PureCars said Monday it has named a chief financial officer as well as a chief product officer.
Bryan Urroz has been appointed CFO, while the Matthew Groner was named CPO.
Before PureCars, Urroz was at DealerBuilt, where he was also CFO. Groner’s background includes time with Viacom, TransUnion, AdTheorent, DoubleVerify and Mediaocean.
“As an industry leader, it is essential for PureCars to have a solid executive leadership team in place to drive vision and value for its customers, partners and employees,” PureCars CEO Stephane Ferri said in a news release.
“We believe that Bryan and Matthew significantly strengthen our leadership team and possess the strategic vision to help PureCars maintain its competitive position as the leading digital advertising provider in the automotive industry,” he said.
America’s Group has named a chief operating officer. The company, which includes America’s Auto Auction and AXLE Funding, has hired Paul Evans for the COO role.
Evans’ background includes time as interim CEO and board director of Hill International, chief financial officer and treasurer at MYR Group, board director at GameStop, and CFO and board director for Seven Multi-Site Solutions.
“As we continue to grow, we are focused on building our capabilities and our team,” America’s Group CEO Chuck Tapp said in a news release. “We are thrilled that Paul is joining us and believe that with his experience and expertise, we will accelerate our push to redefine the used vehicle remarketing industry.”
Evans added: “I am honored to join America’s Group and am eager to forge new paths within this growing and evolving industry. I believe in AAA’s strategy and am confident that we can execute and continue providing differentiated services to our customers across the country.”
America’s Group announced in December that then-CEO Cam Hitchcock would be stepping down from his post and retiring from the company on Dec. 31.
Tapp, who had been executive vice president and chief revenue officer, succeeded Hitchcock as CEO.
During this holiday week, the National Independent Automobile Dealers Association (NIADA) announced a move that marked the first time its 75-year history that the organization will be led by a woman.
Late on Monday, NIADA said its board of directors unanimously selected chief financial officer Melanie Wilson as interim chief executive officer, handling day-to-day operations, as Bob Voltmann has resigned from his position as CEO.
Among Auto Remarketing’s annual Remarketing & Used-Car Industry’s 40 Under 40 honorees in 2019, Wilson has served as the NIADA’s CFO for six years, prompting the association to note that she is familiar with member dealers, industry partners and market challenges.
The association said Wilson now is supported by vice president of dealer development Jeremy Beck and vice president of government affairs Brett Scott.
“It has been an honor to support the association as CFO for the past six years, and I look forward to taking this next step,” Wilson said in a news release. “The NIADA staff and board are committed to the association, its members and our industry partners. There is a bright future for NIADA, and I’m thrilled to play a part in any role that is needed.”
Scott Allen is president of the NIADA board of directors.
“We’re excited to have Melanie take on this role. We’re extremely confident going forward with her leadership,” Allen said in the news release.
Voltmann led the NIADA for two years after serving as the president and CEO of the Transportation Intermediaries Association for 23 years.
“I have enjoyed my time at NIADA, building a team dedicated to helping our members succeed and enjoyed working with our amazing members, but I have decided to retire,” Voltmann said. “I know that both the industry and the association will continue to thrive. Thank you for letting me be a small part of this success.”
Allen added, “We appreciate the years of service that Bob gave to the association and wish him the best on his future endeavors.
“We have high confidence in the staff and our ability to navigate the transition. Your board is committed to the association, members, partners, and the industry as a whole as we move forward,” Allen went on to say.
Continuing an active end of the year within the commercial financing area, First Business Bank’s floorplan financing team this week announced the promotion of Spencer Brink to portfolio manager of floorplan financing.
Brink joined First Business Bank in 2016 as a credit analyst intern, moving into a full-time credit analyst role after graduation from the University of Wisconsin – Madison and reaching the role of senior credit analyst.
At its inception in 2020, Brink joined the floorplan financing team as lead credit analyst before his current promotion. He works with the floorplan financing team on all loan requests, mitigating risk and monitoring the floorplan financing portfolio.
First Business Bank’s Floorplan Financing team, part of First Business Specialty Finance, offers independent dealers the flexibility to finance their used-car purchases, preserving cash flow and allowing them to buy preferred inventory. Floorplanning programs are available from $500,000 to more than $20 million for larger, well-established independent dealers.
