Columbus Fair Auto Auction has entered into a new relationship with American Honda Finance Corp. With a lane at Columbus dedicated to Honda and Acura, the relationship will kick off on Feb. 27 with 200 off-lease vehicles.
In other auction news, Shelly Frank has joined Dealers Auto Auction of the Rockies & Dealers Auto Auction of the Southwest as their director of national accounts.
Regarding the new relationship between Columbus Fair Auto Auction and American Honda Finance Corp., Greg Levi, president of Columbus Fair Auto Auction, said in a news release: “Our dealer network and proactive battle plan approach have given us the opportunity to enter into this relationship with AHFC.”
At 9:30 a.m. on Feb. 27, more than 200 Honda and Acura vehicles will run in Lane 2 at Columbus Fair. In Lane 1, the auction will feature units from local Honda dealers including Roush Honda, Lindsay Honda, Hugh White Honda, Germain Honda and others.
In terms of the Dealers Auto Auction personnel news, Frank will serve the Colorado and Arizona markets for DAA Rockies and DAA Southwest. Frank’s more than 25 years of auction arena experience includes 12 years working in business development and operations and more than 15 years on the finance side, managing repossession and remarketing processes for finance companies.
“We are extremely excited to have the two markets working together to serve our clients,” Jim Mumford, DAA Southwest general manager, said in a news release. “Shelly will really help expedite our growth in both markets.”
Frank most recently worked on the West Coast as business development manager for Auction Management Solutions, working with company president Tom Stewart.
“Working with Tom Stewart and AMS allowed me to grow in my career,” Frank said. “Tom’s knowledge of the industry and relationships with clients are always a top priority.”
CarGurus announced a pair of promotions on Wednesday involving its top-level executives.
First, the company revealed the promotion of Sam Zales to president and chief operating officer, reporting to chief executive officer Langley Steinert.
The company also announced that Kyle Lomeli has been promoted to chief technology officer, replacing Oliver Chrzan.
Zales, who joined CarGurus in 2014, has served as chief operating officer since 2017. In his expanded role as president and COO, the company indicated Zales will have oversight of sales, international, marketing and legal functions.
Prior to CarGurus, Zales was chief executive officer of ClickSquared Inc. He also held executive leadership roles at Zoom Information and BuyerZone.com.
“I am delighted to announce Sam’s promotion to president and chief operating officer. Sam is an extraordinary leader with a strong track record of results at CarGurus, and he’s been an invaluable partner to me in shaping our global operations,” Steinert said in a news release.
“The CarGurus board of directors and I are confident Sam’s expanded leadership will enable us to continue to grow our global business,” Steinert continued.
Lomeli joined CarGurus in 2008 as one of the company’s early senior engineers and helped to build much of the core technology at CarGurus as well as the company’s engineering team. Lomeli will report to Steinert. Prior to his promotion to CTO, Lomeli served as senior vice president of engineering at CarGurus, leading the day-to-day operations of the engineering team.
Before joining CarGurus, Lomeli was a lead security developer at Intralinks.
“I am also thrilled to announce Kyle Lomeli’s promotion to chief technology officer. Kyle has been a critical force on our engineering team since our early days, helping to build CarGurus’ core technology and develop our world-class engineering team,” Steinert said.
“The technology behind CarGurus is what sets us apart in our space, and with Kyle’s engineering leadership, we will continue to deliver innovative new software solutions for consumers and dealers around the world,” Steinert added.
The company shared that Chrzan has decided to leave CarGurus after 11 years to pursue personal interests outside the company.
“I also want to recognize the enormous contributions of our outgoing CTO, Oliver Chrzan, and thank him for his strategic partnership over these past eleven years,” Steinert said.
“Oliver was an integral part of the foundation and vision of this company, and I am deeply grateful to have had the opportunity to work with him. All of us at CarGurus wish him well in his new adventures,” Steinert went on to say.
Walser Automotive Group said it has hired Brad Schafer as vice president of fixed operations. Schafer will focus on all areas of service, business development center service, reconditioning, and parts.
The automation, innovation, and streamlining of new technologies will be major areas of focus for Schafer.
Schafer brings 25 years of experience, the last 12 with JM Lexus in the Fort Lauderdale, Fla., area, serving most recently as director of fixed operations and facilities.
He will work closely with Walser’s management team to continue training, development, and mentorship of the fixed operations function.
During his time at JM Lexus, Schafer led all aspects of daily operations, sales, technology solutions, strategic planning, and financial management at what Walser says is the world’s highest-volume Lexus dealership. Prior to JM Lexus, he was director of fixed operations for Courtesy Toyota/Asbury Automotive in Tampa, Fla., and spent time with AutoNation, as well.
