Group 1 Automotive announced on Monday it expanded its board of directors to 10 directors following the appointment of Carin Barth, president of LB Capital, a private equity investment firm she co-founded in 1988.
"It is exciting to add Carin to our Board,” Group 1 Automotive chief executive officer Earl Hesterberg said in a news release.
“She has a long history of corporate and civic governance excellence with very large organizations based in our home market of Houston and throughout the state of Texas."
Currently, Bath serves on the board of directors of Enterprise Holdings. She is chair of the Audit Committee at Black Stone Minerals L.P. and also the general partner of Enterprise Product Partners L.P.
At Texas Tech University, the new director is chair of the Investment Advisory Committee, a trustee of the Welch Foundation.
"Carin is a well-respected business and civic leader who will provide additional depth and great financial expertise to our board. She is a terrific addition," Group 1 board of directors chairman John Adams said.
Barth received a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Alabama and a Master of Business Administration from Vanderbilt University's Owen Graduate School of Management.
At GSFSGroup, Jeff Parent succeeds Steve Amos as president, who retired last week after a tenure of nine years.
During his leadership, Amos championed the launch of eContracting and Dealer Executive Dashboard, a flexible online data solution to help maximize dealer profitability, the provider and administrator of F&I products and reinsurance structures for the auto industry said in a news release.
Parent brings 26 years of experience in the automotive business. He was most recently senior vice president and assistant general manager of Gulf States Toyota.
"I am honored to serve as the new President," said Parent in a news release.
"My focus is to continue to grow and transform GSFSGroup by utilizing the emerging technologies shaping today's automotive industry to drive F&I product sales and awareness for our dealers."
At Gulf States Toyota, Parent’s responsibilities included marketing and supply chain.
Previously, Parent held executive management positions at the VW Group where he was director of sales and marketing for VW Credit, Inc., director of sales operations and regional vice president for the Volkswagen brand.
In 2007, he assumed the role of vice president of sales and marketing at Nissan Canada and in 2010 he joined the Friedkin Group as the vice president of strategy and planning.
Payment technology and services provider BillingTree recently appointed former SunTrust and FactorTrust executive Barton “Chip” Bright as general counsel and chief compliance officer.
The company said Bright will lead the compliance and risk teams at BillingTree which monitor not only internal compliance concerns, but also ensure customers in all markets have the tools to remain compliant in the face of increasing regulatory scrutiny.
Last year, BillingTree added 10 new hires to its employee base in IT, development and quality assurance along with the addition of Bright. Growth and new hires were driven by expansion in new and existing vertical markets including, accounts receivables management (ARM), healthcare, property management and financial services.
Bright joins BillingTree after serving SunTrust where he managed credit card compliance for the $200 billion bank. He also spent time at FactorTrust where he held the position of general counsel and vice president of compliance. Bright brings more than 20 years of experience in the compliance sector to BillingTree.
Bright and the many additional new hires are joining an award-winning team as BillingTree was recently named by the Phoenix Business Journal as one of the best places to work in the Valley of the Sun for the second year in a row.
“The addition of Chip expands our commitment to compliance in our industry and the industries we service. With a range of vertical markets experiencing a shifting regulatory landscape, compliance should be the cornerstone of payment operations. Chip enables us to be a better leader in the payments industry while offering our clients compliant merchant services and payment technology to help them navigate regulatory change,” said Edz Sturans, chief executive officer and president at BillingTree.
“Chip joins a company poised to continue our growth path through the coming years. The success of BillingTree is built on the strength of its employees, and we welcome Chip to an award-winning team,” Sturans went on to say.
Cars.com confirmed to Auto Remarketing via email that Gary Tucker, chief executive officer of DealerRater, was leaving the company effective Monday to pursue an opportunity outside of the company.
That opportunity, Auto Remarketing learned, is to take on the CEO position at Zubie, a connected-car platform and telematics provider.
"I am excited to join a company with a strong reputation for growth and innovation in the telematics sector,” Tucker said in a news release issued by Zubie on Wednesday. "Zubie is on a trajectory to deliver the full value of a connected car to auto manufacturers, auto dealers, insurance carriers, fleet customers and consumers. The future is very bright for Zubie.”
Taking over day-to-day responsibilities at DealerRater is Jamie Oldershaw, who will report to Elaine Richards, the executive vice president of business operations for Cars.com.
Oldershaw is currently the senior vice president of product.
In a statement shared by a Cars.com spokesperson on Monday, the company said: “Gary Tucker will be leaving DealerRater, effective today, to pursue another opportunity outside the company. We appreciate his service to the Cars.com family of companies and the critical role he played in the integration of the DealerRater business that we acquired last year.
“We wish him well in his future endeavors. We have a strong bench of talent at DealerRater and current SVP of product and company veteran Jamie Oldershaw will assume interim responsibility for day-to-day operations, reporting to Cars.com executive vice president of business operations Elaine Richards,” the statement said.
Cars.com acquired DealerRater in summer 2016. Tucker had been CEO of DealerRater since 2014. Prior to joining DealerRater, Tucker was senior vice president of global product management and marketing at J.D. Power. He was with J.D. Power for 12 years.
