Former AutoNation Direct Head Joins CU Direct
Ron Frey, former chief strategy officer and president of AutoNation Direct, has joined CU Direct as chief strategy officer of its automotive solutions. He will oversee the planning and direction of automotive solutions for the credit union technology provider.
Ontario, Calif. — CU Direct today announced the appointment of Ron Frey as chief strategy officer of its automotive solutions. He joined the company this month.
Frey will oversee the planning and direction of automotive solutions as it relates to product and market expansion. This includes oversight of existing products, including CUDL, a credit union auto financing platform, and AutoSMART, an online vehicle-shopping site for the credit union industry.
“Ron’s expansive leadership, partnered with strategic planning, has led him to succeed in implementing cutting-edge technology solutions,” stated Tony Boutelle, president and CEO of CU Direct. “We are excited to have him join our team, as we continue to evolve our innovative automotive products to better serve our 1,000 credit unions and more than 12,000 dealer partners.”
Before joining CU Direct, Frey spent 30 years serving in the automotive and credit union industry. His most recent position was chief strategy officer and president of AutoNation Direct. He has also served as CEO of Autoland and COO of TrueCar.
“I am pleased to be joining the CU Direct Team, where I can leverage my background in technology innovation, deep automotive experience and credit union experience,” said Frey. “I look forward to digging in and looking for ways to bring innovation and value to our credit unions and dealer partners.”
Originally posted on F&I and Showroom
More Dealer Ops
Dealer Debrief: Defection Data & EV Updates
In this week's debrief, host Lauren Lawrence discusses how to use defection data to your advantage and the latest on EV sales and charging infrastructure.
Read More →
How Defection Data is Bridging the Dealership Conversion Gap
Lead volume is flat, cross-shopping is up and brand loyalty is in retreat. As confident sales teams keep losing buyers they thought they had, daily industry sales data is showing dealers exactly where their funnel is breaking and how to fix it without buying a single new lead.
Read More →
Dealer Debrief: Where are you losing customers?
In this week's debrief, host Lauren Lawrence discusses the hidden leaks in dealerships where you might be losing customers without even realizing it.
Read More →
Dealer Debrief: Improving Your Inventory Management
In this week's debrief, host Lauren Lawrence covers a new survey that shows what service technicians really want and two launches that could help improve your inventory and vehicle life cycle management.
Read More →
Ladies and Gentlemen, This Is a Dealership: Why the Fundamentals Still Decide Who Wins
A teaching moment by a legendary football coach happens to apply perfectly in the auto retail space. Learn what it is and how to use it to your store’s advantage.
Read More →
What Market Timing Mistakes Mean for Your Reinsurance Program
When volatility hits, dealer-owned reinsurance programs face a familiar temptation: pull back and wait for calmer waters. New data from BOK Financial shows why that instinct can quietly cost you years of surplus growth.
Read More →
Dealer Ads and the FTC
The agency has made it clear in recent enforcement actions and warnings, in auto retail and other industries, that advertised prices must include all nonoptional costs to the consumer.
Read More →
Used Autos Supply Dwindles
The March shopping surge, despite high prices, cut into inventory by the most since the thick of the pandemic, Cox Automotive analysts calculated.
Read More →
Managing Risk Effectively Through Changing Times
The variables influencing risk pricing have changed significantly over the past five years. Being proactive and responsive to emerging trends is not optional but essential.
Read More →
Survey Reveals What Won't Fix What's Breaking Car Sales
AutoPayPlus says extra-long auto loans are trapping consumers and threatening the dealer trade-in cycle, and that the industry is leveraging the wrong tools to combat high MSRPs.
Read More →