Carlsbad, Calif. - A group of senior executives from companies across the automotive industry announced the launch of the Automotive Executives Association (AEA) dedicated to facilitating business networking, providing new resources to help members and promoting awareness of key news and industry developments.

The AEA is the first organization of its kind in the automotive industry bringing together executives across multiple types of companies, including those categorized as: Advertising, Affinity/Membership, Analytics/Data, Auction, Dealer, Finance, Insurance, Manufacturer, Media/Publisher, Technology and Travel & Tourism. Opening the association membership to executives from a mixture of company types related to the automotive life cycle will provide AEA members the opportunity to interact with industry colleagues to help grow their businesses.

The AEA is launching with the support of a group of industry veterans from a variety of organizations. Founding members, and their parent organization founding sponsors, include:

• David Bennett - National Manager, Automotive Programs at AAA

• Damon Bennett - VP, Business Development at Kelley Blue Book

• Bernie Brenner - Executive Vice President at TrueCar

• Choon Choi - SVP Strategy, Business Development & Technology at Jumpstart Automotive

• Ben Cohen - President at Vast

• Stacey Coopes - CEO at FordDirect.com

• Jason Ezell - President at Dataium

• Damon Johnson - VP, Strategic Development at Kelley Blue Book

• Joe Koenig - VP, Business Development at CARFAX

• Gary May - President at Interactive Marketing and Consulting Services

• Gregory McGivney - VP of Strategy and Business Development at Cars.com

• Steve Moretti - CEO at Condurre Media

• Todd Nelson - Head of Business Development at LightStream (SunTrust)

• Bardo Petersen - Vice President Sales Major Accounts at Black Book Online

• Mike Romano - Regional President at Shift Digital

• Charlie Vogelheim - CMO at MS Cloud Service

• Scott Weitzman - General Manager, Used Vehicle Operations at Volkswagen of America

Since the AEA is intended to facilitate networking at the highest levels of the automotive industry, the membership criteria is selective. Potential members must meet minimum eligibility criteria for either the “Executive” or “Senior Executive” membership level. Each membership level includes a number of benefits such as:

• Member Profile: a highlight of each member's automotive life cycle experience, skills, and expertise.

• Member Directory: database of members with key information such as current company, title, and expertise.

• Industry Company Directory: database with filters by company type, life cycle stage, and headquarters location.

• Industry Event Calendar: events related specifically to the automotive industry (including AEA events) as well as non-industry events of interest to the membership.

• AEA “Top News” Weekly Newsletter: a concise weekly roundup of top news related to the automotive industry.

• Member News Distribution: opportunity to share member companies’ important news with the rest of the association.

• “Senior Executive Circle” Networking Events: exclusive, members only events, held twice a year for “Senior Executive” level members.

• Introduction Service: AEA facilitated process for Senior Executive members to connect with fellow members.

“There are a number of excellent conferences in the industry tailored towards specific verticals; such as events for dealers, manufacturers and finance companies. Our goal with the AEA is to bring together and connect automotive executives, from across the entire industry, in a new way that has never been done before. In addition, our events are focused specifically on business networking and member interactions,” said AEA founder and executive director, Steve Moretti.

Charlie Vogelheim, 2013 AEA board member, added, “A key element for any executive to grow their business is by creating and fostering relationships with fellow executives. The AEA will provide our members unique benefits, tools and opportunities that help make that happen in a highly efficient and targeted way.”

In conjunction with the launch of the AEA and the AutomotiveExecutives.com Web site, the AEA announced the first “Senior Executive Circle” Networking Event will be held October 15, 2013 in Las Vegas. This annual event will be scheduled strategically each year (during multiple automotive industry conferences taking place during the same time of the year in Las Vegas) to help ensure members connect with their fellow colleagues in the industry.