In the new role, Tucker will be located at Zubie's headquarters in Minneapolis, the company said in Wednesday's news release. He will lead the company as it boosts its growth in the auto section while building on its presence in the insurance and fleet businesses, according to Zubie. Prag Shah, who had been interim CEO of Zubie, will continue as chief operating officer.
The company said in its news release that it has hit several milestones in the past year, including a fleet monitoring and in-car Wi-Fi tool that Zubie claims “was the first in the industry to meet the needs of businesses dependent on both telematics and in-vehicle connectivity.”
Zubie had also announced a deal with an automaker to utilize the company's data and analytics repository to help shed light on vehicle performance and reliability. Zubie also continues to broaden its vehicle maintenance features.
“Gary offers tremendous expertise and leadership experience in the key segments Zubie has served over the past several years, as well as a proven ability to successfully leverage growth opportunities and create value,” Ron LeMay, Zubie chairman of the board, said in a news release. “With our portfolio of enterprise solutions, Zubie is well-positioned to capitalize on our market opportunities and I'm confident in Gary's ability to help the company further expand.”
On Friday, Holman Automotive announced former BMW executive, Pete Witt has joined the company as Northeast platform vice president.
Witt most recently served as executive vice president of operations for BMW North of America where he worked for 17 years prior to joining Holman Automotive.
In Witt’s new role, he will be responsible for the 10 stores that Holman has across Pennsylvania and New Jersey (Overall, Holman has more than three dozen franchises and 17 brands across the US).
The general manager of each of those 10 stores will report to Witt.
“We are very pleased to welcome Petter to the Holman Automotive family,” Holman Consumer Services president and chief executive officer Brian Bates said in a news release. “His wealth of experience in the retail automotive sector combined with his global perspective of the automotive industry will bring tremendous value to the organization. I could not imagine a better fit and we are glad to have him on board.”
At BMW, Witt oversaw all of the manufacture’s sales operations within the U.S. in his most previous role.
Witt first joined BMW in 1999 as a management associate and later moved on into several different leadership positions including, sales director for Africa, the Caribbean and Eastern Europe.
In 2013, Witt became the managing director of BMW Sweden. A year later he returned to the U.S. in 2014 to serve as the BMW of North America regional vice president of the Western region.
RMS Automotive — Cox Automotive’s portfolio management solutions provider — announced on Wednesday that four of its key personnel have transitioned into new and expanded roles; they include Zach Hallowell as general manager, David Gaynoe as assistant vice president of global sales and marketing, Connie Suozzo as assistant vice president of operations and Ilana Kearns as manager of executive support and communications.
“Backed by their experience and passion for the business, these individuals will help RMS Automotive take a more holistic, client-centric approach and build upon our momentum as we head into 2017,” said RMS president Nick Peluso. “They will continue to partner with our clients as well as our colleagues across Cox Automotive as we move forward in the next phase of our exciting journey.”
In his new role, Hallowell will oversee global operations for RMS.
The new general manager is a remarketing industry executive with an extensive background in the global wholesale automotive industry. He also holds several patents associated with wholesale remarketing systems, said RMS.
Before joining RMS in 2015, he held several senior leadership roles at OPENLANE and served as vice president of product management for ADESA.
As assistant vice president of global sales and marketing, Gaynoe is responsible for topline revenue and business development, such as the growth of customer acquisitions and client service opportunities.
Before joining RMS in 2014, Gaynoe held leadership roles at Cox Enterprises across multiple operational disciplines nationally and globally. He began his career at Ernst & Young as a member of their Advisory and Assurance practice.
Suozzo has led the operations team at RMS since 2014. In her newly expanded role, she will oversee global application support along with programs and operational partnerships for RMS clients.
In 2013, Suozzo joined Cox Automotive to lead sales efforts for Manheim’s National Client Sales Support team. Previously she held various leadership roles in the healthcare technology field for15 years.
As manager of executive support and communications, Kearns now leads communications for RMS. She will also continue to manage administrative operations.
Kearns served in several operations, marketing and executive support roles for companies such as Intercontinental Hotel Group, FOCUS Brands and R. L. Polk & Company before joining RMS.
“These new and expanded roles support RMS Automotive’s natural evolution as the company continues to grow and scale,” said Peluso. “We are committed to improving our technology platform and services and plan to constantly introduce new features, all of which are aimed to enhance the client experience.”
Global automotive professional services and technology company motormindz recently announced that former AutoNation officer and senior vice president Scot Eisenfelder will join its team as senior partner, professional services.
The company highlighted Eisenfelder has driven innovation across multiple auto sectors. He was senior vice president of strategy at AutoNation, responsible for major change initiatives in ecommerce, pricing and IT and for creating a blueprint for auto retail transformation. He was also acting chief marketing officer focused on realigning marketing spending.
"We are delighted to have Scot join our team as we continue our rapid, global growth. He brings deep knowledge of the automotive sector to add to our comprehensive group of industry experts.," said Jeff Van Dongen, founder and chief of motormindz, which also boasts Alan Harris, a former vice president at BMW, and John Felice, who previously was VP at Ford.
