Reynolds and Reynolds announced late on Thursday that president Ron Lamb has stepped down, effective immediately.
The dealership management system provider said Lamb plans to pursue opportunities in private equity and that the position will not be immediately filled.
In making the announcement, Reynolds chairman and chief executive officer Bob Brockman said, “Ron has made a significant contribution to Reynolds over the years. He’s a talented executive, and we wish him well in his future endeavors.”
Reynolds recapped that Lamb was named to the position in 2010 and had been with the company for 25 years.
“Reynolds ended 2016 as one of its strongest years in the past decade and that momentum has carried over into this year,” Brockman said.
“With the strength of our product portfolio and the depth of talented bench strength in our executive ranks, we are looking forward to the opportunities ahead and to our continued growth,” he added.
The executive development arrived a little more than a month after Reynolds and Reynolds Canada and BMW Group Canada announced a new, multi-year agreement between the two companies for Reynolds to provide its dealership management system — ERA-IGNITE — to all BMW and MINI retailers in Canada.
Automotive industry veteran Richard Howse has joined KAR Auction Services as its new chief commercial officer, the company announced on Wednesday.
Most recently, Howse served as senior vice president of marketing and business development at Volkswagen Credit.
Howse’s automotive industry leadership background spans over 30 years.
“Rich has led growth and change in a variety of customer settings, so he has first-hand experience designing and implementing solutions across diverse operating models,” Don Gottwald, chief operating officer for KAR said in a news release. “He’ll work closely with our existing sales leaders to help unlock and deliver the full force of the KAR platform.”
In his new role, Howse will focus on developing customer solutions that integrate KAR’s capabilities and businesses.
“Under his direction, cross-functional teams will focus on expanding communication channels and creating a direct conduit between customers and KAR’s innovation, data science and product development teams,” KAR said in a news release.
Additionally, he is responsible for implementing new processes to enhance collaboration within KAR’s whole car and salvage auction business units, as well as the company’s diverse ancillary and related services subsidiaries.
Howse will report to Gottwald.
At Volkswagen Credit, Howse also served as the director of remarketing before becoming senior vice president of marketing and business development.
Within his career, Howse has had leadership positions with JD Power, Audi of America, Honda and General Motors.
To support its efforts to drive future region growth, Manheim this week announced general manager appointments in three locations: J.D. Guerrero at Manheim El Paso, Heath Sanderson at Manheim Birmingham and Steve Robinson at Manheim Omaha.
“With significant leadership experience in our organization, these new general managers will help us deliver an outstanding experience at their respective locations,” said Barry Roop, regional vice president for local west at Manheim. “Their passion for the business, our clients and insights for our brand are a vital part of our long-term success.”
Guerrero began his career with Cox Automotive as a Manheim field sales representative in 2010 and has since worked in progressive leadership roles with both the U.S. and International markets. Most recently, he was the DealShield sales manager for the Southeast and Midwest regions.
In his role as general manager at Manheim El Paso, the company said Guerrero will use his diverse experience to increase business growth and focus on delivering solutions that help buyers and sellers increase their sales velocity.
Sanderson joined Manheim in 2011 and has grown from an operations leadership role to branch manager before being named as assistant general manager at Manheim Birmingham in 2014. His success in that role led him to be promoted to general manager at the Birmingham location this year.
Manheim highlighted Sanderson’s years of experience in sales and operations will enable him to continue leading the Manheim Birmingham team on their quest to operate efficiently while further expanding its dealer presence in the Birmingham market.
In 1998, Robinson began his career with Manheim at the Atlanta location. Throughout his 20 years with the company, he has held a variety of roles such as commercial manager, assistant general manager and general sales manager across several Manheim locations, including those in Atlanta, Harrisonburg, Miss., Statesville, N.C., and the Mid-Atlantic sales region.
As general manager, Manheim said Robinson will focus on delivering added value to local clients and contributing to the brand’s end-to-end remarketing services.
RouteOne announced recently that Jeff Belanger — who’s been named senior vice president of sales — as well as Amanda George — who has been picked as vice president of strategy — will begin their positions in April.
The creation of the new roles come as a result of the announcement that RouteOne’s chief strategy officer, Todd Mason, will be leaving to serve as president and chief executive officer of the Maine Credit Union League and Synergent, a credit union technology company, according to RouteOne.
Belanger and George each have dedicated more than 13 years to RouteOne.
Both executives have also had previous roles in operations, project management, product development, and dealer and finance business development, according to the company.
Prior to RouteOne, Belanger held a variety of roles in the finance industry.
In his new role, he will be tasked with driving all sales efforts for dealers and finance sources while reporting to RouteOne chief operating officer Brad Rogers.
As vice president of strategy, George will be responsible for overall corporate and product strategy, reporting to RouteOne chief executive officer Justin Oesterle.
