HAUPPAUGE, N.Y. -

Along with introducing a new tool to help credit union members who are considering refinancing their vehicle installment contract, GrooveCar recently appointed five executives to new positions as part of its industry growth initiatives.

In an effort to serve an expanding credit union auto-buying marketplace, GrooveCar made the following personnel moves:

—Richard Charles Hess has been promoted to national vice president of sales.

—Karen Johnson has been appointed public relations director.

—Eric Budzinski has been promoted to assistant vice president of marketing.

—Christine Forsythe has been named client relations director.

—Michelle Michann has been hired as a regional manager for CU Xpress Lease.

GrooveCar is celebrating its 17th year in business. The once regional auto-buying resource has expanded across the U.S. into more than 28 states as diversified product offerings are added to meet the expansion goals of credit unions.

“Our recent staff increases reflect the desire to meet our credit unions at all levels and partner with them with unique strategies for auto loan growth in the future,” GrooveCar senior vice president Frank Rinaudo said.

Previously, Hess had served as director of leasing for CU Xpress Lease. Prior to joining the company he was regional sales manager for the Northeast region at Wells Fargo in Chester, Pa.

As national vice president of sales for GrooveCar, Hess will be responsible for managing the CU Xpress Lease sales team and creating competitive lease programs for the division’s credit union partners.

“I look forward to reaching and surpassing lease volume goals as well as developing new markets,” Hess said.

Johnson had served as vice president of marketing for GrooveCar. Prior to joining the company in February of last year, she served as director of marketing for World Wide Security in Garden City, N.Y.

In her new role as public relations director for GrooveCar, Johnson is responsible for corporate communications, media relations and content creation for the company.

“It’s important for GrooveCar to continue to expand its market position while serving the information needs of our credit unions,” she said.

Budzinski joined the company as marketing coordinator for GrooveCar in July of last year. Prior to this he served as vice president of EZVille Ltd. in Ronkonkoma, N.Y.

Under his direction as AVP of marketing for GrooveCar, Budzinski is responsible for developing, establishing and maintaining marketing strategies to meet the company’s organizational objectives.

“I’m excited to be at the forefront of emerging technologies and innovations,” he said.

Forsythe joined GrooveCar this year as client relations director. Prior to joining the company, Forsythe was cremation coordinator for Moloney Family Funeral Homes, headquartered in Ronkonkoma, N.Y.

As client relations director, Forsythe is responsible for selling and managing the auto-buying program with GrooveCar’s partners.

“My role is to grow in established markets and develop new areas of business,” she said.

Michann was hired in June as regional manager for GrooveCar’s CU Xpress Lease. Her position involves dealership relations and assisting credit union partners with initiating their leasing programs while also providing support services.

Michann’s prior position was in management at Enterprise Rent-A-Car.

“I enjoy the ongoing responsibility of managing communications between our automotive dealers and credit union partners,” she said.

GrooveCar rolls out auto refinance calculator

In other company news, GrooveCar recently added an auto refinance calculator to its vehicle buying resource. With low rates in abundance, credit union members can now calculate their savings in an easy-to-use refinance tool found online.

“This is a great feature for members to witness savings instantly by inputting information on their current loan. Fast results and easy-to-use instructions allow members to see a calculated lower monthly payment. In some instances this may save thousands over the life of the loan,” GrooveCar vice president of strategic alliances Robert O’Hara said.

The refinance calculator is a simple yet effective tool enabling credit unions to recapture auto loans lost to their competitors by showing their members how much they can save by refinancing with them. As vehicle sales continue to set records with 85 percent of vehicles financed, O’Hara insisted consumers are eager to lower their monthly financial burden, and refinancing fits this need.

“How do they connect with their members to educate them on the benefits of refinancing? Pushing this refinance tool on the GrooveCar platform allows credit unions to engage more members while providing them a visual on how refinancing benefits them,” O’Hara said.

“The more a credit union can address their members' ‘what’s in it for me’ thought process, the greater success they will have in recapturing these loans,” he continued.

“The platform will always change to bring in new features designed to reach members and bring the convenience of purchasing a vehicle more engaging than ever,” O’Hara went on to say. “To that end, we have designed an area of the site for credit unions to customize incentives they wish to have members take advantage of.

“It’s all about options, and the auto buying platform strives to meet the members' and credit unions' wants and needs on all levels,” O’Hara added.