TrueCar Expands Dealer Council, Now Represents All Major Automotive Brands

SANTA MONICA, Calif., Sept. 23, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- TrueCar, Inc., the negotiation-free car buying and selling platform, has named four new members to its National Dealer Council, a 20-member advisory panel of automotive retailing experts who collaborate with TrueCar executives to improve the car-buying and trade-in experience for consumers and dealers.

New to the Council are:

Todd Berkowitz, Owner of Manchester and Ocean Subaru in New Hampshire. Todd and his wife bought one dealership in 2003 and the other in 2007. Todd has been in the automobile business for more than 27 years, specializing in fixed operations.

Herm Brocksmith, President and General Manager of Kuni Honda in the Denver, Colorado, area. Herm has worked with Kuni Automotive dealerships since 2006. Previously, he was the Director of Sales and Marketing for Lexus of St. Louis and St. Louis Acura and graduated from NADA's Dealer Academy.

Jessica Germain, Director of Customer Experience and Employee Engagement for the Germain Motor Company with dealerships in Ohio, Michigan and Florida. Jessica is a fourth-generation dealer and was named to the 2013 Automotive News "40 Under 40" list of up-and-comers in automotive retailing. She previously served as the General Manager of Germain Honda of Dublin, Ohio.  

Brian McMaster, Director of eCommerce for Hendrick Automotive Group, the nation's sixth-largest dealer group with dealerships in 13 states. Brian previously worked at Sonic Automotive Inc. in eCommerce and digital marketing roles.

Representing 17 states, 37 unique automotive makes, 248 new car franchises and three independent dealerships, the TrueCar National Dealer Council meets approximately six times per year with TrueCar executives to discuss how to improve the TrueCar service.  The Council is chaired by Gary Marcotte, who has a 30-year career in the automotive retail industry, including serving as the Senior Vice President of Marketing and eCommerce at AutoNation, Inc., the largest automotive retailer in the U.S.

"What makes this Council unique from the others I have been on is that it truly partners with TrueCar," said Marcotte. "The level of respect and access that TrueCar affords the dealers and their views is unprecedented."

"This Council has already helped reshape the car-buying experience for our network of 8,000-plus TrueCar Certified Dealers," said TrueCar President John Krafcik. "We look forward to working with this expanded Council, now representing all major automakers, as we work together to transform the trade-in process in a way that delivers empowered and delighted consumers and dealers."

About TrueCar
TrueCar, Inc. (NASDAQ: TRUE) is the negotiation-free car buying and selling platform. TrueCar enables a negotiation-free car buying experience by giving buyers transparent insight into what others actually paid (price confidence), upfront pricing information (price discovery), and access to a network of trusted TrueCar Certified Dealers who provide guaranteed savings certificates and seamlessly complete the car purchase. The reality is that buying a car is painful and buyers fear they are going to overpay or be surprised with hidden fees. TrueCar's transparent upfront pricing information makes the car buying process simple so there are no surprises and buyers never overpay. TrueCar's mission is to make car buying simple, fair and fun. Its national network of more than 8,000 TrueCar Certified Dealers is committed to providing negotiation-free savings off MSRP for all car-buyers, including members of some of the country's largest membership and service organizations such as AARP, American Express, AAA, and USAA. Note: Not all program features are available in all states. Go to www.truecar.com for program details. TrueCar is headquartered in Santa Monica, Calif., with offices in Santa Barbara, Calif., San Francisco, Calif., and Austin, Texas.

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SOURCE TrueCar, Inc.