“This limited focus, a hallmark of First Business Bank’s business model, facilitates a smaller clientele than large competitors, empowering personalized concierge service,” the company said.
The move by First Business Bank arrived amidst developments by other providers, including:
— Cox Automotive moves auction GM into NextGear Capital VP role
— Kinetic Advantage unveils 7 enhancements to floorplan management portal
— America’s floorplan provider rebranded as Axle Funding
Copart has named a new chief financial officer and chief legal officer, the company said in a news release Saturday.
Hired for the CFO role is Leah Stearns, who most recently held that same position at CBRE, which is in the commercial real estate services and investments space.
Named chief legal officer and corporate secretary is Paul Kirkpatrick, who was most recently general counsel and chief legal officer at BayoTech Hydrogen.
Kirkpatrick succeeds Gregory DePasquale, who is retiring from the position.
Both Stearns and Kirkpatrick began Monday in those positions.
"Greg has been an instrumental contributor to Copart's growth and prosperity for a substantial portion of our history – during his tenure, our market capitalization has grown over 100-fold,” Copart co-CEO Jeff Liaw said in a news release.
“From our transformation to a purely online auction, to expanding our auction and real estate footprint across the globe, to our entry into new business lines and markets, Greg has been a trusted strategic counselor and invaluable colleague. We wish him all the best in his well-earned retirement.”
America’s Group CEO Cam Hitchcock plans to step down from his post and retire from the company on Dec. 31, the auction group said Thursday.
Executive vice president and chief revenue officer Chuck Tapp will become CEO.
XLerate Group acquired the America’s Auto Auction group late last year and rebranded the 16 XLerate auctions with the AAA name earlier this year.
The combined company — America’s Group — has more than three dozen auctions.
Hitchcock became CEO of XLerate in 2014 and has held that role for the combined company.
“We thank Cam for his significant contributions to the development and growth of the company, including the successful integration of AAA and XLerate Group during 2022, and wish him all the best in the future,” said Gary Hokkanen, who is a partner at Brightstar Capital Partners. Brightstar obtained majority ownership of what was then XLerate in 2021.
“We are thrilled that Chuck will lead the company moving forward,” Hokkanen said. “We believe his experience and reputation in the industry will help AAA grow and continue to provide differentiated services to its customers in 2023 and beyond.”
In the news release, Tapp added: “I’m thrilled to take the reins from my friend Cam and am excited about the future of the company. I believe that this challenging time in our industry will also bring great opportunities, and the men and women of AAA are poised to capitalize on these opportunities and leverage both our digital and physical auction sites to redefine the remarketing industry.”
Hitchcock said: “This is a tough decision for me as the relationships we’ve developed over the years are very important to me, and the excitement of combining XLerate Group and America’s Auto Auction almost a year ago transformed and united both companies and changed industry dynamics. I have no doubt that AAA will continue to flourish under the leadership of Chuck and the entire senior leadership team.”
Mike Albert opened the week by naming a new president on Monday, welcoming Marty Kuhn, who the fleet, leasing and management services company said is a strategic leader with nearly 20 years of experience in both the direct-to-consumer and business-to-business spaces.
The company also said through a news release that Marty Betagole will remain in place as its chief executive officer.
Mike Albert indicated Kuhn will develop and implement the company’s corporate vision and provide strategic leadership across Mike Albert’s distinct business units (fleet, rental and sales and service). He will also be responsible for continuing to grow the company in a sustainable manner while maintaining Mike Albert’s standards of quality, efficiency and productivity.
“We are very excited to have Marty joining our team. His significant financial experience and his passion for innovation align well with our culture, and in particular, our values of being ‘financially fixated’ and ‘what got us here won’t get us there,’” Betagole said in the news release. “We are confident Marty will lead us forward to further growth and evolution.”
A self-described “CFO-Plus,” Kuhn brings a wealth of expertise in developing financial growth strategies that leverage technology and people. Most recently, he served as the president of TEMPOE & SmartPay in Cincinnati, where he led a strategic shift toward e-commerce, digital marketing, and technological advancements to drive growth during the pandemic.
