CENTENNIAL, Colo. — Peak5 has named Thomas Richards senior vice president of national sales. In his new role with the company, Richards will be responsible for managing sales and marketing for the Peak5's service offerings and, ultimately, building a successful national sales team.

"Tom has a wide range of expertise within the automotive industry, from loan originations to technology and system sales," said Kevin Barry, CEO of Peak5." His expertise in sales management and the building of successful sales organizations is of great value to our company. Tom has demonstrated he is a hands-on leader with strong enthusiasm about growing our loan-servicing organization."

Richards has worked in the automotive industry for nearly 15 years, most recently as vice president of sales for vAuto Inc. His experience includes building sales and service teams for companies in early or start-up modes and establishing strategies for long-term success. Richards graduated summa cum laude from Utah State University with a degree in marketing and finance.