Two key executives have left ADESA Corp., and the company has outlined a restructuring strategy that combines its marketing and sales departments and moves commercial remarketing personnel to individual auction sites.
ADESA of Indianapolis is owned by ALLETE Inc. of Minneapolis. It operates 52 wholesale auto auctions and six heavy-duty commercial vehicle auctions.
Charles Tapp, vice president of sales, will lead the company's new corporate marketing department, said President Brian Warner.
"It always makes sense that sales and marketing are tied together," Warner said. "You'll see more of our marketing focused on the customer rather than ADESA's brand."
As part of the realignment, Frank Stephens, executive vice president of marketing and strategic planning, left the company. Executive vice president Tony Moorby, 53, also departed.
In November, Moorby told the company that he wanted to pursue other opportunities, Warner said.
ADESA's realigned business plan also calls for putting more commercial remarketing people in the field where customer contact occurs, Warner said.
ADESA's Commercial Remarketing Services remarkets heavy-duty trucks and equipment.
"We had all of these people in the corporate office doing theory and philosophy; the real progress is in the field," Warner said.
Stephens handled commercial remarketing services and product development, Warner said. Tony Mohler becomes director of commercial vehicles and will oversee commercial remarketing at the corporate level. He reports to ADESA COO Don Harris.
Well-known in the remarketing community, Moorby joined ADESA two years ago as a vice president after two years as CEO of ADT Automotive Inc. in Nashville, Tenn. ADT was sold by Tyco International Ltd. of Hamilton, Bermuda, to Manheim Auctions of Atlanta and dismantled in 2000.
Moorby was hired as an industry liaison but took on much of the responsibility for ADESA's sales group, which required a lot of travel and long hours, Warner said.
Tapp was hired in April to assume Moorby's duties, Warner said. Tapp is former vice president of remarketing at Banc One Credit Co., of Columbus, Ohio.
