BBCN Names Eckert and Gillman to Board of Directors
21 January 2000
BBCN Names Eckert and Gillman to Board of Directors; Prominent Leaders Join Board With Other Industry Innovators to Provide Strategic Direction
ORLANDO, Fla., Jan. 21 -- National Automobile Dealers
Association (NADA) conference -- BBCN, an Internet-based marketplace allowing
competitive purchasing between automotive dealerships and their supply
partners, announced the appointment of two industry giants to its board of
directors -- Thomas D. Eckert, president and CEO of Capital Automotive REIT,
and Ramsay Gillman, owner/president and CEO of the Gillman Companies.
Eckert and Gillman join an accomplished group of existing board members
including two bbcn.com officers, John Anderson, president of Anderson Dealer
Group, and Bert Boeckman, owner/president of Galpin Ford.
"We are proud to add these two distinguished gentlemen to our board of
directors," said Robert Dowlearn, president and CEO of bbcn.com. "Both bring
great industry insight and strategic direction to the company."
At Capital Automotive, Eckert heads up the largest specialty finance
company focused on automotive retail real estate, with nearly $1 billion
invested in automotive properties throughout the United States. Prior to his
role at Capital Automotive, Eckert was a regional president of Pulte Home
Building, the largest homebuilding firm in the United States, and was
responsible for the oversight of the company's land acquisition, development
and homebuilding operations from Virginia to New Jersey. Eckert is also a
former director of PHM Mortgage company and is currently a director of the
Munder Funds, a $10 billion mutual fund group, and the Celotex Corporation, a
building products manufacturing entity.
"I am excited to be a part of BBCN," said Eckert. "We believe that the
company offers dealers who use the system an opportunity to be more
profitable. I am impressed with the company's management and strategic
direction. Like Capital Automotive, BBCN has a great opportunity to be an
innovator in the automotive industry."
Gillman owns and runs the Gillman Companies, one of the largest car dealer
networks in the Southwest. He is a member of its board of directors and a
past president of NADA. Gillman has served as president of the Houston
Automobile Dealers Association, vice president of the Texas Automobile Dealers
Association, and was previously a commissioner of the Motor Vehicle Commission
of the State of Texas. He has also served as chairman of the Dealer Council
for Mitsubishi Motor Sales of America.
"Having dealers on BBCN's board is an excellent strategy and will help
focus the company on the needs of its customers," said Gillman. "I think
bbcn.com will be one of the most useful management tools dealers have ever
had."
Both Capital Automotive and the Gillman Company are investors in bbcn.com.
The company's corporate execution strategy has targeted customers as initial
investors and now counts the largest Ford, Chevrolet, Toyota, Honda, Volvo,
Dodge and Volkswagen dealerships in the nation among its investors.
About bbcn.com
bbcn.com is an Internet-based marketplace allowing for competitive
purchasing to take place between automotive dealerships and their vendors.
bbcn.com provides a secure, efficient and centralized online process designed
to measurably reduce expenses and increase net profits for all participants.
At bbcn.com, users may harness the power of a vertical portal that effectively
matches buyers and sellers within the automotive dealership industry. For
more information, call 1-877-222-6266 or visit http://www.bbcn.com.
For more information about Capital Automotive REIT call (877) 4CAPAUTO or
visit http://www.capitalautomotive.com. For more information about the Gillman
Company call (800) 933-7809.
All product and company names referenced may be trademarks of their
respective owners.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Michele Luke, Pierpont Communications
713/627-2223 ext. 118
713/253-8380 Cell
mdluke@piercom.com
NADA Booth #271