Strategic promotions support sustainable growth for sales and technology
MISSION, Kan. (Aug. 8, 2016) — VinSolutions has announced that Chase Abbott and Ken Wiebke have been named vice president of sales and senior director of technology, respectively. The announcement comes at a time when the company is experiencing significant growth in both sales and technology, and the leadership Abbott and Wiebke bring to these positions will help sustain this growth.
Abbott oversees the entire sales team at VinSolutions. He first joined VinSolutions in 2008 as regional sales manager over the Southeastern U.S. In 2011, he was promoted to director of sales over the East Coast, and then senior director of sales, where he led the company’s inside sales teams.
“Chase has been with VinSolutions from almost the very beginning, and is a great example of the career advancement that’s possible as the company continues to experience strong growth,” said Lori Wittman, senior vice president and general manager of VinSolutions and Dealertrack F&I. “Chase has already been an integral part of driving success in the sales team. This new role just allows us to fully recognize his contribution and formalize the leadership he has already demonstrated. I’m extremely proud of Chase’s accomplishments and thrilled to work him in his new role.”
As vice president of sales, Abbott will focus on further improving efficiency and culture within the VinSolutions sales teams. He says his goal is to set a standard that other sales organizations aspire to.
“It has been a dream of mine to run this department,” said Abbott. “We have built one heck of a team — one that continues to turn heads — and I am elated to have the opportunity to keep making it even better.”
Wiebke has been named senior director of technology at VinSolutions, after serving as the company’s director of software development for the last two years. He brings more than 25 years of software technology experience to the role, including deep expertise in architecting large-scale distributed computing systems that involve complex integration.
“Ken has a wealth of knowledge in software delivery, engineering and Agile practices, and, even more importantly, he has shown an incredible ability to lead those around him and transfer his knowledge to the teams he builds,” said David Rice, vice president of research and development at Cox Automotive. “This promotion is a reflection of his personal ability, consistency, commitment to quality and drive to remove the roadblocks that may get in the way of the larger team’s success.”
Wiebke oversees the entire engineering department and will lead the department’s CRM replatforming effort, which will allow the software to double in both capacity and support. His hope is to mature the platform to support more than 7,000 dealers, while continuing to deliver new product capabilities.
“Leading the engineering teams during a time of significant growth and evolving technology is an exciting challenge,” said Wiebke. “I look forward to helping drive the CRM to the next level of maturity and capability.”
To learn more about VinSolutions, visit http://www.vinsolutions.com or call 866.578.8152.
About VinSolutions
VinSolutions helps make every customer connection count by providing individual dealers and dealer groups with sophisticated yet easy-to-use software solutions that span the scope of dealership operations. With its cloud-based system, VinSolutions’ all-in-one internal management, sales and service marketing solutions platform is accessible from anywhere an Internet connection is available, including mobile devices.
VinSolutions has been named to the Inc. 5000 every year since 2011 and has received numerous industry awards for its innovative products. VinSolutions is OEM certified by every major manufacturer and is ADP, Autosoft, Reynolds & Reynolds and Dealertrack DMS certified. Founded in 2006 and headquartered in Mission, Kansas, VinSolutions is wholly owned by Cox Automotive, which has built the industry’s strongest family of more than 25 brands to provide industry-leading digital marketing, software, financial, wholesale and e-commerce solutions to help our clients thrive in a rapidly changing automotive marketplace. VinSolutions is a Cox Automotive™ brand. For more information about VinSolutions, visit http://www.vinsolutions.com.
About Cox Automotive
Cox Automotive Inc. is transforming the way the world buys, sells and owns cars with industry-leading digital marketing, software, financial, wholesale and e-commerce solutions for consumers, dealers, manufacturers and the overall automotive ecosystem worldwide. Committed to open choice and dedicated to strong partnerships, the Cox Automotive family includes Autotrader®, Dealer.com®, Dealertrack®, Kelley Blue Book®, Manheim®, NextGear Capital®, vAuto®, VinSoutions®, Xtime® and a host of other brands. The global company has nearly 33,000 team members in more than 200 locations and is partner to more than 40,000 auto dealers, as well as most major automobile manufacturers, while engaging U.S. consumer car buyers with the most recognized media brands in the industry. Cox Automotive is a subsidiary of Cox Enterprises Inc., an Atlanta-based company with revenues of $18 billion and approximately 55,000 employees. Cox Enterprises’ other major operating subsidiaries include Cox Communications and Cox Media Group. For more information about Cox Automotive, visit http://www.coxautoinc.com.
