Leading Online Driver Training Provider, I Drive Safely, Adds Tony Gentile to Executive Team

CARLSBAD, Calif., Oct. 2, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- I Drive Safely, the nation's leading provider of driver education and training, announced today the addition of Tony Gentile to the newly created role of chief product officer, as I Drive Safely looks to expand its industry-leading training programs into new platforms and markets.

Gentile will lead I Drive Safely's full product strategy, development and product management efforts.

Formerly chief product officer at BUZZMEDIA (now SpinMedia), a network of 40 websites including Spin and Vibe, Gentile has a well-rounded background in driving business and product strategy for online companies. Prior to BUZZMEDIA, he was the senior vice president of product at Ask.com (an IACI company), where he created the business and product strategy for the company's two million-user social question- and-answer community and its hosted content strategy, in addition to leading the development of its award-winning mobile app.

"I am excited to join an amazing team of executives who are poised to drive the company's mission forward and improve the overall safety of the more than 215 million licensed drivers in the U.S.," said Gentile. "With successful online educational courses in place, I hope to further enhance the product offerings of the company with a strong focus on saving lives through improved driving safety."     

The addition of Gentile to the I Drive Safely team comes on the heels of the company's recent expansion of its executive team, including new Chief Executive Officer George Montgomery, Chief Marketing Officer Greg Hallinan and Sr. Director of E-Learning Dustin Bauman.

The company's expansion is driven by a five-year period of growth in addition to an investment by CIP Capital in the middle of 2012 to provide growth capital for the company. Since joining the company in January, new CEO Montgomery has been implementing a customer-focused strategy based on quality that supports the company's mission to improve driving safety through education and training.

Montgomery previously served as CEO of U.S. Education Corporation between 2002 and 2011, where he helped grow revenue from $12 million to $190 million.

"We are excited to have Tony on the I Drive Safely team and will look to his leadership to help the company create innovative, market-leading products," said Montgomery. "With over 5 million traffic accidents a year in the U.S. causing more than 3 million injuries, our goal is to continually provide effective solutions to improve driver safety.  We feel Tony's expertise in online product development will be a significant asset to the growth of the company." 

About I Drive Safely
I Drive Safely is the industry-leading provider of online defensive driver training. The company's products include driver improvement products for people who have received a traffic ticket or want to reduce their auto insurance premiums, driver's education for teens who want to earn their driver's permit or license, and Mature driving programs for drivers 55 and older. I Drive Safely, headquartered in Carlsbad, CA, was founded in 1998 and is the largest provider of state approved driving courses serving drivers across the United States.   For more information, visit www.idrivesafely.com.

SOURCE I Drive Safely, LLC