashion retailer Neiman Marcus Group, bringing financial, retail and branding experience to the CarLotz board.
Skinner’s decades of experience include posts as chief operating officer and chief financial officer at NMG, as well as service on several boards of directors.
Prior to NMG, he served in the posts of executive vice president and chief financial officer at CompUSA. He is also a licensed in Texas as a certified public accountant. He currently serves on the board of directors for Acamar Partners and Ares Commercial Real Estate and on the advisory board of RevTech Ventures. That early-stage venture capital firm focuses on retail technology.
He has also served as chair of various audit, compensation and finance committees. He will chair the nominating and corporate governance committee on the CarLotz board, also serving as a member of the audit committee.
Abraham, Kauss, Sheehy and Skinner will serve on the board along with Bor, who is the chair, and board members Steven Carrel, David Mitchell and Luis Solorzano.
While the industry was getting ready to celebrate the holiday season, Chicago-based MAX Digital made a major executive move, hiring Robert Granados as its chief executive officer to drive innovation and growth in the company’s core inventory management and merchandising business.
According to a news release, Steve Fitzgerald will continue as MAX Digital president, working closely with Granados to continue the company’s legacy of innovation and customer success.
The company also announced that founder Pat Ryan Jr. will be replaced on the board of directors by Granados.
Granados has nearly 17 years of experience leading and growing multiple software companies focused on providing solutions for dealers, including more than 12 years as an executive with Dealertrack Technologies.
At Dealertrack, Granados served as senior vice president and general manager of several business units. He was also responsible for the dramatic growth of its AAX inventory management business prior to its sale to DealerSocket.
Most recently, Granados was CEO of SNH Capital’s Auto Group (comprised of NCC and ProMax). During his tenure at SNH, Granados and his team grew top-line revenues by 130%.
Prior to his time at SNH, Granados served as the senior vice president of strategy for Cox Automotive after its acquisition of Dealertrack in 2016. Granados joined Dealertrack after working as an executive at Aon Corp.
“As we increase our focus and our resources on helping dealers more profitably manage, merchandise and sell their inventory, we are thrilled to add Robert to our already strong management team,” MAX Digital executive chairman John Aiello said in the news release. “FirstLook and MAX pioneered the inventory management, merchandising, and sales enablement software categories in automotive. We are going back to our roots and doubling down on that rich heritage.
“Robert has lived and breathed the world of dealers for years and understands as well as anyone how to help dealers source, price, merchandise and sell cars profitably. He is a huge addition and will accelerate our pace of innovation in these mission-critical areas,” Aiello continued.
With his significant experience in the automotive industry, the company said Granados will help expand MAX Digital’s cloud-based software platform through intense focus on what today’s dealers need to be smart and maximize their profit.
“I am thrilled to be joining MAX Digital to accelerate innovation on its longstanding mission of helping dealers most profitably manage their new- and used-car departments,” Granados said. “Being around dealers as long as I have, I’m familiar with almost every automotive software company.
“MAX’s long history pioneering inventory management, merchandising and sales enablement for dealers combined with the board’s renewed commitment to innovation in the core business make this a one-of-a-kind opportunity,” he continued.
“Going forward, no company is positioned to help dealers more than MAX. I am honored to be a part of this next chapter,” Granados went on to say.
“The idea of working side by side with Robert is incredible,” Fitzgerald added. “The next few years are going to be great for our customers and really exciting for our team.”
Meanwhile, Ryan reflected on the company’s path during the past 16 years and what might be ahead for MAX Digital.
“I am proud to have founded FirstLook in 2004 and MAX Digital in 2009. In the time since I stepped down as CEO of FirstLook in 2009 and later MAX in 2014, I have enjoyed my role on the board supporting our outstanding management team,” Ryan said.
“With Robert joining to lead the company through its next chapter, it seemed like the right time for me to step down from the Board and pursue other interests,” Ryan continued. “I am confident that MAX Digital’s customers and shareholders are in great hands with Robert, Fitz, and their leadership team.”
