CarGurus has announced the appointment of a new senior vice president of consumer marketing.
Taking on the role after most recently serving as the chief marketing officer at Gazelle is Sarah Welch, who will be responsible for leading the company’s global consumer marketing initiatives, including brand development and experience, customer acquisition and retention, public relations and consumer product marketing.
Langley Steinert, CarGurus’ chief executive officer, welcomed Welch to the company.
“Sarah brings extensive experience developing consumer brands, and she will play a key role at CarGurus as we continue to grow in the U.S. and internationally,” Steinert said. “Creating an extraordinary consumer experience has always been central to our mission, and we have built a strong following among car shoppers. We are thrilled to have Sarah on board to help us expand and further engage that audience.”
In her previous role at Gazelle, Welcome led all aspects of the company’s end-to-end customer experience, including marketing, product and customer care. She also served for six years at TripAdvisor as its vice president of marketing and vice president of the TripAdvisor Media Group.
“CarGurus is using technology to radically improve the car shopping process, and I am excited to help share that story with the world,” Welch said. “We are building from a strong position in the marketplace, and I am delighted to be a part of this talented team as we move the brand forward.”
For more information on CarGurus, click here.
LeasePlan USA recently announced the hiring of a new region sales vice president of national accounts.
Bringing over 15 years of fleet industry experience to the position is Melissa Cook, who most recently served as the district sales manager for Supreme Corporation.
In the new position, Cook will be serving the Northwest and Midwest regions, working with potential clients with up to 1,000 leased vehicles or reimbursed drivers on the road. She will be responsible for ensuring her clients are using the most up-to-date strategies and present solutions to better manage their fleets.
“My ultimate goal is to provide cost-saving opportunities that reflect our universal promise to all of our clients: ‘It’s easier to leaseplan,’” Cook said.
Jon Toups, LeasePlan’s chief sales and marketing officer, welcomes Cook to the company.
“Melissa is a great example of the kind of professional we look for here at LeasePlan,” he said. “A results-driven, customer-focused individual with the skills and fleet management expertise that further our mission and vision for growth. We welcome her as the latest addition to our client acquisition team and look forward to celebrating her success.”
Some of Cook’s other previous roles also include account manager for Enterprise Fleet Management and sales account executive for ADP Dealer Services. Cook continuously stayed within the top 10 account managers at Enterprise.
Along with an increased authorization for buying back company stock, AutoNation appointed a new member to its board of directors who spent part of her career at both Ford and General Motors.
Serving as an independent director on AutoNation's board as of this past Friday is Karen Francis, who now is executive chairman of AcademixDirect, a technology marketing company serving the education industry. Before serving as executive chairman and chief executive officer of AcademixDirect from 2004 to 2007, Francis was chairman and CEO of Publicis & Hal Riney, an advertising agency based in San Francisco.
Prior to entering the advertising and education spaces, Francis was entrenched with two of the three domestic OEMs.
From 2001 to 2002, Francis served as vice president of Ford, where she was responsible for global technology strategies, customer relationship management, global export operations, as well as Ford Direct, the company's online sales initiative structured as a joint venture with Ford dealers.
Before the time with the Blue Oval, Francis was at GM from 1996 to 2000. Francis held several positions with GM, including serving as regional manager of the Chevrolet division responsible for all dealer operations in 11 states, as well as general manager of the Oldsmobile division overseeing dealership operations nationwide.
Francis also serves as a director of the Hanover Insurance Group.
“We are pleased to have Karen join the AutoNation board,” AutoNation chairman, chief executive officer and president Mike Jackson said. “We look forward to the experience and insight that she will bring to the board.”
AutoNation also announced that Robert Brown will retire from the AutoNation board effective upon completion of AutoNation’s 2016 annual meeting of stockholders, which is expected to be held on May 12.
“Bob served as a member of our board for 17 years, and we thank him for his years of valuable service on the board,” Jackson said.
AutoNation authorizes additional $250 million for share repurchase
In other company news, AutoNation said its board of directors authorized the repurchase of up to an additional $250 million of AutoNation's common stock.
With the increased authorization, AutoNation has approximately $250 million total board authorization remaining for share repurchases, as of Friday.
AutoNation has approximately 104 million shares outstanding, as of Thursday.
TrueCar has hired AutoAlert chief executive officer Brian Skutta to be its executive vice president of dealer sales and service.
The position is a newly created one designed to “strengthen relationships and improve services across the TrueCar Certified Dealer network,” the company said in Friday’s news release.
Skutta will move into the position on Feb. 29 and report to TrueCar president and CEO Chip Perry.
