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Jim Riesenbach, President and CEO
A veteran of online and digital media, James Riesenbach provides Autobytel Inc. with an exceptional balance of leadership experience, broad operational and marketing skills, and extensive domain expertise in Search, Local, Classifieds, and eCommerce. As President and CEO, Riesenbach’s mission is to further evolve Autobytel’s mandate to provide cost-efficient and effective marketing services to the automotive industry by extending its innovations in automotive Search, digital media, Internet broadcasting, and advertising, as well as by leveraging his deep technological expertise to support Autobytel’s continued emergence as a leading provider of CRM solutions for automotive dealers. An integral part of this mission is to further expand Autobytel’s popularity with car shoppers and buyers by building on its pro-consumer legacy of creating and distributing innovative products that improve the car shopping, purchasing and ownership experience.
As Senior Vice President of AOL's Search and Directional Media Group, Riesenbach led AOL's Search and Directory businesses, establishing the group as a significant and high-growth component of AOL's advertising mix. In this capacity, he managed a portfolio of businesses, including AOL Search and Navigation Services, Local Search, White and Yellow Pages, Audio/Video Search, Netscape Search, Classifieds and eCommerce Search Products, and Search-based integrations across AOL/Time Warner's wide array of content assets. The properties he managed reach more than 40 million unique users monthly* with well over 500 million searches a month.
Riesenbach was also responsible for launching an extensive series of product and advertising innovations across the portfolio of properties, including AOL's "Snapshots"TM product, a unique approach to integrating high-value vertical and commercial content from AOL, Time Warner and partners into Search experiences. The organization he managed included employees across multiple locations worldwide, including extensive operations in Bangalore, India. He also oversaw AOL's major Search partnership with Google, as well as key partnerships with YellowPages.com, Shopzilla, Infospace, Fast Search, Ingenio, and others. He initiated and drove AOL's Search partnership strategy, which was oriented toward selecting and integrating multiple partners to develop innovative new technologies and opportunities.
Before heading AOL Search in 2001, Riesenbach was a founder and principal leader in AOL's Local Group leading the growth of the network from fewer than 10 to more than 200 US markets and expanding its consumer and advertising offerings. Prior to joining AOL in 1996, he spent six years with Comcast Corporation where he led consumer marketing and programming in the company's largest region.
A recognized authority in digital media, marketing and Search, Riesenbach is a frequent speaker at media industry events. He holds a B.S. from Rutgers University.
Riesenbach also serves on Autobytel's Board of Directors.
*ComScore Media Metrix, January 2006.
Monty Houdeshell, Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer
Monty Houdeshell, Autobytel's Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer provides the company with comprehensive experience in all aspects of finance, as well as corporate governance, investor relations, operations management and business development. As a key member of the company’s executive team, he plays a central role in developing the corporate strategic plan, driving operating efficiencies and supporting revenue growth across the company.
Houdeshell brings deep expertise in working with public companies and turnaround situations, gleaned when he served as CFO for three publicly-traded companies in a variety of industries, including communications technology, healthcare and manufacturing.
Prior to joining Autobytel, Houdeshell served as CFO for NASDAQ-listed Remedy Temp, a professional staffing organization. Previously he was CFO of NYSE-listed Furon Company, a manufacturer of high performance polymer products for the industrial and medical markets.
From 1981-1988, Houdeshell was CFO of Oak Industries, a producer of electronic components and communications and cable equipment. He started his career in a variety of finance and administrative positions at Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corp.
Houdeshell received an MBA from the University of Southern California and a BS in Business Administration with an emphasis in Finance from Ohio State University.
Glenn Fuller, Senior Vice President, Chief Legal Officer and Secretary
Glenn Fuller joined Autobytel Inc. as Vice President of Legal Affairs in 2006 and was promoted to Senior Vice President, Chief Legal Officer and Secretary in April 2008. Fuller brings to Autobytel extensive corporate legal experience for publicly-held and start-up companies, as well as specific expertise in both media and technology. As Chief Legal Officer, Fuller is responsible for Autobytel Inc.'s overall legal operations, including securities matters, intellectual property and the structuring and implementation of strategic acquisitions and alliances.
