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Jim Riesenbach, President and CEO
A veteran of online and digital media, James Riesenbach provides Autobytel Inc. with an exceptional balance of leadership experience, broad operational and marketing skills, and extensive domain expertise in Search, Local, Classifieds, and eCommerce. As President and CEO, Riesenbach’s mission is to further evolve Autobytel’s mandate to provide cost-efficient and effective marketing services to the automotive industry by extending its innovations in automotive Search, digital media, Internet broadcasting, and advertising, as well as by leveraging his deep technological expertise to support Autobytel’s continued emergence as a leading provider of CRM solutions for automotive dealers. An integral part of this mission is to further expand Autobytel’s popularity with car shoppers and buyers by building on its pro-consumer legacy of creating and distributing innovative products that improve the car shopping, purchasing and ownership experience.
As Senior Vice President of AOL's Search and Directional Media Group, Riesenbach led AOL's Search and Directory businesses, establishing the group as a significant and high-growth component of AOL's advertising mix. In this capacity, he managed a portfolio of businesses, including AOL Search and Navigation Services, Local Search, White and Yellow Pages, Audio/Video Search, Netscape Search, Classifieds and eCommerce Search Products, and Search-based integrations across AOL/Time Warner's wide array of content assets. The properties he managed reach more than 40 million unique users monthly* with well over 500 million searches a month.
Riesenbach was also responsible for launching an extensive series of product and advertising innovations across the portfolio of properties, including AOL's "Snapshots"TM product, a unique approach to integrating high-value vertical and commercial content from AOL, Time Warner and partners into Search experiences. The organization he managed included employees across multiple locations worldwide, including extensive operations in Bangalore, India. He also oversaw AOL's major Search partnership with Google, as well as key partnerships with YellowPages.com, Shopzilla, Infospace, Fast Search, Ingenio, and others. He initiated and drove AOL's Search partnership strategy, which was oriented toward selecting and integrating multiple partners to develop innovative new technologies and opportunities.
Before heading AOL Search in 2001, Riesenbach was a founder and principal leader in AOL's Local Group leading the growth of the network from fewer than 10 to more than 200 US markets and expanding its consumer and advertising offerings. Prior to joining AOL in 1996, he spent six years with Comcast Corporation where he led consumer marketing and programming in the company's largest region.
A recognized authority in digital media, marketing and Search, Riesenbach is a frequent speaker at media industry events. He holds a B.S. from Rutgers University.
Riesenbach also serves on Autobytel's Board of Directors.
*ComScore Media Metrix, January 2006.
Monty Houdeshell, Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer
Monty Houdeshell, Autobytel's Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer provides the company with comprehensive experience in all aspects of finance, as well as corporate governance, investor relations, operations management and business development. As a key member of the company’s executive team, he plays a central role in developing the corporate strategic plan, driving operating efficiencies and supporting revenue growth across the company.
Houdeshell brings deep expertise in working with public companies and turnaround situations, gleaned when he served as CFO for three publicly-traded companies in a variety of industries, including communications technology, healthcare and manufacturing.
Prior to joining Autobytel, Houdeshell served as CFO for NASDAQ-listed Remedy Temp, a professional staffing organization. Previously he was CFO of NYSE-listed Furon Company, a manufacturer of high performance polymer products for the industrial and medical markets.
From 1981-1988, Houdeshell was CFO of Oak Industries, a producer of electronic components and communications and cable equipment. He started his career in a variety of finance and administrative positions at Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corp.
Houdeshell received an MBA from the University of Southern California and a BS in Business Administration with an emphasis in Finance from Ohio State University.
Mark Canon, Senior Vice President and Chief Product Officer
Mark Canon is charged with reinvigorating Autobytel’s consumer product base and creating a new set of products to put the Company at the forefront of the automotive online vertical. As a founder of one of the largest and most influential directory sites, Switchboard.com, and former vice president of product development for AOL Search, he brings a wealth of experience and expertise to that mission.
A specialist in data driven user experience management, Canon previously served as vice president of product development for AOL Search where he was responsible for overall product strategy and development of products used by 35 million AOL service and web users. He was instrumental in running and pioneering AOL’s directory and Search programs, creating highly optimized content for Internet Search Engines and making AOL.com one of the first large Internet sites to do high-volume Search Engine Marketing.
During his tenure at AOL, Canon orchestrated 20 product managers and 110 developers in the US, Europe and India and was a key contributor to a broad range of AOL product initiatives including international products, publishing systems and social networking. Previously he served as VP business product strategy, directory products for AOL with responsibility for Infospace directory products.
Before joining AOL, Canon was a founder of Switchboard.com, the first and largest online white and yellow pages. While at Switchboard he was named Technologist of the Year by the Kelsey Group, which recognized him as “a key architect of the future of the yellow pages industry.” During his eight years at Switchboard.com, Canon developed a directory distribution strategy that led to the syndication of Switchboard’s directory products in 200+ US newspapers; managed key revenue relationships with AOL, Google, Bell South, and SBC among others; and grew the site audience to over 25 million unique visitors a month.
