FordDirect Names Stacey Coopes Chief Executive Officer

DEARBORN, Mich., May 23, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- FordDirect, a joint venture between Ford Motor Company and its franchise dealers, announced today the appointment of Stacey Coopes as CEO. Coopes previously served as executive vice president of marketing and technology for FordDirect and has been a member of the FordDirect management team for the past eight years.

"Stacey has been instrumental in the success of FordDirect and we are very excited for the continued growth under her leadership," said Bill Keith, chairman of the FordDirect Board of Directors and dealer principal of Freehold Ford and Steamboat Motors. "The FordDirect team develops innovative, industry-leading digital solutions that drive dealer profitability and keep dealers on the leading edge of the digital space."

FordDirect Internet referrals represent 21.7 percent of Ford Motor Co. retail sales. Under Coopes' direction, FordDirect has grown lead volume to Ford dealers for both new and used vehicles by more than 40 percent year over year. Ford dealers sold more than 275,000 new vehicles from FordDirect Internet referrals in 2010.

"The unique structure of FordDirect gives us a competitive advantage and has made Ford Motor Company a leader in digital products and services for our dealers," said Ken Czubay, Ford Motor Company vice president, U.S. Marketing Sales and Service, and FordDirect board member.

Coopes is well-versed in the strategic development of digital properties and has led the implementation of a number of Ford Motor Company-branded sites and properties built by FordDirect.

"The FordDirect team is passionate about helping dealers sell more vehicles," Coopes said. "We will continue to innovate on behalf of Ford dealers and bring them new ways to meet the needs of their customers."

Previously, the CEO duties were split between Leo Hillock, executive vice president, dealer relations and development and Ted Vincent, chief financial officer.  Hillock will continue managing FordDirect's Dealer relations and development department; Vincent will continue as chief financial officer; and Valerie Fuller will continue managing FordDirect's operations.

Prior to joining FordDirect, Coopes was a senior manager in Deloitte Consulting's Automotive Practice, where she specialized in digital strategy and customer relationship management. In her tenure at Deloitte, Coopes led engagements at General Motors, Chrysler, and Audi to develop and execute customer centric strategies within order fulfillment and marketing.

Coopes earned a master's degree in business administration from the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business and a bachelor's degree from the University of Michigan's School of Engineering.

About FordDirect

FordDirect (forddirect.com/dealercenter) is a joint venture between Ford Motor Company and its franchised dealers to create a comprehensive Web presence for dealers and provide digital marketing services that help dealers sell more cars and trucks. FordDirect provides dealers new and pre-owned marketing services, call tracking, lead management solutions, dealer Websites, search optimization and marketing, database marketing, marketing services for regional dealer advertising groups and other digital services. FordDirect is headquartered in Dearborn, Mich.

SOURCE FordDirect