ATLANTA, Aug. 4, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Jared Rowe has been named president of AutoTrader.com®, the Internet's leading resource for car shoppers and sellers. Rowe succeeds Alan Smith, who is leaving AutoTrader to pursue personal interests.

Rowe previously served for two and a half years as president of Kelley Blue Book®, the only vehicle valuation and information source trusted and relied upon by both consumers and the automotive industry. While at the helm of Kelley Blue Book, Rowe led the business to deliver innovative solutions for both consumers and advertisers. Under his leadership, the company exceeded revenue, profit and traffic targets.

Before joining Kelley Blue Book, Rowe served as vice president, product management for AutoTrader.com. Prior to that he worked at FordDirect, where he was a founding member of the leadership team. Earlier in his career, he held management positions at Toyota and Autobytel, an automotive media and marketing services company. Rowe holds an MBA from the University of Michigan's Stephen M. Ross School of Business and an undergraduate degree in automotive marketing and management from Northwood University.

"I am thrilled to lead the incredibly talented AutoTrader.com team. An undisputed leader, AutoTrader.com plays a critical role in the automotive industry -- helping consumers quickly find their perfect vehicle," said Jared Rowe. "We are a valued partner for our advertisers, enabling them to showcase their offerings prominently and effectively."

Succeeding Rowe is Steve Lind, who has been named president of Kelley Blue Book. Lind will oversee all aspects of the brand and business. Lind previously served as Kelley Blue Book's vice president of operations. He is a veteran of the automotive industry, having worked for Autobytel, Nissan and LeadPoint before joining Kelley Blue Book in 2012. Lind holds an MBA from the University of Notre Dame's Mendoza College of Business and an undergraduate degree in business from Miami University. Lind helped launch innovative new marketing programs at Kelley Blue Book and is credited with driving the growth of Kelley Blue Book brand awareness exponentially. Under Lind's leadership, the business delivered double-digit audience growth and has seen unaided awareness rise significantly. He oversaw the modernization of Kelley Blue Book's ad serving platform, significant investment in its analytic and insight capability, and delivery of valuable market intelligence to OEM clients. Today, Kelley Blue Book is The Trusted Resource® for car valuation, and is ranked highest in its category for brand equity in the 2014 Harris Poll EquiTrend®. 

"I'm honored to lead and serve Kelley Blue Book - an iconic and trusted automotive brand.  We will continue to provide vehicle valuations and deliver impactful branding solutions for our customers," said Steve Lind.

"We have two dynamic and talented leaders in Jared Rowe and Steve Lind who will deliver for our customers, engage their teams and drive us into a successful future in the automotive space," stated Jim Franchi, president, media. "I want to thank Alan Smith for his leadership and wish him every success in the future."

About AutoTrader.com (www.autotrader.com)
Created in 1997, Atlanta-based AutoTrader.com is the Internet's leading resource for car shoppers and sellers. AutoTrader.com aggregates millions of new, used and certified pre-owned cars from thousands of dealers and private sellers and provides expert articles and reviews. AutoTrader.com, which also operates the AutoTraderClassics.com auto marketing brand, is wholly owned by Cox Automotive. Additionally, Cox Automotive owns Kelley Blue Book (KBB.com®), Manheim Auctions as well as companies that provide a full suite of software tools that help dealers and manufacturers manage their inventory and advertising online: vAuto®, HomeNet Automotive®, VinSolutions®, AIS Rebates™, Genius Labs® and Haystak™. Cox Automotive is a subsidiary of Cox Enterprises.

About Kelley Blue Book (www.kbb.com)
Founded in 1926, Kelley Blue Book, The Trusted Resource®, is the only vehicle valuation and information source trusted and relied upon by both consumers and the automotive industry. Each week the company provides the most market-reflective values in the industry on its top-rated website KBB.com, including its famous Blue Book® Trade-In and Suggested Retail Values, and Fair Purchase Price, which reports what others are paying for new cars this week. The company also provides vehicle pricing and values through various products and services available to car dealers, auto manufacturers, finance and insurance companies, and governmental agencies. Kelley Blue Book's KBB.com ranked highest in its category for brand equity by the 2014 Harris Poll EquiTrend^® study and has been named Online Auto Shopping Brand of the Year for three consecutive years. Kelley Blue Book Co., Inc. is a Cox Automotive company.

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SOURCE AutoTrader.com