Skutta has been CEO of AutoAlert since 2014, and prior roles include heading up the launch and growth of the Trade-In Marketplace at what is now known as Autotrader, and his post as vice president and general manager of VINSolutions after Autotrader’s purchase of the company.
(Perry started AutoTrader.com and became its first employee in 1997. He held that CEO post until 2013. He moved into his TrueCar leadership role on Dec. 15.)
“Brian has an outstanding track record of building innovative digital marketing solutions for dealers and helping them maximize their results from these solutions through strong customer service,” Perry said in the release. “I’m confident that he’ll successfully lead the upcoming expansion of our dealer sales and service teams which is a major part of our strategy for improving the value we provide our dealer customers.”
Skutta added: “The opportunity to help advance the TrueCar brand to better serve the needs of both dealers and consumers is exciting. As TrueCar’s dynamic platform evolves, I’ll focus on bringing greater balance to the needs of the company’s more than 11,000 Certified Dealers and ensuring that they are maximizing the value TrueCar provides.”
Manheim North America announced Wednesday the appointment of a new senior vice president of client experience.
Taking on the role effective March 1 is Doug Keim, who will be responsible for developing and executing initiatives designed to improve dealer and commercial client satisfaction and profitability.
Keim will report to Janet Barnard, Manheim North America’s president.
“One of Manheim’s key strategies is to deliver the best customer experience by making it easier to do business with us,” Barnard said. “We’ve made great progress and I’m confident that Doug will accelerate our efforts, ensuring dealers feel connected, empowered and heard.”
The new SVP formerly served Cox Automotive, Manheim’s parent company, as the vice president of strategic growth for the media group as well as maintaining management and growth its Trade-In Marketplace and Haystak Digital Marketing.
Prior to working for Cox, Keim served in several executive management and leadership positions with CHEP International, Smurfit-Stone Container Corporation, and Georgia-Pacific.
His educational background includes receiving a Master of Arts in counseling from Colorado Christian University and a Bachelor of Arts in behavioral science from Messiah College. Keim has also completed several executive education programs from various institutions, including from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business and the European Centre for Executive Development.
As part of what the company described as its ongoing commitment to position top talent to drive business growth for its clients, Manheim appointed Kevin Chartier as vice president of commercial sales on Monday.
In his new role, Manheim indicated Chartier will focus on the overall growth and development of Manheim’s commercial business, including managing sales efforts and fostering strategic relationships with commercial clients.
“Kevin’s thought leadership and deep expertise in the automotive remarketing arena, coupled with his keen ability to assess industry trends and market dynamics, make him the ideal choice for this important role,” said Tim McKinley, senior vice president of sales at Manheim.
“I am confident that Kevin will continue to evolve our sales strategies to further help our commercial clients thrive in today’s marketplace,” McKinley continued.
Reporting to McKinley, Manheim explained Chartier will lead a team of experienced account executives responsible for maintaining and driving new revenue and market share growth for all Manheim commercial clients while ensuring exceptional client service.
Chartier joins Manheim from Nissan where he served most recently as remarketing director. In his time with Nissan, Chartier held various sales and marketing roles, including a position on the Infiniti launch team, Infiniti division C&I manager and a role leading remarketing strategy.
Chartier later took on an executive position for lease and banking solutions at RSA/Fiserv before returning to Nissan in 2006 to lead the development of international sales finance companies.
Chartier holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration with double majors in marketing and finance & investment banking from the University of Wisconsin. Additionally, he has completed a series of executive training programs from the University of Chicago and University of Virginia.
BSC America president R. Charles Nichols recently announced the promotion of Chuck Wenzel to the position of sales director for the company’s specialty division.
Wenzel, who previously served as assistant general manager at Bel Air Auto Auction, will be in charge of powersports, boats and RVs as well as truck and equipment sales with BSC’s specialty division.
“BSC America’s specialty sales division has seen steady growth, and we know that Chuck will be instrumental in expanding the scope of our powersports and truck and equipment sales,” Nichols said. “Our specialty division operates the powersports and truck and equipment sales at BSC America’s Clayton Station Building, which also houses the salvage, rental wrecks, and inoperable units.”
Wenzel joins Clayton Station’s general manager Chad Gosser and sales manager Nick Calvaresi in the specialty division.
“BSC America’s specialty division has tremendous potential for growth, and I’m looking forward to drawing on my experience in sales and auction operations to continue building our position and influence in the market,” Wenzel said.
In other auction-related news, the Dealers Auto Auction of the Rockies has announced the promotion of three of its employees into key positions on its management team.
Long-time senior sales representative Lori Martella has been promoted to the position of assistant sales manager. Martella began her automotive industry journey 26 years ago at Lexus of Denver. She joined DAA of the Rockies 10 years ago.
