A change in the guard at CARDONE Industries is the No. 1 story this week in our recap of the week’s top industry news. Former Revstone Industries CEO Kevin Crampton will succeed Michael Cardone Jr. in September. Crampton brings more than 25 years of experience in the general and financial management of leading and growing businesses. Prior to joining Revstone, he served as managing director of RHJ International (Ripplewood Holdings), a publicly traded investment holding company, where he was responsible for overseeing portfolio companies. He also spent 20 years in various executive positions at Ford.
Also a popular read on AMN this week was our exclusive Executive Interview with Bryan Murphy, managing editor of WHI Solutions and eBay senior director. eBay Motors acquired WHI in February. In the interview, Murphy brings us up to speed on the company’s integration into eBay and what the future looks like for the two online powerhouses.
Meanwhile in the distribution segment this week, National Performance Warehouse added to its North American footprint this week with the acquisition of Karbelt Warehouse in Ajax, Ontario. Karbelt is a respected name in the Canadian performance market, dating back to 1952. National Performance Warehouse currently has seven other operations in Florida and California.
Another Canadian aftermarket entity was in our top headlines of the week, with the announcement that MPA subsidiary Fenco has signed a multi-faceted strategic cooperative agreement with one of the world’s largest automotive manufacturers of new undercar products. The deal includes a $20 million trade line of credit for Fenco, joint sourcing and quality commitments, as well as expected joint product development and marketing initiatives. The name of the undercar supplier has yet to be revealed, however.
Last in our look back at the most-viewed news of the week, we learn of two new VP appointments at Advance Auto Parts. Kurt Schumacher has been promoted to senior vice president, national field operations. Schumacher joined Advance in 1998 through Advance’s acquisition of Western Auto. In his new role, he will lead the operations of the company’s nearly 3,500 stores and asset protection, and will report to President and CEO Darren Jackson. Reporting to Schumacher will be Joe Gonzalez, who was promoted to area senior vice president, from his prior role as regional vice president in the Miami region.
