Manheim recently announced that Nick Peluso, president of Manheim Digital, will retire from the company on Dec. 31. It marks the close of a career in the automotive industry that has spanned three decades, including strategic leadership positions in sales, marketing, vehicle portfolio management, and most recently, at Manheim Digital.
“Nick has been a true visionary who used his wisdom and experience to move Manheim and the industry forward over the past 30 years,” said Grace Huang, president of Manheim. “Throughout his career, he was not only instrumental in creating impactful brands such as RMS Automotive and Manheim Express, he also helped to mentor and develop the next generation of bold leaders – this will be his lasting legacy.”
Peluso began his automotive career in 1988 as a western regional sales rep and was later promoted to vice president of sales and marketing at ADT Automotive. Manheim acquired the company in 2000 and named Peluso president of Remarketing Solutions. He was later appointed senior vice president, customer management responsible for overseeing the company’s sales, marketing and pricing functions. In 2014, set apart by his strong marketing and relationship-building skills, Manheim named Peluso president of RMS Automotive, one of the first global remarketing companies to offer clients greater visibility into their vehicle portfolio life cycle through intelligent remarketing and advanced data, helping them make faster and smarter decisions.
As president of Manheim Digital since 2017, Peluso led the creation and deployment of the first omni-channel experience for Manheim, bringing together key digital channels such as Manheim.com, Simulcast and Online Vehicle Exchange (OVE) into one integrated destination for buyers and sellers. Through his highly collaborative approach with clients and employees, he was instrumental in developing Manheim Express, a mobile app for dealers that allows them to list and sell inventory 24/7 right from their lots. In just one year, Manheim Express has been downloaded by nearly 60,000 dealers, and more than 370,000 vehicles have been scanned through the app.
“While Nick has been a mainstay of the traditional auction industry for decades, his ability to visualize the future while navigating through unchartered waters is something that will inspire us for years to come,” said Sandy Schwartz, president of Cox Automotive. “Cox Automotive has been so very fortunate to have Nick as a member of our family, and I look forward to following him as he transitions to his next chapter.”
Throughout his career, Peluso served the remarketing industry by participating in and speaking at key events such as the Conference of Automotive Remarketing, the National Automotive Dealer Association convention and the National Remarketing Conference, as well as IARA and NAAA. In 2019, he was recognized by the National Auto Auction Association (NAAA) and the International Automotive Remarketers Association (IARA) in recognition of his bold vision, technological innovation and dynamic leadership.
“I’ve been so incredibly fortunate to work with such terrific people throughout my career – they’ve truly made my journey inspiring and memorable,” said Peluso. “And, while I’m retiring from Cox Automotive, I’m not thinking of this as the end of my career, but rather the beginning of my next journey.”