“I am beyond thrilled to be joining the Mike Albert team — an incredible group of innovative, dedicated professionals who are passionate about providing top-quality service to their clients,” Kuhn said. “The opportunity to build on Mike Albert’s many decades of success is an honor, and I look forward to helping guide this organization to continued success.”
For more information about Mike Albert, visit www.MikeAlbert.com.
Lithia & Driveway has named a regional president of operations, appointing Adam Chamberlain to the role.
Chamberlain, who joins the company after serving as president of Aston Martin NA, will lead Lithia’s consumer optionality strategy, support network development and overseeing the retailer’s operations teams in the East.
He will work with Lithia’s three other regional presidents to execute the retailer’s strategy in North American and report to chief operating officer Chris Holzshu.
Prior to Aston Marin, Chamberlain had been vice president of sales and products for Mercedes-Benz USA for more than five years.
“Adam has over 25 years in the automotive world and brings a deep understanding of national and international markets,” Lithia president and CEO Bryan DeBoer said in a news release.
“Adam’s proactive and collaborative leadership combined with an acute love for store operations, will fit well alongside our regional presidents. His passion and understanding of our industry and the full customer vehicle lifecycle will be a key driver of our organization's omni-channel global growth and in reaching our 2025 Plan,” DeBoer said.
Chamberlain added: “As LAD continues to grow its omni-channel model for consumers, I am very excited to bring my passion for leadership and strong customer orientation to a dealership group that values innovation, high performance and consumer optionality as key growth drivers.”
We begin this roundup of auction executive moves in the Pacific Northwest, where McConkey Auction Group has named Tammy Swofford as its vice president of national accounts.
Swofford has previously been the national sales and marketing director at America’s Auto Auction. Her experience also includes time with Manheim.
“We’ve known Tammy for a long time and we have tremendous respect for her industry knowledge and accomplishments,” MAG president and CEO Bob McConkey said in a news release.
“She has worked her way through the remarketing industry and understands the challenges national account customers face in today's rapidly-changing marketplace,” McConkey said.
Swofford was one of Auto Remarketing's “Women in Remarketing” honorees in 2018 and has earned the Warren Young Fellow Award from the NAAA and Element Remarketing’s Laurie Doberphul award.
“I’m excited about supporting the MAG team and national accounts alike in this role,” Swofford said in a release. “There aren’t many organizations out there with the integrity and stellar reputation that Bob and the McConkey team have.
“We share the same passion for this industry, and being a part of the MAG family is something that I have longed for and look forward to,” Swofford said.
Next up, Cox Automotive has named Thad Sykes as vice president of dealer sales. Sykes will be a member of the Manheim and NextGear Capital sales leadership team and lead Manheim’s dealer sales team.
His previous position was as an associate vice president for NextGear. Kyle Ballinger will replace Sykes in the role of associate vice president of NextGear sales.
Sykes has been with Cox Automotive since 2007, starting as a general manager for NextGear. Ballinger has been with Cox since 2005, when he joined as a field sales representative for Manheim Cincinnati. He moved through the ranks to eventually become the lead of the regional dealer sales team in the Midwest.
“Throughout his years with Cox Automotive, Thad has distinguished himself as a proven leader committed to driving success for his clients, while developing a strong client-focused team,” said Peter Grupposo, senior vice president of sales for Manheim and NextGear Capital, in a news release.
Gurpposo added: “I’m excited for Kyle to bring his years of experience with Manheim to NextGear Capital. He is a champion for our clients, committed to helping them find the right mix of business solutions to grow their business.”
CarNow announced a new senior vice president of sales on Friday.
Hired for the role is Eric Kaser, who was VP of sales at Ungerboeck and DealerSocket before coming aboard at CarNow. His background also includes time with Reynolds and Reynolds.
“I am excited to join CarNow where the culture is strong, the platform is innovative, and the results and support we deliver to our dealers is second to none,” Kaser said in a news release. “I have the pleasure of leading the most caring and hardworking salespeople, professionals and leaders I have seen in my 24-year career in automotive.”
CarNow CEO and founder Andy Park added: “Eric is a proven leader with the unique experience of scaling one of the industry's largest companies during its prime years of growth. The leadership at CarNow is always searching for the highest level of mentorship for our teams, and we are excited to welcome Eric’s expertise in strengthening the systems and structure behind our growing sales organization.”
