F&I and Showroom, October 2016

www fi magazine com 12 F I and Showroom October 2016 DEVELOPMENTS F I product provider IAS announced the appointment of Patrick Brown as president and CEO He succeeds Bob Corbin who was named executive chairman Officials said the expansion of the firms leadership team signals the companys plans to expand Corbin who held the title of president and CEO since 2000 will play a key role in those plans as he transitions his focus to mergers and acquisitions Most recently Brown served as the general manager of commercial prepaid business for Netspend one of the largest providers of Visa prepaid debit cards KAR Auction Services Inc promoted Stacey White to senior vice president of enterprise optimization She will continue to oversee the companys procurement and sourcing strategies and lead the team charged with standardizing operations and processes at newly acquired auctions White first joined KAR Auction Services in 2008 as an operational compliance auditor She has also served as vice president of enterprise optimization and director of process improvement and cost management GWC Warranty appointed Melissa Roberts as its new marketing manager according to a company announcement Roberts will be responsible for developing and implementing a comprehensive customer strategy focused on engaging and retaining GWC partners as well as helping them sell more cars while increasing profitability Jared Rowe the former president of Cox Automotives Media Solutions Group was named CEO of YP com He assumed his new role on Sept 1 The announcement came less than two weeks after Cox Automotive named Brian Geitner as his successor Rowe joined Cox in 2010 and held numerous leadership positions within Cox Automotive He also spent nine years at FordDirect Moves and Hires PROTECTIVE TO ACQUIRE UNITED STATES WARRANTY CORP P rotective Life Corp announced in August that it reached an agreement to acquire USWC Holding Co and all its subsidiaries including F I product provider United States Warranty Corp through a stock purchase agreement The acquisition is expected to provide the combined entities with a wider market reach enhanced product and operational capabilities and higher collective growth potential according to the company announcement United States Warranty Corp will continue to operate from its current Pompano Beach Fla location Current employees will join Protective and continue to manage USWC once the transaction is completed on or after Nov 1 2016 the company stated FLORIDA TOYOTA DEALER OFFERING DOOR TO DOOR TEST DRIVES I n August Holiday Fla based Sun Toyota rolled out a door to door vehicle delivery service that brings the dealerships showroom directly to a customers home or office Under the program Sun Toyota will not only bring customers a new or used car to test drive it will also bring along the required paperwork if the customer decides to purchase or lease the vehicle Customers can schedule a Showroom2Go appointment from the dealerships website or by phone The dealerships online tools allow customers to choose the exact vehicle they want without ever going to the showroom AMAZON ENTERS THE VEHICLESHOPPING BUSINESS A mazon has entered the vehicle shopping business with the launch of Amazon Vehicles The ecommerce sites press release described the new offering as a car research destination and automotive community that helps customers get the information they need when shopping for vehicles images videos and customer reviews Users will be able to search for cars or browse by year make model customer rating miles per gallon towing capacity and more Users can also ask other car owners questions about their vehicles DEALERTRACK EXPANDS RELATIONSHIP WITH F I EXPRESS D ealertrack began marketing and selling F I Express Express Recoveries Solution through its platform on Oct 1 The tool is designed to help finance sources manage the delivery of customer refunds associated with the unused portion of their aftermarket contracts according to the company Additionally Dealertrack and F I Express will provide dealerships with additional access to F I product providers through Dealertracks eMenu and the Dealertrack Aftermarket Network Dealers will be able to access product rates and generate and remit contracts to the providers from Dealertracks F I solutions according to the company F I and Showroom announced the launch of the F I Digital Media Awards a new program designed to honor companies and individuals who are driving innovation and progress in the digital F I space Sponsored by F I Express the program will include multiple categories with an emphasis on consumer education and transparency Entries could include digital media such as mobile apps videos interactive videos and any type of online F I presentation dynamic or static that explains the value and benefits of any F I product The awards will be open to any interested party including dealers agents product providers marketers and OEMs Entries will be uploaded to a dedicated website and winners will be recognized at a special ceremony at next years Industry Summit which will be held Sept 11 14 2017 at the Gaylord Texan Resort Convention Center F I AND SHOWROOM LAUNCHES F I DIGITAL MEDIA AWARDS