KAR Auction Services Inc. has promoted Stacey White to senior vice president of enterprise optimization.
In addition to her other responsibilities, White will now oversee transportation at the corporate level. She will continue to oversee the company’s procurement and sourcing strategies, while still leading the team charged with standardization of operations and processes at all newly acquired auctions.
White joined KAR Auction Services in 2008 as an operational compliance auditor. She has since held a variety of positions, including director of process improvement and cost management and, most recently, vice president of enterprise optimization.
White will continue to report to David Vignes, KAR’s executive vice president of enterprise optimization.
“Stacey has more than 20 years of experience in the auto remarketing industry and is well respected by other employees throughout the company,” said Vignes. “She has a proven track record of success and the willingness and drive to continue taking on more responsibilities, making her well-suited for this role.”
“I am excited to take on this new role where I can apply my previous experience and knowledge gained from my career at KAR,” said White. “I look forward to working with new team members and taking on this new challenge.”
White received degrees from Canada’s Saint Mary’s University and Compu College School of Business in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
The new top boss at NextGear Capital is one familiar with the organization.
Cox Automotive on Thursday announced that Shane O’Dell has been named president of Financial Solutions.
As president, O’Dell will oversee NextGear Capital, which services more than 23,000 dealers across North America, the United Kingdom and Ireland. O’Dell will report to Mark O’Neil, chief operating officer of Cox Automotive, and will begin his new role effective Oct. 1.
O’Dell also will be relocating to Carmel, Ind.
“Shane is a proven leader at NextGear Capital and his focus on the needs of our customers will further strengthen the Financial Solutions team at Cox Automotive and its focus on service excellence,” O’Neil said.
“Shane’s deep knowledge and expertise in the financial industry will be an asset to our company, partners and customers,” O’Neil continued.
O’Dell currently serves as the senior vice president of vehicle solutions at Manheim responsible for setting and executing key business strategies around Manheim’s third-party logistics, including vehicle transportation, reconditioning, imaging, purchase protection and inspections in addition to focusing on Ready Logistics, the company’s transportation company.
Prior to joining Manheim, O’Dell was chief operating officer for NextGear Capital, overseeing the execution of day-to-day operating activities and providing strategic direction on revenue growth and risk mitigation. O’Dell was one of the founding members of Dealer Services Corp. (DSC) in 2005 and became chief operating officer in 2010, which was later merged with Manheim Financial Services to become NextGear Capital in 2013.
“I couldn’t be more thrilled to come back and lead the Financial Solutions team at Cox Automotive and continue to develop products and solutions to help dealers with their financial and inventory needs and be a partner in helping them achieve success,” O’Dell said.
O'Dell is taking the position vacated by Brian Geitner, who recently became the new president of Cox Automotive’s Media Solutions Group.
Reconditioning technology provider Dent Wizard International recently promoted Gil Eaton to the position of vice president of information technology.
In his new position, the company indicated Eaton will manage all functions of Dent Wizard’s IT systems. He will report to chief financial officer Tammy Conner and work from the company’s headquarters in St. Louis.
Eaton joined Dent Wizard’s IT team in 2014, serving as software developer.
Prior to joining Dent Wizard full time, he was an IT specialist for Manheim, focusing on the Dent Wizard business.
Eaton has 20 years of experience in the IT field.
“Dent Wizard’s leading technological initiatives are part of our overall value proposition,” Connor said. “Gil will help lead the way as we continue to improve our clients’ experiences through more innovation, such as what we’ve done with electronic invoicing and data collection.”
Dent Wizard president and chief executive officer Terry Koebbe added, “Gil has extensive knowledge of Dent Wizard, and has been a valuable resource in our IT development for many years.
“I am excited about what Gil brings to this new leadership role,” Koebbe went on to say.
John Eriksen has been named general manager of Manheim Baltimore-Washington, bringing experience in both the sales and operations sides of Manehim.
Most recently, he served as assistant general manager of Manheim Orlando, where he held various leadership roles since joining the organization in 2007.
His new role represents a return to the region, as he previously worked as general sales manager for Manheim’s Mid-Atlantic region.
