Sam Vukas’ love for automotive began at a young age. He rebuilt wrecked vehicles with his father in their garage and aspired to be an automotive technician.

He went on to work in auto service and joined the Dealer eProcess team in 2015 overseeing business development and innovation. He identified new ideas and best practices for dealerships to accelerate their growth and overall value to shoppers.

On Friday, Vukas’ growth with Dealer eProcess continued, as the auto websites and digital marketing company appointed him chief operating officer.

Most recently, Vukas served as director of business development and innovation at Dealer eProcess. In that position, Vukas led development efforts for the digital retailing product, SARA, into Dealer eProcess’ lineup of a full digital ecosystem for automotive dealers.

Vukas succeeds David Page, who has recently separated from the company.

Dealer eProcess said Vukas brings a combination of extensive knowledge and technology, “driving operations improvement into the automotive space.” In his new role, he and chief sales officer, Gino Cipperoni will lead Dealer eProcess into the new decade in areas such as support and technology.

“Vukas takes the reins of Dealer eProcess during a time of growth for both our company and dealer partners,” Dealer eProcess chief executive officer Joe Gillespie said in a news release.

Gillespie continued, “Along with his passion and vision, he possesses the precise balance of skills and experience to incite operational results and development. Sam will be instrumental to the progression of Dealer eProcess’ new strategic plan to be the best in our company’s history.”

“I’m thrilled to be leading this incredible company,” Vukas said.

He added, “Working alongside our talented team and automotive vendor partners, I am committed to the growth and value of our company and products. As one of the top website and digital marketing companies in the automotive space, Dealer eProcess will continue to make a difference for the online experience. I am energized to help lead Dealer eProcess to the next phase of excellence and continued success.”