On the heels of a third consecutive year of triple-digit growth in the Canadian market, EBlock and EDealer announce changes to their leadership team, designed to expand the companies’ footprint while continuing to deliver the ultimate online auction and marketing experiences for clients.
- CEO and Founder Ryan O’Connor to step into new Chief Innovation Officer role
- COO and President Jason McClenahan promoted to CEO
“From the moment we joined forces over three years ago, I knew Jason had what it took to help us realize our full potential. His influence on our business has been outsized; from refining our customer experience to steering us through our latest successful capital raise, together with his unmatched understanding of the auction business, has been critical to our success,” said EBlock founder Ryan O’Connor. “The timing is perfect for this. With Jason as CEO, I’ll be able to redouble my focus on delivering an amazing customer experience, which is where my passion’s been since starting EDealer back in 2004.”
Before making the switch to EBlock, McClenahan spent 16 years in the brick-and-mortar auction business, which shaped his understanding of how technology could complement a marketplace that was foundational to the industry’s success, yet ripe for innovation. His work in the Canadian and U.S. markets, together with hand’s-on experience at all levels of the brick-and-mortar and digital auction spaces, makes him uniquely capable of leading EBlock in its mission to bring the auction industry into the future.
“When Ryan and I first started working together our visions could not have been more aligned. We come from a world centered around buying and selling cars. We both took a technology-first approach towards improving efficiencies that separate the EBlock experience from everyone else in the space,” McClenahan said. “While others have been able to mask inefficiencies with cash, our focus has been on solving real problems with technology. Many people in this space now want to talk about trust and transparency. For me, those are just staples; they’ve always been part of my DNA. These are the main reasons why we’ve been able to succeed, and my vision for the future of the auction industry is crystal clear. I am thrilled to be a part of shaping the industry that I know and love.”
During McClenahan’s tenure as president and COO of EBlock, the company and its sister brand, EDealer, have attained massive, sustained growth and success, with headcount growing 65% in the past year, active clients on EDealer hitting an all-time high, and both brands transitioning over onto a shared technology platform. This period has also seen EDealer become the Canadian auto industry’s number one web solutions provider.
In addition to taking on CIO duties, O’Connor will also become a managing partner. He and McClenahan are joined on the leadership team by CTO Dmitry Vodiansky, whose team is responsible for EDealer’s and EBlock’s platform, along with VP of Finance Andy Bohlin. Together, they are committed to continuing the company’s methodical approach to growth —for EBlock as well as the clients and industry they serve.
“Though so much has happened with automotive auctions, we’re still very early in the game. More change is on the horizon…change that will continue to improve the business — and the experience of doing business — for buyers and sellers alike,” McClenahan said. “And we plan on staying at the forefront of that change.”
