)(CA-USAUTONEWS.COM) USAutoNews.com Hires Chief Technology Officer from Shopping.com; Mark S. Winkler Joins USAutoNews.com As Chief Information and Technology Officer
19 August 1999
)(CA-USAUTONEWS.COM) USAutoNews.com Hires Chief Technology Officer from Shopping.com; Mark S. Winkler Joins USAutoNews.com As Chief Information and Technology Officer
NEWPORT BEACH, Calif.--Aug. 19, 1999-- USAutoNews.com, the new, specialized Internet portal for automotive manufacturers, dealers, buyers, suppliers and car enthusiasts, Thursday announced that Mark S. Winkler has been hired and appointed as its chief information and technology officer."Mark Winkler has a proven track record as a chief technology officer with strong management, communication, leadership, and organizational skills," Robert Zwerling, USAutoNews' chief executive officer, said in making the announcement.
"He brings significant experience in computer systems and management information systems development, including specialties in network architecture, systems engineering, software development, testing, project management, encryption, and Internet design and operations, as well as experience in raising capital, another valuable asset."
Prior to joining USAutoNews in June 1999, Winkler was the chief information and technology officer for Shopping.com, an Internet e-commerce retail company with over 2 million products and 1,200 vendors, where he was responsible for the design and operations of the Internet site from its inception. In January, 1999, Compaq Computer Corp. purchased Shopping.com for $220 million primarily for its advanced technological infrastructure as well as its encryption transaction engine, search engine and EDI processing.
From 1978 to 1997, Winkler founded and was chief executive officer of Winkler & Associates Inc., a software consulting firm which provided services to Fortune 500 companies such as Warner Brothers, IBM, Pacificare HMO, Hughes Aircraft Company, Xerox Corp., American Express, Los Angeles Times, Jefferies & Company, Bank of America State Trust Company, TRW, and Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
"It is our intention that USAutoNews.com will do for all levels of automotive electronic business and commerce what Amazon.com did for the publishing industry and eBay did for private sales," Winkler said. "USANews.com is the Internet gateway for the automotive industry. If it has to do with cars and trucks, you'll find it at USAutoNews.com."
USAutoNews.com is structured to provide customized user services for automotive manufacturers, dealers, buyers, suppliers and car enthusiasts that resolves the overwhelming amount of disorganized and confusing information currently on the Internet by providing an industry-specific Internet location which centralizes and organizes automotive Web sites, provides personalized and filtered industry news services e-mailed to its subscribers, creates Web sites for automotive-related companies not currently on the Internet, and creates an e-commerce network for automotive manufacturers, suppliers, retailers and consumers.
USAutoNews.com was initially established in September 1998, by Dan Cwieka and Tom Ciresa. Ciresa, with 33 years of automotive industry experience, had most recently been a founding member and executive of Autobytel, the independent online new and used car buying service that helped shape car distribution over the Internet. Cwieka, whose automotive experience has been primarily in specialized sales and marketing to automotive dealerships, had also been with Autobytel as a senior regional director prior to starting USAutoNews.com. Cwieka currently serves as executive vice president of Business Development.
USAutoNews.com (USAN) has received venture funding through Newport Beach-based Catalyst Capital, a firm that combines merchant banking with management services. Catalyst Capital has raised nearly $1 million for USAN and recently reached an agreement for an additional $5 million. Further, Catalyst Capital has provided the senior management team for USAutoNews.com, including Winkler, Zwerling, Phillip Langford as executive vice president of Sales and Marketing, Aaron Michaelsen as chief financial officer/executive vice president and Dean Jensen as executive vice president of Corporate Development.