GAINSVILLE, Ga. — National Auto Research (NAR), better known as Black Book, announced the promotion of Ricky Beggs and Tim West to company vice presidents.

Richard P. Malloch, president of Hearst Business Media, and Robert M. Burnett, president of NAR, made the announcement jointly.

"Ricky Beggs, as managing editor, has the primary responsibility for assuring the quality and timeliness of our vehicle valuations," said Malloch. "Tim West, in his position as North American auction director, assures that NAR personnel are at every auction weekly to keep our database price information as complete and up to date as possible."

Beggs joined NAR/Black Book in 1981 as an editorial assistant. He held various editorial positions until November 1990, when he became managing editor for Black Book. As vice president, Beggs will continue as managing editor for the company.

West joined NAR/Black Book in 1984 as an editorial assistant and has held various editorial responsibilities within the company. In 1999, West became North American auction director. Since that time, he has worked with dealer auto auctions across the U.S. and Canada, gathering data for guidebooks.