John Waraniak Joins the Board of Directors of BVerticals

20 November 2000

John Waraniak Joins the Board of Directors of BVerticals

    CORTE MADERA, Calif.--Nov. 20, 2000-- BVerticals, the leading creator and supporter of automotive enthusiast Web sites, announces the appointment of John Waraniak, Director of e-Business Speed for the Automotive Systems Group of Johnson Controls, to its Board of Directors.
    Mr. Waraniak, who has an extensive background in the automotive industry in engineering, consulting, and marketing, is responsible for Business Development in JCI Automotive's new e-Program Office. The Office was established in 2000 to lead global e-business activities, increase productivity and accelerate business model transformation and profitability for Johnson Controls and its automotive customers. Waraniak joined the company in July 2000.
    "We are thrilled to have John join our Board of Directors," said John Gillies, CEO of BVerticals. "He brings valuable cross-industry and cross-functional insights and connections in the areas of networked enterprise business development and value chain strategy for this massive industry."
    John joins former DaimlerChrysler Vice-Chairman Tom Stallkamp and former Sears Automotive President Paul Baffico on the BVerticals Board. Combining their automotive expertise reinforces BVerticals' market position as the leading "voice-of-the-customer" portal for linking automotive enthusiasts and consumer lifestyles with automakers, suppliers, and retailers.
    Prior to joining Johnson Controls, Waraniak was an independent advisor to various automotive companies in the areas of collaborative product commerce and business model transformation. He brings 20 years of experience in the management consulting and automotive, aerospace, motorsports, and consumer goods industries. He has worked for General Motors, Hughes Aircraft, Oracle, Benchmarking Partners (Surgency), and No Fear, Inc.
    Waraniak earned a BS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan. He earned a Masters degree in Mechanical and Industrial Engineering from the University of Illinois, and Masters of Science degree in Engineering Management from West Coast University. Waraniak also graduated from the California Institute of Technology's Executive Engineering Management Program.

    About BVerticals Inc.

    BVerticals is a growing developer of grass roots enthusiast Web sites. Currently, BVerticals represents three of the top auto enthusiast sites in terms of traffic, content, and site design and quality. All of the BVerticals sites, VWVortex.com, AudiWorld.com, and PickupTruck.com, have won numerous awards. Overall, BVerticals serves over 1.5 million enthusiasts each month.