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AutoTrader.com, an Internet destination and marketplace in the U.S. for buyers and sellers of used vehicles, has announced the appointment of Rebecca Watson as vice president of dealer services. Watson replaces Joe George who was recently promoted to vice president of product management.
In her new role, Watson will be responsible for Web production, product administration, data loads, tech support, consumer support and Web support.
Dealer support of AutoTrader.com is greater than ever before, according to Jim McKnight, executive vice president and COO of AutoTrader.com. Currently, almost 40,000 dealers list some of their inventory on the site, and the number of dealers who are advertising on the Web site has increased from about 1,700 to 5,000, according to McKnight.
"Everything that Rebecca has worked on since she joined our company in 1999 will come into play in this vital position. She was a key part of the team that helped move our dealer service to the level that it is today," McKnight said. "This has been critical to our company's continued growth."
Watson joined AutoTrader.com in May 1999 as a producer in the product and technology group. In January 2000 she was promoted to data load response team manager and played an instrumental role in implementing a new data load process. This process inputs vehicle/image information from a variety of sources into AutoTrader.com's extensive Internet database.
In May of 2000, Watson was promoted to director of dealer operations where she has been responsible for the vehicle database operations and the Web production departments.
Watson's prior work experiences include project management with the Emerging Technologies group of Bass Hotels, management of online technology with Interactive Media Corp., and project management for Crawford Communications. Earlier in her career, Watson was a Cryptologic Technician with the Submarine Special Intelligence Communications group of the U.S. Navy and was hand-selected for a position at the White House Communication Agency in Washington, D.C. She has been a car enthusiast for many years.
About AutoTrader.com
AutoTrader.com is an Internet destination and marketplace in the United States for buyers and sellers of used cars, light trucks, vans and sport utility vehicles and for consumers seeking information regarding automotive products and services, such as insurance, financing and warranties.
AutoTrader.com aggregates in a single location a network of industry participants and a database of automotive information to create an open marketplace that is local, regional and national in nature. AutoTrader.com contains approximately 1.5 million used vehicle listings.
AutoTrader.com, formerly AutoConnect.com, was formed in 1997 as a majority-owned subsidiary of Manheim Auctions, Inc., which has been in business since 1945 and is the world's largest operator of wholesale auto auctions. Manheim Auctions, a wholly owned subsidiary of Cox Enterprises, Inc., a leading media conglomerate, is AutoTrader.com's principal stockholder and one of AutoTrader.com's strategic partners. Other investors in AutoTrader.com include entities with which AutoTrader.com has also formed strategic relationships, such as Trader Publishing Company, ADP, Inc., eBay, Inc. and the venture capital firm, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers.
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