"John’s backgrond and well-rounded perspective will be a valuable asset to our team,” said Matt Trapp, Manheim regional vice president, Northeast. “His intimate knowledge of our clients, and overall leadership qualities, marries well with our priorities and goals as an organization.”
“During the time I worked in the Mid-Atlantic region, I gained a great perspective of the diversity of our clients and the tremendous potential Manheim has to help dealer business grow in this area,” said Eriksen. "It is good to return to the Baltimore area and call it home once again.”
Eriksen received an associate degree from Santa Fe College and is working toward his bachelor’s degree in business administration.
Element Financial Corp. announced that Michael Dolan has been named chief information security officer of its fleet management business.
Dolan joined Element in 2015 when it acquired GE Capital Fleet Services, bringing more than 16 years of legal and information security experience. He began at GE Capital Fleet Services in 2008 as vice president, counsel and chief compliance officer. He then held a series of GE Capital leadership roles, most recently serving as its lead global counsel, IT, information security and privacy.
"Element is a data-driven company of industry leaders who are inspired to transform the future,” said John Wall, chief technology officer at Element Fleet Management. "Michael's deep information security and legal background make him an excellent addition to our leadership team."
Prior to GE Capital, Dolan served in executive roles with US Bancorp, most recently overseeing the design and implementation of its information security program as deputy chief compliance and enterprise security officer. Previously, he was in private practice with Oppenheimer Wolff & Donnelly LLP and served as judicial law clerk to the Honorable Bruce D. Willis of the Minnesota Court of Appeals.
He received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and earned his JD, cum laude, as well as an MBA from the University of Minnesota.
“I'm pleased to take such a meaningful role within the Element Fleet Management team at this exciting time in our evolution,” said Dolan. “Element is devoted to empowering our clients to deliver extraordinary results, and I couldn’t be prouder of our commitment to advancing the fleet industry.”
Former Cox Automotive executive Jared Rowe will become the chief executive officer of YP on Sept. 1, the local marketing solutions provider said in news release Thursday.
Rowe was most recently president of Cox Automotive’s Media Solutions Group.
Cox Automotive announced on Aug. 10 that Brian Geitner would be replacing Rowe, who was leaving the company for an opportunity outside the car business.
Geitner moved into that role Aug. 15.
Rowe served as president of both Autotrader and Kelley Blue Book, joining Autotrader in 2010. He was vice president of product management at Autotrader before becoming KBB president, Autotrader president, and then his most recent post.
Before his Autotrader days, Rowe had various roles with FordDirect (including a spot on the founding executive team), Autobytel and Central Atlantic Toyota Distributors.
“For more than 100 years, YP’s mission has been to help local businesses thrive by connecting them with relevant consumers. I am truly excited to join YP and build on this incredible heritage by continuing to deliver customized, cost-efficient products and services to our customers to help them meet the challenges of today’s evolving business and consumer environment,” Rowe said in a news release.
“The talented team at YP has created one of the largest and most successful digital local marketing businesses in the world, with hundreds of thousands of local merchants, the industry’s largest local sales force, a comprehensive set of industry-leading marketing solutions, a large, diverse and engaged consumer audience, an innovative technology and product development team, and approximately $1 billion in annual digital advertising revenues,” he said.
“Together we will build on the company’s leading market position to the benefit of both consumers and merchants.”
Chan Galbato, the chairman of YP and CEO of Cerberus Operations & Advisory Co., said in the news release: “YP is committed to providing the innovative, dynamic and tailored marketing solutions required to enable local businesses to connect with their consumers, and will be focused on expanding and fully integrating these services under Jared’s leadership.
“Jared’s extraordinary executive track record and deep expertise in digital marketing, technology and product development, and local, regional and national sales leadership will help to ensure YP has the scale, technology and relationships required to continue driving YP forward as the ‘go-to’ marketing services provider for local businesses,” he said.
KAR Auction Services announced that Tim Massingale has been promoted to vice president of enterprise optimization. He will report to David Vignes, KAR executive vice president of enterprise optimization.
As part of the enterprise optimization team, Massingale will help to maximize resources and increase synergies across all of the KAR business units. He also will oversee the company’s safety training programs, including the Safe T. Sam series, and lead the team responsible for compliance with environmental, health and safety regulations.
