What Sam Liang enjoys most — and what he is most proud of — in his career is the diversity. “The automotive industry is extremely complex and one of the few consumer goods where we design, engineer, build, finance, service and repurpose the product,” he said. “I’ve been super fortunate to be able to have […] [Read More]

As the co-founder and chief operating officer of DRIVIN, Justin Mahlik wears a lot of hats, as he leads the strategy, finance and operations of the company. Mahlik has also helped the company form partnerships in the past year-and-a-half with companies like Black Book, Experian, Polk and Cars.com. “At DRIVIN, we are addressing a really, […] [Read More]

Derek Hansen is responsible for developing innovative digital solutions that make it easier for dealers to manage wholesale inventory and negotiate transactions. As a result, two individuals who have impacted Hansen the most specialize in skills necessary for him to do his job successfully. “There are several people I admire professionally, but it definitely starts […] [Read More]

Cox Automotive leveraged several executives to finalize its $4 billion acquisition of Dealertrack Technologies last fall. Tish Harrison was one of them. “I am most proud of my work with the Cox Automotive deal team for the Dealertrack acquisition. As a result of my involvement, I worked alongside some extremely talented people,” Harrison said. “It […] [Read More]

With used-vehicle financing leading the charge, Experian’s latest State of the Automotive Finance Market report showed finance companies booked significantly more contracts with super-prime customers during the second quarter than they did with deep subprime consumers. Creating what analysts called steady growth and remarkable stability quarter-over-quarter, the second-quarter report released on Tuesday indicated that auto […] [Read More]

When a consignor is looking for improved performance when their vehicles move down the lanes at Manheim auctions, Benjamin Flusberg uses his mathematical analyses and skills to generate recommendations that increase sales conversion, improve price retention and drive other business objectives. “I’m most excited and proud when I use innovation as a tool for making […] [Read More]

Joseph Farley’s family pedigree in the car business runs deep. Half-a-century, in fact. His late grandfather Jerry Farley worked for General Motors Acceptance Corp. for more than 30 years. Joseph’s father, Jim Farley, is the owner of Secure Collateral Management (no relation to the Ford executive with the same name) and has been in the […] [Read More]

Jose Esparza used a medical analogy to describe the most important element of his automotive career. “I am most proud of the professional network of friends and colleagues that I have been able to develop,” Esparza said. “These relationships are the ‘central nervous system’ for my career.  “These connections aid me in navigating the professional […] [Read More]

Like many of this year’s honorees, Kathy Hopkins’ career blossomed from something she thought would be temporary. “I was 16 years old and part of a high school program called ICE, Interdisciplinary Cooperative Education,” she said, explaining that it entailed a half day of school with a half day of work. “During my search for […] [Read More]

Annie Duguid has been a part of the Cox Enterprises team for much of her professional career. In 2012, Duguid was looking for her next opportunity within the Cox family — “a company that truly lives out its stated values of dedication to community, customers and employees” — and met with Joe George and Amy […] [Read More]