Schafer is also the co-creator of the propriety cloud-based automotive reconditioning software, ReconTRAC and KleanTRAC. The software is used to improve the reconditioning detailing process for dealerships, according to Walser, which operates 25 dealerships and affiliated businesses featuring major and luxury brands throughout Minnesota and Kansas.
“[Schafer’s] forward-thinking mindset in the fixed operations realm is a tremendous asset to this side of our business,” Andrew Walser, Walser chief executive officer, said in a news release.
Zubie, a connected-car platform and telematics data insights provider, says its end-to-end connected-car technology has delivered real-time information about vehicles and drivers since 2012 to help businesses manage and optimize their fleets.
Seeking to fuel growth in the fleet sector and to introduce new verticals with its connected-car products, the company noted on Thursday that it has closed a round of funding. Existing investors BP and Melody Capital are providing the capital infusion.
The company also announced that telecommunications veterans Paget Alves and Dennis Huber will join its board of directors. Alves and Huber have a combined 50-plus years of experience in telecommunications, finance, operations, marketing, product development, and IT.
Zubie did not disclose the amount of the funding in the news release.
“This investment in Zubie underscores the market need for an end-to-end connected car solution," Ron LeMay, chairman of the board for Zubie, said in a news release. “There are a lot of companies focused on data collection — and there’s a lot of data out there. The marketplace needs more companies that help organize the data and extract business insight, and that’s where Zubie fills a void. We’re thrilled with the perspectives Paget and Dennis will bring to the board.”
“With a more mature hardware market, the opportunity for differentiation is in delivering usable insights in a simple, reliable package,” Gary Tucker, chief executive officer of Zubie, said in a news release. “For Zubie, 2019 will be about improved usability of our existing insights and solutions in the fleet market, while addressing a need for real-time insight for rental businesses.”
Automotive and manufacturing recruitment firm Tier One Executive Search says its customers and the industry think of the company for its work in the manufacturing area. But the business notes that its recruiting work has also taken place in passenger car, recreation vehicle, off-highway equipment and heavy vehicle retail operations for many years.
Now, Tier One is expanding its dealership recruitment practice in the United States and Canada.
“Our focus in the next 12 months will be to grow our client base within the top 150 dealership groups in the passenger car segment,” Tier One senior partner Mark Thibodeau said in a news release.
In Asia, Europe and North America, Tier One Executive Search recruits in the manufacturing area of the automotive supply base, but it will continue to concentrate on its retail practice only in the United States and Canada. Aynk Murtty, director of business development for Tier One, said the company has worked to ensure that its retail practice grows to 30 percent of its overall revenues by 2020. Currently, the company’s dealership side comprises less than 15 percent of overall revenues.
The company stated that it has added two team members to the fulfillment side of the business to support this effort.
“We have always been process-driven, and our recruitment process is the same; robust process for both the retail and the manufacturing side of our business,” Murtty said in a news release. “The key thing is that we are able to consistently deliver talent that has a positive impact on our client companies.”
Tier One added that it focuses recruitment efforts for dealer groups at senior levels and for general managers, sales/leasing managers, and finance and service managers at the store level in the United States and Canada.
Mobility company Ridecell appointed Fernando Ruarte to vice president of engineering and Gelena Sachs as vice president of people.
In his new role, Ruarte will manage global teams developing Ridecell customer and mobility platforms for Ridecell, which is a car-sharing, ride-sharing and autonomous ride-hailing platform for new mobility operators.
Ruarte's 20-plus years of engineering management experience includes positions as a chief technology officer and senior engineering executive.
Ruarte has built, grown and managed development teams of several hundred engineers on three continents and has overseen cloud computing and big data projects for enterprise companies such as Mode Media, Extended Systems, Oracle and the French government. He studied at Instituto Tecnologico de Buenos Aires and is a joint inventor of multiple patents in areas such as online processing and geo-database technologies.
Sachs’ 15-plus years of human resources and organizational effectiveness experience includes human resources management at start-ups and large established enterprises, including Clorox, Riverbed Technology, Illumina, Stitch Fix, Udemy and Business Wire. She has employed people analytics to transform organizational structures and implement people-centric employee programs. Sachs holds an economics degree from the University of California, Berkeley.
Aarjav Trivedi, chief executive officer of Ridecell, said in a news release that the company is accelerating the development of its mobility and operations platform to support use cases in areas such as car-sharing and autonomous ride-hailing.
"Fernando and Gelena each bring years of industry experience and deep technical expertise, which make them invaluable additions to our management team,” Trivedi said.
David Adcock has joined dealership warranty, certification and maintenance program company Binary Automotive Solutions as executive vice president. In other personnel news, document management products company DealerDOCX appointed Bill Reidy as executive vice president.