Glenn Fuller, Senior Vice President, Chief Legal Officer and Secretary
Glenn Fuller joined Autobytel Inc. as Vice President of Legal Affairs in 2006 and was promoted to Senior Vice President, Chief Legal Officer and Secretary in April 2008. Fuller brings to Autobytel extensive corporate legal experience for publicly-held and start-up companies, as well as specific expertise in both media and technology. As Chief Legal Officer, Fuller is responsible for Autobytel Inc.'s overall legal operations, including securities matters, intellectual property and the structuring and implementation of strategic acquisitions and alliances.
Prior to joining Autobytel, Fuller served as Senior Vice President, Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel for Freedom Communications, Inc., a diversified, multi-jurisdiction media business, where he created that company’s first in-house legal department. Previously, he was associated with and was of counsel to Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP, where he started his legal career and was a member of the firm’s Corporate Securities and Transactions Group. Fuller joined a group of 13 Gibson, Dunn lawyers who left the firm to form the law firm of Pettis, Tester, Kruse & Krinsky, where Fuller was a partner in the firm’s Corporate and Securities Group. Fuller has also served as Executive Vice President and General Counsel for startup technology company, Airline Computerized Ticketing, and maintained a private corporate and securities practice representing a diverse group of clients in various industries, including ticketing, marketing and fundraising software technology for venues and events and settlement services for residential real estate transactions.
Fuller received a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from California State University, Long Beach and went on to earn a law degree from the University of Southern California, where he served as Executive Managing Editor of the USC Law Review.
Mark Garms, Senior Vice President, Dealer Operations and Strategy
Mark Garms is responsible for the ongoing development of Autobytel’s nationwide dealer network, as well as initiatives that optimize Autobytel’s service to dealers, including training, technology support, and innovative programs, tools and services designed to help dealers capitalize on a rapidly changing marketplace.
Garms originally joined Autobytel in 2002 as director of consumer experience, in which capacity he created Autobytel’s successful Dealer Management Report program, providing cost-free customer feedback to member dealerships to improve sales performance. He was also responsible for a range of pro-consumer programs on Autobytel’s web sites, including the advent of Personal Vehicle Reports (cost-free downloadable PDF reports on popular makes/models that resulted in an average of 3,000 high quality dealer sales leads) as well as Autobytel’s proprietary Estimated Market Price (EMP) data, streamlining the transaction process for dealers and consumers by providing the national average selling prices for new models.
Based on these and other successes, Garms was promoted to director of consumer and dealer services in 2003, where he helped to significantly increase dealer satisfaction. Among his early accomplishments as vice president of dealer operations and strategy, he has implemented a cross-company sales referral system, tripling sales from intra-company referrals.
Prior to joining Autobytel, Garms served as vice president of services for T. Rowe Price for 12 years, where he oversaw investor services, including mutual fund sales and service, retirement and brokerage operations and institutional servicing in Los Angeles. He also launched and managed offices in Tampa Bay and Colorado Springs, which provided similar services.
Garms received a BA from Cal State Los Angeles.
Jon Rosen, Senior Vice President, Web Business Operations
Jon Rosen, Autobytel’s Senior Vice President, Web Business Operations is responsible for leading the web business operations for Autobytel’s expanded media efforts, including advertising, search, and syndication. The former head of strategy and business development for AOL’s Search Group, Rosen brings 25 years of senior business development experience and strong expertise in content syndication and forging partnerships to guide his mission of helping transform Autobytel into the industry’s leading online automotive media company.
At AOL, Rosen was responsible for launching the company’s web audience Search Marketing initiative, and building the team charged with driving traffic when AOL moved its publishing assets to the open web through AOL.com. Rosen was also responsible for leading strategy, corporate development and new business initiatives for AOL’s Search and Directional Media Group, and developing and overseeing a number of key advertising, content, and technology partnerships. His early responsibility in AOL’s Messaging business group included the development of several large-scale partnerships, including Macromedia, Novell and Apple.
Prior to AOL, Rosen served as President of iProspect, one of the industry’s most highly respected search marketing firms. At iProspect, he navigated an ultra-competitive marketplace to take the company from early stage to recognized leading provider of SEO and SEM consulting services for Fortune 500 companies. Following his stewardship of the company during its fastest growth phase, iProspect was purchased by the Aegis Group in 2005.
Prior to iProspect, Rosen served as COO for wholly-owned SunGard subsidiary, SunGard Technology, which provides enterprise workflow solutions for the Financial, Communications and Call Center markets. He produced SunGard subsidiary’s first profitable year after numerous prior losses, a turnaround keyed by several major new client relationships, including Wachovia Bank, Wells Fargo and Verizon Group.
Over the previous 15 years prior to joining Sungard, Rosen held senior positions at EMC, Data General and other enterprise software companies.
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