Lithia Motors Inc. is advertising and marketing Govt Vice President Chris Holzshu to the No. two place at the corporation, the community dealership team stated Monday. Holzshu’s advertising is the most recent in a spate of govt modifications at Lithia for the duration of the previous yr and a 50 %.
The shuffles, Lithia said in a statement, are component of “the organization’s redesign to more speed up Lithia’s expansion whilst also knowing the significant earnings possible in its present retail store foundation.”
Commencing in 2016, Holzshu, 45, experienced oversight of regional platforms and functions groups as govt vice president for the nation’s 3rd-greatest new-motor vehicle retailer. He formerly expended 6 yrs as Lithia’s CFO and head of human assets.
“Chris has shown a wide being familiar with of retail store functions, integrating acquisitions and rising platforms in stage with our strategic aspirations,” Lithia CEO Bryan DeBoer stated in the corporation assertion. “His management will assist us superior leverage our gifted functions workforce and will help us to seize possible more quickly.”
This is the very first time Lithia has experienced a COO considering the fact that 2012. DeBoer formerly held the title until eventually his appointment as CEO.
The Medford, Ore., retailer commenced shuffling its govt workforce in 2018 to superior situate the corporation for a electronic foreseeable future.
DeBoer explained to Automotive Information in January that Lithia examined how shifting titles and payment of its govt workforce could totally free up funds to make investments in new authorized and engineering professionals at the company amount.
“As we get additional into the electronic room, a whole lot of your mental home turns into additional important,” DeBoer stated. “On-line commences to come to be additional proprietary, that you want to possess that. So … we actually commenced to find out about a yr in the past that we are likely to have to have to elevate items listed here.”
Lithia rearranged prime positions to produce two new roles — main authorized officer and main innovation and engineering officer.
George Hines grew to become the firm’s very first main innovation and engineering officer in July 2018. David Stork, Lithia’s very first law firm-in-main, was employed in January.
Lithia CFO Tina Miller was promoted two times this yr. Miller experienced been company controller from 2015 until eventually March of this yr when she grew to become main accounting officer. 4 months afterwards, she was elevated to her present function.
Lithia ranks No. three on Automotive News’ record of the prime 150 dealership teams dependent in the U.S., with retail gross sales of 184,601 new autos in 2018.