HENDERSON, Nevada--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Drake Automotive Group, LLC announces the addition of three new members of the organization as Drake looks to rapidly grow the Late Model/Modern Muscle and Off Road segments alongside their leadership in the Classic Mustang category.
Gary Schechner, VP Sales & Marketing, will streamline and operationalize the go-to-market channel efforts. He brings over 25 years of experience in a variety of marketing & sales leadership roles with B2B and B2C categories. He most recently ran Sales & Marketing for Shelby American.
Keith Criswell, Brand Manager Modern Muscle and Off Road, returns to Drake after leading product development for Shelby Performance Parts at Shelby American. He brings a wealth of technical car knowledge, new product development success and channel experience.
Kris Horton, Industrial Designer, will speed up Drake’s time-to-market and new product introduction process in R&D. He is best known for his SEMA-concept car designs on the Ford platform and brings a wealth of creative and digital ideation best practices.
Following his December 9, 2016 appointment as the new President and CEO, Keith Belair has kept his foot on the gas in shaping the evolution of Drake’s organization. “Each of these three new team members brings a track record with a high level of performance attached to them,” said Barry Ryan, Operating Partner, Huron Capital.
“Having worked directly with both Gary Schechner and Keith Criswell in the past, as well as adding Kris Horton’s Industrial Design capabilities, I am confident that we’ve elevated our bench strength to aggressively pursue the Modern Muscle and Off Road categories through new product development and a strategic sales strategy,” added Mr. Belair.
About Drake Automotive Group
Drake Automotive Group has been the most trusted name in the classic Mustang restoration market since it was founded in 1988. Using the experience gained in the classic Ford market, the company also produces a growing offering of quality parts for late-model Mustangs, Camaros, Challengers and Jeeps. In 2015, Drake partnered with Huron Capital, based in Detroit, MI, to facilitate the Company’s next stage of growth and expansion into new markets.
About Huron Capital
Based in Detroit, Huron Capital is an operationally-focused private equity firm with a long history of growing lower middle-market companies through our proprietary ExecFactor® buy-and-build investment model. We prefer complex situations where we can help companies reach their full potential by combining our operational approach, substantial capital base, and transaction experience with seasoned operating executives. Founded in 1999, Huron Capital has raised over $1.7 billion in capital through six committed private equity funds and invested in over 130 companies, and our portfolio companies have employed over 11,000 people throughout North America. The Huron Capital buy-and-build investment model includes equity recapitalizations, family succession transactions, market-entry strategies, corporate carve-outs, and management buyouts of companies having revenues up to $200 million. Huron Capital targets both control and non-control equity stakes in fundamentally-sound companies that can benefit from the firm’s operational approach to creating value. Huron Capital’s sector focus includes business services, consumer products & services and specialty manufacturing. For more information, please visit www.huroncapital.com.
