DEARBORN, Mich. — Mike Jurecki, who led the formation of RouteOne when he joined the firm as CEO in 2002, is leaving the company to join FordDirect as CEO. He officially takes the helm on June 6.
Jurecki’s appointment was announced by Bill Keith, dealer principal of Steamboat Motors and chairman of FordDirect's board. Valerie Fuller will act as interim CEO for FordDirect and will retain her COO title once Jurecki officially assumes his new role. On Monday, RouteOne issued a press release thanking Jurecki for his 14 years of service.
“As Jurecki moves onto his next chapter, he is taking on well-earned responsibility for a larger organization and a new set of opportunities with FordDirect,” RouteOne’s release read, in part. “Happily for RouteOne, he is staying close within the automotive industry where he has spent the bulk of his professional career.
“RouteOne’s board of directors is actively working through the selection process for its next chief executive officer, and expects to name a successor in the near future,” the release continued. “Everyone at RouteOne wishes Mike Jurecki and his family all the best as he embarks on his newest career endeavor.”
Formed by Ally Financial, Ford Motor Credit, TD Auto Finance and Toyota Financial Services, RouteOne’s network has grown to more than 1,300 finance sources and 125 dealer service provider integrations under Jurecki’s leadership. Last year, the company reached two million processed econtracts and is pushing toward 2.5 million this year, according to the company.
Before joining RouteOne, Jurecki spent more than 20 years with Ford Credit. There, he served in multiple capacities, including director of operations for Ford Credit’s capital efficiency unit, general manager of Ford Credit U.K.’s customer service center and as manager of World Wide Trade Financing.
He now joins FordDirect, a joint venture between Ford Motor Co. and its franchised dealers. The firm provides Ford dealers with new and pre-owned digital marketing and advertising services, call tracking, lead management solutions, dealer website development, search optimization and marketing, database marketing, marketing services for regional dealer advertising groups and other digital services.
“We’re excited to welcome Mike to FordDirect,” said Steamboat Motors’ Keith said. “The board is confident his expertise and strategic vision will help FordDirect continue to innovate, grow and meet our goal of helping Ford and Lincoln dealers sell and service more cars and trucks.”
In its press release, RouteOne added: “Jurecki is committed to building a strong and positive work culture, believing that by take care of employees and customers, everything else falls into place in a positive way. Part of that commitment was ensuring that RouteOne was constantly cultivating its next generation of leaders through regular rotation of top performers and enterprise-wide collaboration. As a result, RouteOne won the Detroit Free Press Top 100 Workplaces in 2015, and has a strong management team that is well positioned to continue the company’s success.”
