MIDLAND, Mich. – The Northwood University International Auto Show (NUIAS) will this year feature many VIP panelists and speakers representing all aspects of the automotive industry. The Auto Show will be held the weekend of Oct. 15-17 on the Michigan Campus of Northwood University in Midland, Mich.
The VIP Panel begins at 9:30 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 15 in Griswold Lecture Hall, with a panelists who will be speaking on current market topics and how these influence their segments of the automotive business. The public is welcome to attend this panel discussion.
This year’s VIP Panelists include executives from a wide variety of automotive sectors:
Ronald MacEachern is general manager of Suburban Chrysler Jeep Dodge. He started his automotive career in 1976 working as a porter for Roger Penske Chevrolet. MacEachern graduated from Birmingham Brother Rice High School in 1978 and went on to study Automotive Marketing at Northwood University graduating in 1982 with a bachelor’s degree in Marketing/Management. His first job after graduation was with a company called Oakleaf Corp., a computer company that specialized in finance and insurance productivity. MacEachern was then promoted to project manager with his only focus on improving the F&I processes of Southeast Toyota Dealerships. In 1984, he was offered a job with a fellow Northwood graduate, giving him the opportunity to work at a dealership and learn every departmental responsibility. In 1990 his first job with the Suburban Collection was to establish a team to launch the new Saturn Brand. They eventually operated eight Saturn retail facilities under MacEachern’s management. The Collection’s largest store was in Troy, Mich., and was the largest Saturn retailer in the world and the third largest GM dealership in the country, retailing more than 4,000 new Saturns in 2008. His current position is on the senior management team of the Suburban Collection acting as general manager of several platforms in Michigan and Florida, including the brand new Suburban Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram store residing in the old Saturn of Troy building.
Steve Handschuh is president and chief operating officer of the Automotive Aftermarket Suppliers Association (AASA) and vice president of the Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association (MEMA). AASA, a market segment association of MEMA, exclusively serves and represents North American aftermarket product manufacturers. An automotive aftermarket industry veteran of more than 30 years, Handschuh served as senior vice president, commercial, at AutoZone. As AASA president, Handschuh provides general oversight of all the association’s organizational management. He represents its members on critical business issues by generating dialogue, education and action which help provide a stronger, unified voice for aftermarket suppliers. Additionally, Handschuh provides leadership, direction and administration for all aspects of AASA activities and works closely with the AASA Board of Governors to maintain a strong focus on providing services and programs that address industry issues and offer members opportunities to advance their business.
Jill Lajdziak is president of smart USA, the exclusive distributor of the smart fortwo in the United States and Puerto Rico. Lajdziak joined the Penske Automotive Group wholly owned subsidiary in January as the next chapter in her distinguished 30-year automotive career. She said she is honored to bring her extensive knowledge and experience to the Penske organization and help grow the smart brand in the United States.
Denise Petitta is senior vice president at JP Morgan Chase. She joined Chase Auto Finance more than 17 years ago and has held numerous positions during her tenure including roles in credit risk, dealer commercial services, sales, product management and marketing. She was named National Marketing Executive in 2000 and joined the Executive Committee in 2006. She recently assumed responsibilities for dealer market development focusing on growing Chase’s commercial and retail business. Prior to joining Chase, Pettita worked at GMAC for six years where she was part of the supervisor development program and held several operational and managerial positions including collections, credit, vehicle remarketing and floor plan lending.
Opening ceremony and ribbon cutting will be held during the VIP Luncheon in the Hach Student Life Center at 1 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 15, and will feature Don Esmond, senior vice president of automotive operations for Toyota Motor Sales (TMS). He is responsible for all TMS automotive operations, including the Toyota division, the Lexus division, sales administration, Toyota logistics services, Toyota Motor Sales de Mexico and Toyota de Puerto Rico. Esmond joined Toyota in 1982 and served as corporate fleet and truck manager and national fleet manager. He became vice president of field sales for Lexus, the luxury division of Toyota, in 1989. Esmond later served as vice president of the large car sales team where he launched the new Camry. He held the position of group vice president of the Toyota sales division and most recently was senior vice president and general manager of the Toyota division.
Ken Lingenfelter will be the VIP guest speaker at 2 p.m. in Sloan Family Building for Aftermarket Studies in room 114. Lingenfelter is CEO of Lingenfelter Performance Engineering. Born the son of a General Motors executive, Lingenfelter grew up with a passion for stylish, high-performance autos. Finding success in the real estate settlement industry, he procured his first Corvette in 1977; additional cars were acquired as his passion for performance cars grew. Lingenfelter sold his company and has dedicated himself to assembling a collection of significant race cars, muscle cars, Corvettes and exotic European cars from around the world. In 2008, his passion for speed and excellence led him to purchase the assets of Lingenfelter Performance Engineering, a company founded by his distant cousin John Lingenfelter. Many of Lingenfelter Performance Engineering products have been instrumental in establishing performance thresholds.
For more information about NUIAS and a schedule of events, visit the Northwood Auto Show website.
