Zag Appoints Veteran Auto Dealer Mark Miller EVP of Dealer and Industry Relations
SANTA MONICA, Calif.--July 18, 2006--Zag (www.zag.com) today announced the appointment of Mark Miller as Executive Vice President of Dealer and Industry Relations. Bringing to Zag extensive knowledge of the dealer community, Miller will oversee the build-out of Zag's dealer network and manage industry relations.Zag is a groundbreaking new company with a state-of-the-art technology platform designed to help dealers and affinity groups provide a superior car buying experience to consumers.
Miller joins Zag from CarsDirect.com, now a unit of Internet Brands, where he guided development of CarsDirect's nationwide Preferred Dealer Network since the company's launch in 1999. At CarsDirect, Miller served as Senior VP of Dealer and Industry Relations and primary liaison to the automotive industry. The company's network now includes several thousand car dealers nationwide.
Prior to CarsDirect, Miller served for more than 20 years with the Miller Automotive Group, a $400 million retail automotive franchise in Los Angeles. In the position of COO and vice president, Miller was responsible for more than 400 employees in multiple locations and was instrumental in helping the company grow into one of the top 50 automobile dealer groups nationwide.
"We are committed to providing dealers with the tools they need to give their customers the best online car buying experience possible," said Scott Painter, CEO, Zag. "Part of that commitment is ensuring our dealer partners have the best technology, service and people to deal with. Mark brings extensive dealer experience to his position and will provide our partners with exactly what they need."
Miller is also a graduate of the National Automobile Dealer Association Dealer Candidate Academy.
About Zag
Zag is an independent technology and services business, committed to dramatically improving the way consumers buy cars while simultaneously helping dealers enable sales. Zag is transforming the auto-buying experience with a groundbreaking online platform that extends current online buying capabilities - and soon will make it possible for consumers to complete the entire auto-buying transaction online. Zag's platform goes beyond research-related websites to give consumers upfront pricing and inventory availability for new and used cars, and the ability to configure a new vehicle and arrange financing online. Over the next year, the company will roll out additional capabilities that will enable a complete, end-to-end online transaction for the first time.
Zag works with affinity-based organizations to bring a private label, customized experience to members or customers while automating much of the time-consuming, inefficient processes at the dealership level. Inaugural users include Capital One Auto Finance, the nation's largest online auto lender, which is rolling out Zag's platform for its DriveOne program; and Autoland, the nation's oldest and most successful credit union auto-buying service, which Zag acquired as a wholly owned subsidiary in November 2005. Zag is based in Santa Monica, Calif., with offices in Sherman Oaks, Calif., Fullerton, Calif., and Portland, Ore.