She held different roles within the management consulting industry before joining RouteOne.
TPC Management Co., an automotive industry consulting and executive recruiting firm now in its 21st year in business, announced on Wednesday the promotion of Jiles Wanna to the position of vice president of client services.
Wanna joined TPC in 2004 and has worked on projects under all three umbrellas of the firm, including TPC Consulting & Recruiting, Auction Academy and ServNet Auctions.
“Since joining our firm 13 years ago, Jiles has become an invaluable member of our team,” TPC vice president and co-founder Pauline Pons said. “He has worked through each and every discipline by which we provide services to our clients, expanding his industry knowledge and excelling in his effectiveness for our customer base.”
In 2012, Wanna completed the course requirements to become a Certified Automotive Remarketer (CAR) in the program initiated by the International Automotive Remarketers Alliance. Previous to his CAR certification, he completed the Vehicle Remarketing Industry Certification through the IARA/ Northwood University program as well as Manheim’s Condition Report Writer Certification, and is currently enrolled in additional college curriculums.
“We are incredibly proud to move Jiles into the executive ranks within our firm, recognition long overdue as his efforts have been extremely well received by both the clients we service and our larger industry partners,” TPC president Pierre Pons said. “There has never been a task too big or too small for him not to throw in 110-percent effort.
“We know he will continue to play a significant role in our firm’s growth and success as he works with our clients to help them expand their business opportunities and industry relationships,” Pierre Pons added.
TPC provides industry consulting to over 50 Independent auto auctions across the country as well as corporate administrative management to ServNet Auctions. TPC also specializes in management recruiting across automotive disciplines and advises parties on industry business divestitures and acquisitions.
“I want to thank Pierre and Pauline for affording me the opportunity to enter the vehicle remarketing industry,” Wanna said. “Every assignment has been a great experience, and I look forward to contributing to the success not only of TPC but to that of the clients we serve.”
Predictive analytics and marketing automation technology provider automotiveMastermind (aM) announced Wednesday it recently promoted Napoleon Rumteen to vice president of dealer relations.
Most recently, Rumteen was responsible for dealer relations in aM’s western region.
In his new role, Rumteen currently heads a team that provides multi-level training and support to dealers, dealer groups and OEMs nationwide, according to aM.
“We created this position to further accelerate our unprecedented level of service to our dealer partners,” Marco Schnabl, chief executive officer and co-founder of aM, said in a news release. “aM is the only company doing predictive behavior in the automotive retail space and we act as a true partner with our dealers by providing ongoing support and consultation through frequent on-site visits.
“This helps our partners optimize the technology, resulting in engaged and empowered sales teams and ultimately greater success.”
Rumteen has nearly 25 years of automotive sales and service experience.
He has also been involved in other technology verticals such as producing various mobile applications.
“I’ve been working with data mining technologies for more than two decades and automotiveMastermind is the first technology that bridges the gap between dealers and consumers in an intelligent, ethical and friendly way,” Rumteen said.
“I’m looking forward to providing modern, advanced consulting to our dealer partners.”
The new vice president currently holds a U.S. patent on an algorithm-based, mobile device video decision tree.
On behalf of dealers, aM’s technology produces key insights and valuable information on top prospects using social media, financial, product and customer lifecycle information to calculate how likely a consumer is to purchase a vehicle.
“The technology’s proprietary algorithm crunches thousands of data points, combining dealer management system information with Big Data,” aM said.
Customer specific talking points and customized micro-targeted predictive marketing campaigns can be fed directly to a salesperson’s desktop or mobile devices.
Digital marketing solution for car dealers LotLinx announced the appointment of Eric Brown as president, chief product officer on Wednesday.
Brown joined the company in September, and he has since brought new partners and product technology to the LotLinx product suite, according to the company.
"Thanks to our strong growth over the past year, we're continuing to adapt to the rapidly changing needs of the marketplace," LotLinx founder Len Short said in a new release. "Dealers across the country are already well versed in the benefits of the LotLinx solution when it comes to actually moving inventory, and our VIN-specific marketing solutions are a huge benefit to everyone who touches the automotive industry."
In his new role, Brown will oversee LotLinx Media Holdings, along with a new LotLinx Enterprise group.
The group’s purpose is to develop the company's cloud-based digital technology platform for strategic partners within the automotive industry.
In 2009, Brown founded Dataium, an aggregator of online automotive shopping behavior.
"Given the talent and accomplishments of the LotLinx team, it is an honor to be asked to serve such an exceptional group," said Brown. "Today's automotive industry continues to evolve as new market dynamics and opportunities emerge. It is truly exciting to be in a leadership position with such an exceptional company as LotLinx during this time."