Veteran sales executive Bill Reidy has joined VIN asset management system LotLinx as chief revenue officer.
Reidy has worked to grow and manage large enterprise customers, which LotLinx said makes him a strong asset toward its efforts in solving pain points and eliminating waste in the dealership sales process.
LotLinx said the announcement marks a milestone for the company following its release of VINtv, a video advertising platform for dealer inventory.
Reidy brings more than 25 years of sales leadership and executive management experience in various industries, and LotLinx said he is passionate about coaching.
The company said Reidy rose through the ranks at dealer groups including MileOne Autogroup and Penske Automotive Group, where he developed a deep understanding of the automotive industry.
Reidy also led key initiatives at vAuto, designing sales and operations management processes and building a strong national sales team, according to LotLinx.
He most recently founded PWRhouse Consulting, a Sandler Training center in Orlando.
“Bill is a well-respected training expert with founder’s knowledge in the art of inventory optimization,” LotLinx chairman and chief executive officer Len Short said in a news release.
Short continued, “He wasn’t looking for a job, but came to believe that the LotLinx technology, timing, and position was an opportunity to make waves in retail automotive — again”.
At LotLinx, Reidy will lead training programs for the sales organization, joining LotLinx at an important time in the company’s development. He will do that as the company transitions from a player in the automotive digital marketing sector to a VIN Asset Management System, operationalizing the vehicle sales process from the point of acquisition.
“I’m thrilled to be joining the LotLinx team during this crucial time,” Reidy said.
He continued, “I’m a strong believer in using every encounter as an opportunity to evaluate, coach, and build the self-confidence as a team, creating habits and skills that lead to success.”
Sean Peoples, who has held leadership positions at CarGurus, Edmunds, Lotlinx and Chrome, has joined used-vehicle platform SureSale as vice president of sales.
Peoples will work toward bringing SureSale’s platform to U.S. auto dealers, which the company said can help those dealers increase gross profits and accelerate inventory turn on their pre-owned vehicles.
He previously served as chief revenue officer at LotLinx. At that company, Peoples built, managed, and led the sales and customer support organization. SureSale said that during Peoples’ time at LotLinx, he helped the company double customer initial contract value and reduce revenue churn by 75%.
Previous roles for Peoples included vice president of sales for CarGurus, executive director of business development and dealer initiatives for Edmunds, and director of product management for Chrome Systems Corp.
“Used-car buyers spend 40% more time researching used cars online and visit fewer dealerships than ever before,” Peoples said in a news release, noting that capturing those buyers’ interest online has never been more important.
He said SureSale’s new universal standard for quality does that, stating that the standard provides information to help empower both sides of the transaction equation.
“I am excited to join a team that not only has decades of expertise in moving the auto innovation needle forward, but that is also deeply committed to furthering trust, transparency and efficiency in the pre-owned sales process to the benefit of both auto dealer and car buyer,” Peoples said.
SureSale founder and president Jeffrey Schwartz said Peoples has a strong footprint in the auto industry and has worked with what he describes as some of the industry’s most cutting-edge and established service-providers.
“He not only understands the rapidly evolving automotive market, but he is keenly aware of its impact on auto dealerships,” Schwartz said.
Schwartz continued, “Never has there been a time when rapid innovation, smart products and vendors attuned to customer needs were more needed by auto dealers. We are so pleased that Sean has brought his considerable expertise and insights to our team as we strive to help auto dealers increase sales velocity and customer acquisition for their used inventory, through SureSale’s quality assurance platform.”
SureSale says it has created a universal standard for quality used vehicles. The company adds that it bridges a major auto market gap to meet demand for inspected, high-quality pre-owned vehicles among the 40 million U.S. used car buyers.
The company provides dealers with the Factfile vehicle report. That follows the vehicle everywhere it goes online, including all major marketplaces, the dealership website, and point of sale, in addition to access to digital merchandising to stand out in busy marketplaces.