“Scot brings fresh thinking and epitomizes the core values of what we represent as an organization along with our endless commitment to delivering new, disruptive solutions and technologies to the automotive industry,” Van Dongen continued in a news release.
Prior to AutoNation, Eisenfelder led JM Family's dealer software business and was senior vice president, product management, strategy and marketing at Reynolds and Reynolds leading both companies through value creating sales.
Eisenfelder also led J.D. Power's Retail practice and was a partner in Accenture's Automotive and Industrial Equipment practice focused on solving sales, marketing and distribution issues.
Eisenfelder started his auto-consulting career at Booz Allen.
Eisenfelder joins a diverse team of senior level, OEM and dealer group executives at motormindz, focused on accelerating the pace of innovation and change within the automotive industry and identifying solutions that deliver tangible results quickly.
“I am excited to join a team of solid professionals with a shared vision for disruptive solutions, entrepreneurship and integrity,” Eisenfelder said. “It’s a great opportunity to continue to innovate, bring promising technologies to the market place and continue to develop thought leadership in the automotive space.”
Experian recently announced it has appointed John DeMarco as senior vice president of automotive sales.
“Our automotive sales division has a long history of providing exceptional client service while delivering the analytics-based products and services they need to be successful,” said Experian Automotive president John Gray. “John’s demonstrated leadership and proven track record of client-based service makes him a great resource for our clients and an ideal addition to our world-class team.”
In his new role, DeMarco is responsible for driving growth strategies for the company and leading responsive teams to deliver client solutions for original equipment manufacturers and dealerships.
Experian said DeMarco brings more than 27 years of leadership in driving strategies and delivering results for highly competitive industries.
Most recently, DeMarco served as the group director of sales for Ryder Supply Chain Solutions.
“This is an exciting time to be in the automotive industry. Now more than ever, OEMs and auto dealers have access to information that can help keep them ahead of the competition,” said DeMarco.
“Experian is at the forefront of this transformation with data and analytics that empower industry professionals to identify opportunities and act on them. Simply put, Experian’s insights put clients in the position to win in a crowded marketplace. This level of commitment is very important to me and one of the many reasons I’m excited to be taking on this new role.”
DeMarco has held several senior leadership roles at major global companies such as CDK Global (formerly ADP Dealer Services) and Ford Motor Co., where he started his career in the automotive industry.
During his nearly 20 years at CDK Global, DeMarco held various roles in sales and operations, including divisional vice president of sales for U.S. major markets.
Digital marketing, sales and service solution provider ChannelNet announced on Monday that it has named a new vice president of dealer sales and service for the U.S. and Canada who will lead the company’s new direct-to-the-dealer customer retention product.
Chosen for the position is K.C. Loughlin, who was most recently the director of sales for DealerSocket.
“We are confident in K.C.’s abilities to lead our new offering, which will fill the gaps in current customer relationship management (CRM) systems for dealers,” said ChannelNet chief executive and founder Paula Tompkins.
“Most of today’s CRM solutions focus on pre-sale versus post-sale efforts. Our unique solution will help dealers increase their profitability and loyalty as well as provide low-cost leads from existing customers.”
The new direct-to-the-dealer customer retention product is set to debut in the second quarter.
The new offering will be a personal gateway that provides timely and relevant information concerning each aspect of their vehicles, according to ChannelNet.
Loughlin, an automotive veteran, brings 30 years of dealer experience. His background includes working within parts, service, F&I and used-car inventory management.
Prior to DealerSocket, Loughlin led sales for Dealertrack’s finance and insurance solutions.
Within his career, Loughlin has also served as president and general manager of multiple dealerships.
MetroGistics, a provider of automotive logistics services, recently announced four different executive promotions.
The personnel moves the company made are:
— Jeremy Cope to executive vice president, operations and strategy
— Martha Garcia-Perry to vice president, growth initiatives and integration
— Dustin Ruch to vice president, business development
— Melissa Trautman to vice president, marketing strategy and integration.
MetroGistics indicated Cope, Ruch and Trautman are based out of the company’s headquarters in St. Louis, while Garcia-Perry is based out of Metro Auto Express in Thornton, Colo.
Ruch previously served as director of business development for MetroGistics. He joined the company the year it opened in 2010.
Cope joined the company in 2012, and has 13 years of experience in auto transport. He was recently named to Auto Remarketing’s 40 Under 40.
Garcia-Perry has been with MetroGistics since 2013. Earlier this year, she was named among the Women in Remarketing by Auto Remarketing.
Trautman joined MetroGistics in 2012 as an insurance analyst, and quickly moved up the ranks to process improvement manager and director, process improvement and planning.
“Our tremendous growth and industry leadership would not be possible without these four outstanding individuals,” said William Billiter, co-founder and managing partner. “We salute Jeremy, Martha, Dustin and Melissa and congratulate them on their well-deserved promotions.”
For more information about MetroGistics, call (877) 571-6235 or visit www.metrogistics.com.
