Brent Windom Named President And CEO Of Auto Plus And Pep Boys;Announces Appointment Of Executive Team

Brent Windom has been named president and CEO of Auto Plus and Pep Boys. Icahn Enterprises L.P. successfully completed the acquisition of The Pep Boys – Manny, Moe & Jack on Feb. 4, 2016, and acquired Auto Plus, a major U.S.-based distributor of automotive aftermarket parts, in June 2015.

Windom, a more than 30-year veteran of the automotive aftermarket who previously served as president and CEO of Auto Plus, will lead the integration of Auto Plus and Pep Boys. The combined organization has more than 20,000 associates in 27 distribution centers and 1,069 corporate locations, comprised of 264 Auto Plus stores, 561 Pep Boys Supercenters, five Pep Boys retail-only locations and 239 Pep Boys Service & Tire Centers. In addition, the company supports more than 530 independently owned stores and more than 2,400 independently owned service centers across the nation.

“I am proud and honored to lead a team of more than 20,000 talented people dedicated to putting our customers first,” said Windom. “Together, as one stronger, integrated company, Auto Plus and Pep Boys will offer customers superior service, additional distribution points and, with our combined scale, the best overall value.”

Windom also announced his combined leadership team for Auto Plus and Pep Boys.

John Holt has been named senior vice president, service sales and operations. He will develop and execute the strategy for growing Pep Boys’ service business in its Supercenters and Service & Tire Centers. Holt previously served as the vice president of service for Pep Boys. He is a veteran of the car rental business, having spent 10 years at Hertz in a number of roles, most recently as senior vice president, Hertz Local Edition, North America, responsible for 3,000 locations. Prior to that, he held leadership roles at Enterprise and several start-up organizations with automotive ties.

Wade Sharp has been appointed senior vice president, store sales and operations for Auto Plus and Pep Boys. Sharp is responsible for Auto Plus’ corporate stores and the retail and commercial business at Pep Boys’ locations. Sharp most recently served as senior vice president, store sales and operations for Auto Plus. Prior to that, he was a regional vice president at Advance Auto Parts and held senior sales positions in several industries, including the automotive aftermarket, retail and food. He has seven years of experience in the automotive industry and spent nine years with Hollywood Entertainment.

Pete Bednarzyk has been named senior vice president, supply chain, for Auto Plus and Pep Boys. Bednarzyk will lead the development and implementation of a supply chain strategy to support all stores and locations in the network. Bednarzyk previously served as senior vice president, supply chain for Auto Plus. He came from Home Depot, where he was senior director, supply chain, Southern division. His more than 20 years of experience also includes supply chain management positions at Office Depot and FedEx.

Gary Desai has been appointed senior vice president and chief information officer (CIO) for Auto Plus and Pep Boys. Desai, who has more than 30 years of experience, will set all Information Technology (IT) strategies for the integrated company. Most recently, he was the CIO for Auto Plus. Before joining Auto Plus, Desai held a variety of senior leadership positions in the automotive industry, in addition to the role of vice president of IT for Honeywell Corp.

Mike Englert will serve as chief financial officer (CFO) for Auto Plus and Pep Boys. He will oversee all financial functions. Englert previously served in roles including CFO and vice president, finance, for Auto Plus. Prior to Auto Plus, Englert, a Certified Public Accountant, was part of Ernst and Young’s audit practice.

Matt Flannery has been named senior vice president, general counsel. In this new role, Flannery will oversee all legal and compliance matters for Auto Plus and Pep Boys, as well as asset protection, business development, real estate and property management. Most recently, Flannery served as vice president, general counsel at Auto Plus. Previously, Flannery worked for the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., where he served as senior counsel, North America. Prior to Goodyear, Flannery held the positions of senior litigation counsel at Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. and associate for the Jones Day law firm. He has 23 years of experience.

Richard Mattiussi has been appointed senior vice president, merchandising and marketing, for Auto Plus and Pep Boys. In this new role, Mattiussi will set and execute the product and marketing strategies for the integrated company. Mattiussi, who has 27 years of experience in the automotive industry, previously served as vice president of independent sales for Auto Plus. Prior to that, he was director, sales and marketing for Merle’s Automotive Supply and held senior sales positions throughout North America.

“These leaders are amongst the best and most experienced in the industry,” said Windom. “We believe, with their leadership and expertise, Auto Plus and Pep Boys are well-positioned for growth and success.”

Federated Auto Parts Distributors announced it is entering into a collaboration with the Association of Independent Oil Distributors (AIOD) – one it said will focus on mutual benefits for the respective members.

“Federated is constantly looking at ways to improve value for all constituents and this agreement provides that,” said Sue Godschalk, president of Federated. “This collaboration provides added volume and opportunities for our suppliers, new partners for our members, and added supply points and products for shop customers. We have enjoyed working closely with several AIOD members in the past and this agreement will expand and create further opportunities for both Federated and AIOD.”