Automotive News Canada - October 2019 - v2 - F33

FIXED OPS JOURNAL

ROUNDUP
News items from the world of fixed operations
CarMax looking to hire 850-plus techs, detailers
CarMax Inc. plans to hire more than 850 service technicians and detailers, the largest such hiring effort by the used-vehicle retailer in its
26-year history. Company executives say the technicians will primarily
recondition cars and trucks for sale at CarMax's 215 stores.
CarMax employs about 3,700 technicians, spokesman Lindsey Duke
told Fixed Ops Journal. Roughly 55 percent of the hires will be technicians, and the rest will be detailers and related employees, Duke added.
The company says it provides its technicians an "award-winning training program, strong opportunities to grow long-term careers, reimbursement programs for (National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence) certification, and free or discounted tools."
The National Automobile Dealers Association estimates that the U.S.
auto retail industry must hire 76,000 technicians each year through
2026 to keep pace with projected job growth.

Private firm takes majority stake in OEConnection

Genstar Capital, a private equity firm in San Francisco, has acquired a
majority stake in automotive technology provider OEConnection LLC.
As part of the deal, Ford Motor Co. and General Motors will keep their
minority investments in OEC.
Terms were not disclosed. The agreement closed Sept. 26.
OEC was founded in 2000 as a partnership among several automakers, including Ford and GM, to promote the sale of factory replacement
parts to franchised dealerships and their wholesale customers. OEC also provides software and technology solutions in the data, supply chain
and service segments of automakers' businesses. Headquartered in the
Cleveland suburb of Richfield, Ohio, the company serves more than
30,000 dealerships globally, along with 36 automaker brands and more
than 135,000 repairers.
Genstar is acquiring the majority stake in OEC from Providence Equity Partners in Providence, R.I., an asset management firm that held the
stake for about three years. Genstar says it "will provide the additional
investment capital and resources to support realization of the company's growth strategies."

Northern Wake Campus will accommodate a doubling of enrollment in
its automotive systems technology program, to 200 students. The center
also will add a degree program in collision repair, college officials said.
The center is scheduled to open in fall 2021.

Dealer-FX shakes up executive team

The service technology provider Dealer-FX has hired a new CFO, COO
and chief technology officer in recent months, in what its chief executive calls a bid to help boost the Toronto-based company's growth.
"These guys have a proven track record," Dealer-FX CEO Gary Kalk
told Fixed Ops Journal about the new executives.
This month, Dealer-FX hired George Kypreos as its new CFO. He was
previously CFO of Fleet Complete, a fleet management software company based in Toronto.
The new COO, Bill Lucchini, formerly headed the cloud security business unit at Sophos Group PLC, a British security company. He joined
Dealer-FX in July.
Alan Fong, previously chief technology officer at Fleet Complete, joined
Dealer-FX in that position in August. The company says he is charged with
boosting the company's research, development and testing for One Platform, a software product that gives dealerships access to data and analytics
about fixed operations while helping them connect with service customers.
Kalk says his company's revenue has increased 20 percent this year
compared with 2018.

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Mitsubishi taps AutoNation exec as aftersales VP

Scott Smith is the new vice president of aftersales for Mitsubishi Motors North America Inc., leading the automaker's service and parts operations. Smith formerly was vice president of parts operations for AutoNation Inc., the largest U.S. dealership group.
Smith, 53,will report to President Fred Diaz and serve on the company's executive committee. He previously worked for Ford Motor Co. in
various fixed operations, marketing and retailing roles, and directed
parts and service operations for Apple Auto Group.

Hendrick group gives $1M to new training center

Hendrick Automotive Group, the largest privately held U.S. auto retailer, is donating $1 million to a new automotive training center at
Wake Technical Community College in Raleigh, N.C. The center will enable the college to expand its training of service technicians.
Rick Hendrick, chairman of the group of 96 dealerships, said his company has 500 openings for service technicians. He said Hendrick Automotive and other auto employers "will line up to hire" graduates of the
facility, to be called the Hendrick Center for Automotive Excellence.
The $41.8 million, 100,000-square-foot facility on the college's Scott

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OCTOBER 2019

PAGE 33

Automotive News Canada - October 2019 - v2

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