“My goal in this new position is to continue to provide the high level service and dedication to our customers that has allowed DAA Rockies to be part of the Colorado community for 21 years and pass my love for this industry to others,” Martella said.
Other promotions include Daniel Runkle, who has been named as fleet/lease manager at DAA of the Rockies, as well as Alma Morales, who takes on the role of assistant fleet/lease manager. Runkle joined the DAA of the Rockies team in 2012 as a sales representative. Morales has been a part of the fleet/lease team since 2011 and an auction employees since 2005.
“Danielle, Alma and Lori have added to the next level of customer service at our auction,” said Michelle Noblitt, the auction’s executive vice president. “They recognize our mission and goals for superior service each of our customers deserves. Being able to promote from within our organization is a testament to the quality of training and leadership in each department. I am extremely proud to have promoted them into their new positions and have them bring up the next great leaders at Dealers Auto Auction of the Rockies.”
The Columbus Fair Auto Auction announced on Monday the appointment of a new general manager.
On Feb. 1, Chuck Dearing officially took the reins as Columbus Fair AA’s new GM.
“I want everyone to understand that we are a tried-and-true independent auction — our focus is always on achieving an excellent level of customer service,” Dearing said. “It doesn’t matter if your dealership is large or small, your business will be treated with the service you come to expect from our staff at Columbus Fair.”
Bringing 43 years of automotive experience to the position, Dearing is now responsible with overseeing the auction’s operations.
Greg Levi, the auction’s chief operating officer, welcomed Dearing to his new position.
“Chuck’s passion for our dealers and employees will drive the success of our auction’s future,” Levi said.
To learn more about Columbus Fair Auto Auction, click here.
Group 1 Automotive announced several key company changes on Thursday, including the acquisition of a dealer group in the U.K., the divestment of three of its current dealerships, and three internal promotions.
The group has acquired the Spire Automotive Group, which includes 12 dealerships that operate primarily in the north and northwest London area. The acquisition includes four Audi stores, three BMW/MINI stores (with a BMW Aftersales center), two Seat dealerships, one Skoda dealership, one Volkswagen commercial vehicle dealership, and one Jaguar store.
Continuing to operate under the Spire name, the collection of stores is expected to generate roughly $575 million in annualized revenues.
"We are pleased to expand our relationship with BMW and the Volkswagen Group in the U.K. and to expand our relationship with Jaguar Land Rover from Brazil to the U.K.,” said Earl J. Hesterberg, the group’s president and chief executive officer. “We are also delighted to further leverage our scale and strong operating management team in the U.K."
Focusing back on the States, Group 1 has divested three dealerships, including Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen of Freehold, N.J. and Ira Toyota of Milford, Mass. Collectively, these dealerships generated approximately $160 million in trailing 12-month revenues.
"We continually evaluate our portfolio of dealerships relative to required future capital expenditures and current levels of return on investment and move to dispose of assets that do not offer appropriate returns on invested capital," Hesterberg said.
On the senior management side of the group, the company’s vice president of human resources, Brooks O’Hara, has announced his retirement effective April 1. In response, the following transitions were made effective February 1:
- Frank Grese Jr. named senior vice president of human resources, training, and operations support. (Was regional vice president of the west region)
- Daryl Kenningham named egional vice president of the west region. (Was regional vice president of the east region)
- David Fesmire named regional vice president of the east region. (Was market director of the Houston/Beaumont and Gulf Coast markets.
ADESA president and chief executive officer Stéphane St-Hilaire announced this week that Troy Peterson has been named general manager of the company’s upcoming ADESA Chicago location.
In his new role, the company highlighted, Peterson will oversee all business operations at ADESA Chicago and lead business development in the nation’s third largest metropolitan area. Peterson will also drive all planning for the location’s upcoming grand opening in the fall.
“Troy’s extensive leadership experience and in-depth knowledge of dealers in the Chicago market will be instrumental to the successful launch and growth of our new state-of-the-art facility,” St-Hilaire said.
“Our significant research and planning, combined with Troy’s unique understanding of this region, will ensure we deliver an unparalleled, solution-driven experience to area dealers,” St-Hilaire continued.
Prior to joining ADESA, Peterson worked at Carfax where he served in a variety of leadership positions including account manager, senior partner development manager and national auction development manager.
Prior to that post, Peterson was the regional sales manager, general sales manager and dealer sales manager for Manheim’s Greater Chicago Auto Auction. He also served for three years as assistant general manager for Manheim’s Dallas-Fort Worth Auto Auction.
ADESA Chicago will be located in Hoffman Estates, Ill.The facility will initially cover 65 acres with the option to expand to 150 acres.