“This promotion is a testament to the bench strength of talented professionals we have across the KAR group of companies,” Vignes said in a news release. “I am pleased to have a seasoned executive like Tim with more than 16 years of in-house and automotive experience join our team.
“His extensive knowledge and leadership skills will be a true asset and will contribute greatly to the continued success of KAR.”
Massingale joined KAR Auction Services in 2009 and held a variety of management positions at PAR North America, including national remarketing manager, client relations manager, director of operations and, most recently, vice president of compliance and ancillary services.
“I have been fortunate to acquire a tremendous amount of experience about our industry and our company during my time at PAR,” Massingale said. “I look forward to applying these skills to my new role and working closely with a new team to continue to achieve results for KAR.”
Edmunds.com has appointed Laura Perlman to serve as the company’s vice president of corporate strategy.
In her new role, Perlman will be responsible for guiding the long-term strategic vision and identifying growth opportunities for Edmunds as the company continues to seek ways to streamline the car-shopping process consumers and dealers.
Perlman previously served as the head of corporate strategy at Hulu, where she led development of the company’s long- and short-term business strategy. She also spent several years at McKinsey & Co., where she led initiatives for multiple Fortune 500 companies to drive better performance through customer experience, go-to-market redesign and strategy development.
She received a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Princeton University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
“Laura joins us at not only an exciting time for Edmunds, but also for the tech and automotive industries overall,” said Edmunds president Seth Berkowitz. “Her skills, savvy and experience will go a long way toward helping Edmunds thrive in a crowded and competitive landscape.”
A week after making manager changes at ADESA Orlando and ADESA Los Angeles, the business unit of KAR Auction Services on Monday announced adjustments to its auction management teams at ADESA Colorado Springs and ADESA Austin, effective immediately.
The company said Steve Swanson, previously general manager at ADESA Austin, has been named general manager at ADESA Colorado Springs. Cindy Kuhn, previously general manager at ADESA Colorado Springs, has accepted a position as regional online manager for ADESA.
Swanson had been general manager at ADESA Austin since 2007. He was previously president at AutoVIN, a subsidiary of ADESA. His past experience includes serving as an auction fleet lease manager for a major auction company and as national auction manager for DaimlerChrysler Services.
“Steve has more than 25 years of experience in the remarketing industry and is well-known and well-respected by both employees and customers,” ADESA chief operating officer Paul Lips said. “His expertise in both auction management and in auction technology will be a true asset to ADESA Colorado Springs.”
Kuhn started her ADESA career in 1998 as fleet lease manager for ADESA Lansing. She also held that position at ADESA Kansas City from 2006 to 2011, when she was named general manager of ADESA Colorado Springs.
The company also announced Rich Levene, previously vice president of enterprise optimization for KAR Auction Services, has been named general manager at ADESA Austin.
Levene has more than 20 years of experience in the vehicle remarketing industry, including key management positions at CitiFinancial Auto and HSBC. During his time with KAR, he has served as assistant general manager of ADESA Golden Gate from 2001 to 2005 and as director of operations for PAR North America from 2008 to 2011.
“Rich brings a robust and versatile skill set to the general manager position,” Lips said. “His knowledge and professional experiences will bring valuable benefits to our team and our customers at ADESA Austin, and I look forward to working with him in his new role.”
Manheim has named Denis Nazarenkov to general manager of Manheim San Diego.
Nazarenkov, who has been with Manheim for a decade, most recently led people strategies for several Cox Automotive brands including DealShield, Ready Logistics, and Manheim Retail Solutions and Inspections.
“The general manager role is a natural fit for Denis because of his exceptional background as a creative and strategic leader and his accessible coaching style,” said Barry Roop, Manheim’s regional VP of the local West. “The ease with which he manages change and inspires employee engagement has Denis poised for strong results on the San Diego team.”
Nazarenkov joined Manheim in 2006 and has held various management roles within human resources. He was responsible for human resource operations and strategy for all Manheim North America locations, which includes more than 24 direct reports leading 6,000 Human Resource team members.
Nazarenkov received a bachelor’s degree in legal studies and a master’s degree in public administration from National University.