SureSale says Factfile analyzes thousands of data points about the car. That includes a 170-point inspection, road test, and history check, telling a used car’s past, present, and future. According to the company, that increases consumer confidence and speeds up vehicle consideration and inventory turn.
Retail automotive technology company CDK Global has named David Hahn as chief information security officer.
Hahn in his new role is responsible for development of a global strategy and execution of the roadmap for managing technology risk and information security across the company’s IT, product engineering, and research and development departments.
He will also be a member of the executive leadership team.
Hahn has worked in information security as a business partner addressing what CDK Global describes as a continuously growing and complex cybersecurity landscape.
He recently served as chief security officer for Silicon Valley Bank. In that role, he worked on information security, physical security and business continuity.
Prior to that, his leadership positions took on increasing responsibility at Wells Fargo Bank, Intuit and Hearst Corp.
In addition, he serves as an advisory board member for companies including LogicHub, SafeBreach and Eclipz, with a focus on information security and risk management.
CDK Global executive vice president and chief product and technology officer Mahesh Shah said product security and protecting from, detecting and responding to cybersecurity threats are important in the company’s plan to innovate, scale and modernize its technologies.
“David’s diverse experience across information security — including fraud, identity, monitoring, application security and cloud enablement — helps us further ensure a safe, reliable network and suite of products for our customers, while protecting our organization.”
Hahn said he was happy to build a strategy for CDK Global that continues to ensure security for the company and its customers.
“My initial focus is to review our current state of information security, identify additional opportunities to further safeguard our data and information, and create a plan to mitigate future risk,” Hahn said.
A former member of the buying team at CarMax now is in a leadership position at Carolina Auto Auction.
General manager Eric Autenrieth recently announced that Kaci Kartikis has joined Carolina Auto Auction as its assistant general manager of sales and marketing.
When describing what Kartikis brings to the operation, Autenrieth said, “Kaci has a strong background in vehicle sales having previously served as a senior buyer for CarMax in the Charlotte area.
“She is familiar with the auction industry and is looking forward to building new relationships with commercial and dealer clients through her new role at Carolina Auto Auction, as well as taking the current successes at Carolina and turning them into additional opportunities for growth,” Autenrieth went on to say.
Carolina AA — situated halfway between Atlanta and Charlotte, N.C. — hosts weekly sales on Wednesdays at 9 a.m.
Updated to correct Brauer's title at CarMax.
Shift has expanded its footprint and its executive team.
Starting with the geographic growth, Shift has added a second market in Texas. The used-car ecommerce platform said Tuesday it has launched its car-selling service in San Antonio, giving consumers there the ability to sell their cars directly to Shift.
"We are thrilled to be in a position to double down our markets in Texas," Shift co-chief executive officer Toby Russell said in a news release. “As with our other markets in California, Washington and Oregon, each market brings its own unique opportunities, and we look forward to bringing our unparalleled service to the San Antonio area.”
Customers in greater San Antonio can go to Shift.com to get an instant estimate for their car. If the customer then wants to proceed in getting an evaluation, he or she can book an appointment to have a Shift Concierge come out to evaluate the car and make an offer.
If the offer is accepted, the transaction is completed at that time on an iPad, with payment to the customer arriving digitally within days, Shift said.
Shift adds accounting, recon leaders
In other news from the company, Shift said last week it has hired Blima Tuller as controller and senior vice president of accounting, as well as hiring Tim Brauer as vice president of fixed operations.
Tuller will head up accounting at Shift and Brauer will lead reconditioning operations.
Tuller was most recently chief accounting officer at Magnite; Brauer was most recently regional vice president of service operations at CarMax.
Other recent management hires have included chief financial officer Cindy Hanford and chief revenue officer Mark McCollum.
“In the last year-plus, Shift has rounded out an incredibly well-poised management team,” Russell said in that release. “We are doubling down on this commitment to world-class leadership by adding these executives to our finance and operations teams, both of whom come to us with extensive and valuable experience in their respective fields.”