Additionally, the digital retailing technology company experienced another substantial milestone this past January when it launched its LotLinx TURN platform which generates omni-channel, VIN-specific marketing campaigns.
“More dealers will benefit from the powerful ability to focus digital marketing initiatives on specific inventory, rather than relying on 'trickle-down' efforts,” LotLinx said.
The platform will now deliver VIN-specific marketing capabilities to several partners who have already established relationships with dealers.
Veteran automotive and technology executive Doug Betts has been named senior vice president of global automotive operations at J.D. Power, the latter announced Tuesday.
Most recently, Betts had a role at Apple, where helped lead the introduction of Apple's latest product innovations.
At J.D. Power, Betts has been tasked with leading the strategy and operations for J.D. Power’s entire automotive division.
“Doug is an industry leader with a deep understanding of quality and design issues who also has first-hand experience with the disruptive forces reshaping the automotive industry,” Finbarr O’Neill, president and chief executive officer of J.D. Power, said in a news release. “This is the most important role we have in our automotive division, and with Doug’s leadership we can provide our clients with the knowledge and advice they need to navigate the challenges ahead.”
Before Apple, Betts held senior executive roles in global manufacturing and quality at Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, Nissan Motor Corp. Americas and Toyota Motor Manufacturing of Indiana.
“I have always appreciated the insights J.D. Power brings to the industry through its independent consumer feedback and data and analytics,” Betts said.
“As a former and long-time customer, I look forward to keeping J.D. Power at the forefront of our industry as it incorporates new and disruptive technologies and evolves to serve younger, emerging generations of car buyers.”
TPC Management Co. announced this week that Penny Wanna has been promoted to president of Auction Academy, the continuing education program the company developed to benefit the wholesale industry.
Wanna has been involved with the Auction Academy program since its inception in early 2012 and most recently served as vice president of administration.
“From the beginning Penny has been 100-percent vested in Auction Academy, and she has been instrumental in the growth of the Academy program,” Auction Academy vice president and co-founder Pauline Pons. “The Academy courses we offer today are a direct outcome of her contributions and organization.”
In addition to the Seminar Series, Auction Academy provides a two-year training and development experience for automotive auction professionals, structured like an executive MBA program. With faculty drawn from expert practitioners around the country, Auction Academy’s programs are designed to enhance essential skill sets, promote best practices and yield better auction performance.
“Without a doubt, Penny is the heart and soul of Auction Academy, a fact which can be attested to by all four class groups that have graduated to date as well as all the speakers and sponsors who have supported the program,” Auction Academy chief executive officer and co-founder Pierre Pons said. “Penny believed strongly in the Auction Academy from the early days of its inception, and many sessions have been successful because of her determination and sheer force of will.
“I concur with Pauline that the evolution and success of the Auction Academy can be attributed to Penny’s dedication and perseverance,” Pierre Pons added.
Wanna will also continue with her duties as vice president of administration for both TPC Management and ServNet Auctions.
“From the beginning our goal has been to bring a professional, top-level training experience to the auto auction industry,” Wanna said. “It has been a pleasure to work with the Academy’s first Class Group, made up of the sons and daughters of some of the best independent auto auctions in the country, and subsequently with professionals from all corners of the industry.
“I am honored to be in a position to help the Academy continue its mission,” she went on to say.
On Wednesday, salvage vehicle auction company Insurance Auto Auctions named a new chief operating officer and made five additional key senior leadership appointments following the change.
Chosen for the COO position is Tim O'Day, who was most recently senior vice president of finance.
"Tim has strong strategy and management expertise and a proven track record of driving customer value through effective and efficient operations," John Kett, chief executive officer and president, said in a news release. "His financial background blended with his analytic and leadership skills will benefit IAA, our customers, and the entire KAR platform."
Before joining IAA in 2015, O’Day served as chief operating officer and chief financial officer at MedSpeed, a national healthcare transportation provider.
The newly formed management team includes four leaders who have been promoted, in addition to managing director of Impact Terry Daniels, whose present role has expanded to include both Canada and Global Market Development.
Sidney Kerley has been promoted to senior vice president and general counsel, John Krupnik to senior vice president and chief technology officer, Jeanene O'Brien to senior vice president of global marketing and Eldon Booth to senior vice president of field operations.
Kerley is now responsible for both industry relations and customer quality assurance and he will continue to lead the company’s legal team.
In his new role, Krupnik manages the newly created product development function and resume overseeing business technology.
O'Brien remains the head of global marketing and has assumed responsibility for the newly created buyer development function.
As senior vice president of field operations, Eldon Booth has been tasked with directing all U.S. field operations.
Kerley, O'Brien, Krupnik and Daniels will all report to Kett. And Booth will report to O'Day.
According to IAA, the company employs more than 2,800 employees in over 170 auction facilities throughout the U.S. and Canada.
