BMW of North America Announces Management Team Changes

• Gene Donnelly, Southern Region Vice President  to Retire
• Russ Lucas, currently Eastern Region Vice President, moves to Southern Region VP
• Dan Creed, currently Vice President Marketing, moves to Eastern Region VP

Woodcliff Lake, NJ – July 24, 2013… Today, the BMW Group is announcing three changes in its senior management team in the U.S. to become effective September 1, 2013. 

Gene Donnelly, Vice President of the Southern Region will retire in September. During his distinguished 40+ year career in the automotive industry, he has held significant management roles at the regional and national level. At BMW Group this included Vice President, Sales and Center Development overseeing all U.S. Sales, Retail Operations, Center Development and Vehicles Processes. Since May, 2009, Donnelly has been Vice President, Southern Region, responsible for all sales, marketing, aftersales and dealer development in the 11 state region.

Russ Lucas, currently Vice President of the Eastern Region, will succeed Donnelly as Vice President of the Southern Region based in Atlanta, Georgia, effective September 1. He will be responsible for sales of BMW and MINI vehicles in the 11 states and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, comprising 90 BMW dealers and 34 MINI dealers. The Southern Region accounts for 25% of BMW and MINI sales in the U.S. Lucas is presently Vice President of the Eastern Region located in Woodcliff Lake, NJ, a position he has held since October, 2010. He is a 30+ year veteran of the auto industry and joined BMW of North America in 1985 as District Parts Manager in Atlanta.

Dan Creed, currently Vice President Marketing, BMW, will succeed Lucas as Vice President of the Eastern Region, with the transition beginning September 1. In assuming the new position, Creed will be responsible for all sales, marketing, aftersales and dealer development in the 12 state Eastern Region which includes the New York metro area. With sales volume of over 100,000 vehicles a year, the Eastern Region is BMW of North America’s largest region in the U.S. Creed has been part of the BMW Group since 1996 when he became Sales and Marketing Training Manager for BMW Canada. He was appointed to his current role of Vice President Marketing, BMW of North America, in October 2010. 

The successor to Creed will be announced at a later date.

The regional vice presidents report to Peter Miles, Executive Vice President, Operations, BMW of North America, LLC.

BMW Group In America

BMW of North America, LLC has been present in the United States since 1975.  Rolls-Royce Motor Cars NA, LLC began distributing vehicles in 2003.  The BMW Group in the United States has grown to include marketing, sales, and financial service organizations for the BMW brand of motor vehicles, including motorcycles, the MINI brand, and the Rolls-Royce brand of Motor Cars; DesignworksUSA, a strategic design consultancy in California; a technology office in Silicon Valley and various other operations throughout the country.  BMW Manufacturing Co., LLC in South Carolina is part of BMW Group’s global manufacturing network and is the exclusive manufacturing plant for all X5 and X3 Sports Activity Vehicles and X6 Sports Activity Coupes.  The BMW Group sales organization is represented in the U.S. through networks of 338 BMW passenger car and BMW Sports Activity Vehicle centers, 139 BMW motorcycle retailers, 119 MINI passenger car dealers, and 34 Rolls-Royce Motor Car dealers.  BMW (US) Holding Corp., the BMW Group’s sales headquarters for North America, is located in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey.

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Journalist note: Information about BMW Group and its products in the USA is available to journalists on-line at www.bmwgroupusanews.com, www.press.bmwna.com and www.bmwusfactory.com.