Prior to joining Autobytel, Fuller served as Senior Vice President, Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel for Freedom Communications, Inc., a diversified, multi-jurisdiction media business, where he created that company’s first in-house legal department. Previously, he was associated with and was of counsel to Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP, where he started his legal career and was a member of the firm’s Corporate Securities and Transactions Group. Fuller joined a group of 13 Gibson, Dunn lawyers who left the firm to form the law firm of Pettis, Tester, Kruse & Krinsky, where Fuller was a partner in the firm’s Corporate and Securities Group. Fuller has also served as Executive Vice President and General Counsel for startup technology company, Airline Computerized Ticketing, and maintained a private corporate and securities practice representing a diverse group of clients in various industries, including ticketing, marketing and fundraising software technology for venues and events and settlement services for residential real estate transactions.
Fuller received a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from California State University, Long Beach and went on to earn a law degree from the University of Southern California, where he served as Executive Managing Editor of the USC Law Review.
Michael Hunsche, Senior Vice President, Chief Technology Officer
As CTO of Autobytel Inc., Michael Hunsche oversees Autobytel’s award-winning technology organization. In this capacity, Hunsche is charged with driving the technology that underlies Autobytel’s mission of providing the web’s most convenient and comprehensive automotive consumer experience and the industry’s most innovative and effective Internet marketing services for auto dealers and manufacturers. His focus includes the evolution and scaling of MyRide.com, Autobytel’s flagship consumer automotive site, as well as growing and enhancing the company’s automotive marketing products and services.
Hunsche brings twenty years of technology and IT leadership to Autobytel, including building and managing high volume e-commerce websites and a wealth of expertise with major technologies across a wide variety of industries. Hunsche has extensive experience in strategic technology planning and execution on a range of projects - from niche projects to multi-million dollar global technology initiatives – as well as a track record of building, managing and creating a shared vision within the high performing IT organizations he has led.
Prior to joining Autobytel, Hunsche served as CIO at Arbonne International, a multi-million dollar global network marketing company, where he led the company’s efforts to upgrade and stabilize their technology infrastructure, built an organization to position the company for global expansion, and oversaw the launch of e-commerce websites in the United States, Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom. Prior to Arbonne, Hunsche held senior technology leadership roles at KinderCare Learning Centers, The Walt Disney Company, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, among others.
A graduate of Purdue University, Hunsche started his career as a programmer/analyst at the US Department of Defense.
Mark Garms, Senior Vice President, Dealer Operations and Strategy
Mark Garms is responsible for the ongoing development of Autobytel’s nationwide dealer network, as well as initiatives that optimize Autobytel’s service to dealers, including training, technology support, and innovative programs, tools and services designed to help dealers capitalize on a rapidly changing marketplace.
Garms originally joined Autobytel in 2002 as director of consumer experience, in which capacity he created Autobytel’s successful Dealer Management Report program, providing cost-free customer feedback to member dealerships to improve sales performance. He was also responsible for a range of pro-consumer programs on Autobytel’s web sites, including the advent of Personal Vehicle Reports (cost-free downloadable PDF reports on popular makes/models that resulted in an average of 3,000 high quality dealer sales leads) as well as Autobytel’s proprietary Estimated Market Price (EMP) data, streamlining the transaction process for dealers and consumers by providing the national average selling prices for new models.
Based on these and other successes, Garms was promoted to director of consumer and dealer services in 2003, where he helped to significantly increase dealer satisfaction. Among his early accomplishments as vice president of dealer operations and strategy, he has implemented a cross-company sales referral system, tripling sales from intra-company referrals.
Prior to joining Autobytel, Garms served as vice president of services for T. Rowe Price for 12 years, where he oversaw investor services, including mutual fund sales and service, retirement and brokerage operations and institutional servicing in Los Angeles. He also launched and managed offices in Tampa Bay and Colorado Springs, which provided similar services.
Garms received a BA from Cal State Los Angeles.
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