Hemmings Motor News Hires Ken DeVries as Senior Account Executive
Hemmings Motor News has hired Ken DeVries
as a senior account executive. According to the company, DeVries has
been a successful sales manager and account executive for more than 25
years. “We are excited about having Ken on our sales team. His
experience, enthusiasm, and desire will be instrumental in growing our
business,” said Jeff Yager, director of advertising for Hemmings Motor
News. Prior to joining Hemmings, DeVries was the key account
sales manager with Auto Trader Classics/Autotrader.com. He has also
served as a Select Committee member on SEMA's Automotive Restoration Market Organization council.
Callaway Cars West Announces Grand Opening
Callaway Cars West is hosting a Grand Opening and Group Tour Day
for its Santa Ana, California, location on Sunday, August 5, 12:00
p.m.–2:00 p.m. Attendees can tour the company's new facility with Reeves Callaway, Pete Callaway
and the entire Callaway team, and see new Callaway Corvettes, Camaros
and SportTrucks that are completed as well as those that are under
construction. To learn more and to RSVP, e-mail california@callawaycars.com.
 Scott Nelson was appointed CEO and president of Curtis Industries. |
Scott Nelson Named CEO of Curtis Industries
The Board of Directors of Curtis Industries LLC appointed Scott Nelson as CEO and president, effective immediately. Nelson succeeds John Rachwalski who is retiring but will remain on the board of directors and a consultant to the company. Nelson was most recently president EMEA for Doosan Infracore Construction Equipment and was previously CEO of Doosan Infracore International, which included Bobcat Co., Ingersoll Rand Portable Power and the attachments business unit sold by Ingersoll Rand in December 2007. He successfully led the sale and integration of these businesses into Doosan, according to Curtis Industries. Prior to joining Doosan, Nelson held a variety of leadership positions with Bobcat Co., including president Americas and vice president of sales and marketing.
Source Interlink Media Announces Two New Appointments
Source Interlink Media (SIM) announced today the appointment of Jerry Pitt as senior marketing director for the Performance Auto Group. In his new role Pitt will focus on integrated marketing programs across the Performance Auto, Motorcycle and Truck & Off-Road groups, as well as interact with all other divisions at the company. Pitt will transition from his post as publisher of Hot Rod, a position he’s held since 2005, and Jeff Dahlin will assume this role at Hot Rod. As senior marketing director, Pitt will focus on SIM brand and division collaboration and creating access for marketing partners across SIM’s entire media portfolio. Pitt will report directly to Ryan Payne, vice president of marketing for SIM, within a group that is led by Eric Schwab, senior vice president of Source Interlink’s Consumer Media Group and Integrated Sales. Jeff Dahlin began his tenure at SIM in 2001. In the time since, he has served as associate publisher of Popular Hot Rodding, Chevy High Performance and Engine Masters (2005–2006) and publisher of the Off-Road Group (Off-Road and 4Wheel Drive Magazine, 2006–2009), the Product Development Group (Bound by Ink, Dirt Kings) and several special interest publications (2010), and the Truck Group (Diesel Power, 8-Lug HD Truck, Truckin’, Mini Truckin’, RV and Mud Life, 2011–2012). Dahlin also led the launch and relaunch of several of these titles.
A&A Midwest Names Leonard O'Connell as New COO
Automotive aftermarket industry veteran Leonard "Len" O'Connell was chosen by A&A Midwest
to serve as chief operating officer, a newly created position for
the 63-year old privately held, family company. O'Connell will be based
at the A&A Midwest Chicago location. The company reports that all
A&A Midwest managers will now report to O'Connell, who has taken
over the day-to-day administration operations for A&A Midwest.
O'Connell reports directly to both Scott Stolberg, who is based in Las
Vegas and his brother, William “Billy” Stolberg, who is located in
Chicago. The brothers jointly operate the company as co-presidents.
 Coverking was selected by Shelby American as the car cover manufacturer for the 1,000hp Ford Mustang GT500-based Shelby 1000. |
Coverking Selected as Car Cover Manufacturer for Shelby 1000
Car cover and vehicle accessory manufacturer Coverking announced that, through Designer Auto Accessories, a Shelby American supplier, it was chosen to be the car cover manufacturer for the 1,000hp Ford Mustang GT500-based Shelby 1000. The Shelby 1000 was revealed to the world earlier this year when its custom-designed Coverking Satin Stretch cover was lifted at the New York International Auto Show, in celebration of the unveiling of the very first Shelby Cobra 50 years ago. Coverking’s Shelby 1000 car covers are each custom manufactured in each vehicle’s color and prominently replicate the Shelby badging as it appears on the car. The Shelby 1000 car cover and a Shelby-badged storage bag are provided with each new Shelby 1000 as part of the vehicle’s upgrade package.
Kelley Blue Book Launches First National Consumer Campaign
For the first time in the company’s 86-year history, Kelley Blue Book
announced the launch of a national television advertising campaign in
an effort to leverage the brand’s strength and recognition as a vehicle
valuation pioneer and leader for new-car shopping and research.
Following the introduction of radio ads that began airing in early 2012,
Kelley Blue Book now expands its inaugural consumer marketing campaign
to include national television advertising,
while also unveiling the first official modernization of its widely
recognized and trusted seal logo. Together with the company’s radio
campaign, the 30- and 60-second TV spots are expected to reach 189
million people while airing on a variety of stations as part of a
comprehensive media buy extending into Q4 2012, including the 2012
Summer Olympics on DirecTV and on channels such as CNN, Fox News, ESPN,
MTV, TNT, History, Comedy Central and the Food Network.