Adcock brings more than 20 years of industry experience to his new position at Binary Automotive Solutions. He has worked with automotive dealerships as well as manufacturers, and he was previously a national sales trainer for Pat Ryan and Associates and Resource Automotive Group. He later served as regional development manager for AutoNation Texas and more recently was founder and president of dealer services agency Adcock Dealership Solutions outside of Dallas.
Adcock said in a news release that Binary Automotive Solutions had some “exciting client announcements and programs coming out in 2019.”
James E. Binkley, founder and CEO of Binary Automotive Solutions, said in a news release: “David has a proven track record as a dealer trainer and understands what it takes to help a dealership increase CSI and grow its profit.”
In another news release announcing the DealerDOCX’s appointment of Reidy, the company noted his more than 25 years of experience leading and developing automotive services industry teams and stated that Reidy’s role will be key in further strengthening DealerDOCX’s offerings.
Reidy has designed and implemented sales and account management processes for automobile dealer groups and automotive software providers. He led the national sales team as director of sales for vAuto and most recently served for four years as vice president of sales for automotive environmental health and safety services company, KPA.
John Smith, chairman and chief executive officer of DealerDOCX, said in a news release that Reidy’s “in-depth knowledge of what automobile dealers need will allow him to demonstrate to them the value of DealerDOCX’s complete end-to-end service.”
Automotive logistics provider ACERTUS has promoted Rich Pinnock to the position of senior vice president of Drive Away and Alisha Buelt to vice president of strategic services.
Pinnock will lead the Drive Away division in the United States and Canada for ACERTUS. He is a nearly 20-year veteran of the logistics and fleet management industries, with experience in key disciplines of the business, including information technology, operations and compliance. He was previously responsible for information technology and strategic accounts for AmeriFleet before ACERTUS acquired that company.
“Beyond being highly experienced and uniquely accomplished in the industry, Rich is decidedly respected by our employees and customers alike,” William Billiter, ACERTUS co-founder and chief executive officer, said in a news release.
Buelt is a veteran of the automotive logistics industry and has served in various roles with ACERTUS, most recently as director of operations. In that role, she focused on managing and streamlining the company’s Drive Away service out of its Alpharetta, Ga. location. In her new role, she will focus primarily on ACERTUS’ title and registration service line.
“Alisha is undoubtedly one of our company’s rising stars,” Billiter said. “I’ve worked closely with her for nearly 15 years, and it’s been a pleasure to watch her learn the business from the ground up and become the proven leader that she is today. I have no doubt that she will continue to play a critical role for us for many years to come.”
Craig Pollock, president of JM Lexus and group vice president of parent company JM Family Enterprises, added a veteran to be a key leader at the organization’s luxury dealership in south Florida.
Joining JM Lexus as vice president and general manager is Mark Hoppe, who has taken over the reins from Jim Dunn, who held the position of vice president and general manager of JM Lexus since 2005.
In his role, the company said Hoppe oversees all JM Lexus operations, including new and pre-owned vehicle sales and service operations. He is responsible for leading a team of 345 associates who are focused on innovation and customer service excellence.
The dealership recently became the only Lexus Plus dealership in the southeastern U.S., offering guests negotiation-free pricing in both sales and service.
“With more than 40 years of automotive retail experience, Hoppe has held multiple roles in sales and fixed operations, primarily in south Florida,” Pollock said.
“Mark’s reputation in this market is one of exceptional customer service and outstanding leadership,” Pollock continued. “His industry knowledge and commitment to a strong associate culture make Mark an ideal candidate to lead our team of talented JM Lexus associates.
“We are thrilled Mark has joined us and wish him and his new team great success,” Pollock went on to say.
Dunn informed the company earlier last year that he would be officially retiring from JM Lexus at the end of January.
“It has been a privilege to lead such a world-class organization for the past 13 years, which have truly been the most rewarding time of my life,” Dunn said.
Cox Automotive has a new chief technology officer.
Named to the position is David Brooks, whose most recent role was Manheim’s senior vice president of engineering.
Brooks will report to chief product officer Marianne Johnson, and he will work alongside chief information officer Mitch Gersten’s enterprise tech team and product portfolio leaders.
He has been with the company since October 2016, when he joined as the Inventory Solutions Group’s vice president of technology.
That group includes the Manheim, Ready Logistics, Central Dispatch and DealShield brands.
“To better serve our clients’ needs, we’re shifting our organizational and operating model to more highly focused product portfolios enabled by enterprise centers of excellence,” said Johnson.
“As part of these changes, I’m pleased to announce that David Brooks has stepped into the role of chief technology officer for Cox Automotive.”
Cox Automotive’s previous CTO was Bryan Landerman.
