Dealer.com - Best Overall Company
Company: Dealer.com, Burlington, VT
Company Description: Dealer.com provides the auto industry with powerful, proven, easy-to-use, car dealer website marketing, auto dealer website design and solutions.
Nomination Category: Company / Organization Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Best Overall Company of the Year - Up to 2,500 Employees
Nomination Title: Dealer.com
Tell the story about what this nominated company achieved since January 1 2010 (up to 500 words). Focus on specific accomplishments, and relate these accomplishments to past performance or industry norms. Be sure to mention obstacles overcome, innovations or discoveries made, and outcomes:
As the global leader in online marketing solutions for the automotive industry,
Dealer.com delivered another year of substantial growth in 2010 as revenues
reached $85 million, an increase of over 60 percent from 2009 and more than
triple the 2008 level. In addition to its continued strong financial
performance, Dealer.com extended its technology and service leadership with an
increase of more than 100 percent in research and development spending for the
second consecutive year, as well as expanded industry partnerships and secured
a variety of prestigious awards and accolades.
Circumventing a global recession, Dealer.com also hired and successfully
integrated more than 180 new employees in 2010, bringing its headcount at year-
end to more than 430. To help manage this growth and bolster its management
structure, the company named five new vice presidents and a new CFO, David
Stetson. In addition, Chief Technology Officer Rick Gibbs was named President.
Construction also started on a major expansion of Dealer.com’s headquarters in
Burlington, VT, which will more than double its existing space and support a
number of significant enhancements in its employee wellness programs.
During 2010, Dealer.com further strengthened its comprehensive online marketing
platform with the launch of a number of new or improved products and services.
These include CarFlix HumanVoice Videos for online vehicle inventories; upgrades
to its TotalControl DOMINATOR™ paid search solution; and a new Service Marketing
Package to help dealers attract and retain service customers.
In addition, Dealer.com expanded its partnerships in 2010 with established
organizations and big-name brands - supporting solutions for Subaru of New
England and American Suzuki Motor Corporation. Partnerships with the nation's
top automotive dealer groups, as ranked by Automotive News, also increased.
According to an annual ranking, 80 percent of the leading dealer groups chose
Dealer.com's online marketing services in 2010 – up from 70 percent a year
earlier. Specific dealer group clients added in 2010 includes the Fletcher Jones
Automotive Group, which features the largest Mercedes Benz dealership in the
United States.
Several independent national research groups also confirmed Dealer.com's
industry leadership, including a report by Sorgenfrei, LLC and The Pasch
Consulting Group about comprehensive organic and paid search studies . The
company's industry-leading products and services and progressive corporate
culture were also recognized through awards and rankings in 2010, including the
Automotive Website Awards, the Inc. 5000 Ranking, and Auto Dealer Monthly's
Dealers' Choice Awards.
List hyperlinks to any online news stories, press releases, or other documents that support the claims made in the section above. IMPORTANT: Begin each link with http://, and enclose each link in square brackets; for example, [http://www.youraddress.com]:
AOL Jobs: Work Perks: Companies Pamper Their Employees With Luxury Amenities
http://jobs.aol.com/articles/2010/08/26/work-perks/
INC.com: How to Start an Online Training Program
http://www.inc.com/guides/2010/08/how-to-start-an-online-training-program.html
The Wall Street Journal: Howdy, Partner: Teaming Up In Business
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704654004575518464221383100.html
Salary.com: 14 Companies with Incredible Employee Perks
http://www.salary.com/Articles/ArticleDetail.asp?part=par2512
Vermont Business Magazine: Wheeling & Dealing: Mark Bonfigli and Dealer.com
http://www.vermontbiz.com/article/february/wheeling-dealing-mark-bonfigli-and-dealercom
Dealer.com Closes 2010 with Substantial Growth, Increased Research and
Development:
Year Marked by Expansion, Increased Hiring, Strengthened Management Team,
Industry Partnerships and Prestigious Awards
http://www.dealer.com/press/dealer.com-closes-2010-with-substantial-growth-increased-research-and-devel/
Dealer.com Strengthens Leadership Team, Names Five Vice Presidents
Employee headcount hits 425, up 182 so far in 2010
http://www.dealer.com/press/dealer.com-strengthens-leadership-team-names-five-vice-presidents/
Dealer.com Ranked #150 Fastest Growing Company in North America on Deloitte’s
2010 Technology Fast 500™
Attributes its 678 Percent Revenue Growth to Innovative Technology and Unique
Culture
http://www.dealer.com/press/dealer.com-ranked-150-fastest-growing-company-in-north-america/
Dealer.com Launches New Service Marketing Package
Provides Most Complete Service Content in the Industry for Dealer Websites
http://www.dealer.com/press/dealer.com-launches-new-service-marketing-package/
Dealer.com Named Fastest-Growing Company in Vermont
Tops list of Vermont Business Magazine's 5x5x5 Growth Award Winners
http://www.dealer.com/press/dealer.com-named-fastest-growing-company-in-vermont/
Dealer.com Recognized on Inc. 5000 as One of 2010’s Fastest-Growing Advertising
and Marketing Companies
http://www.dealer.com/press/dealer.com-recognized-on-inc.-5000-as-one-of-2010s-fasted-growing-companies/
Dealer.com Named Top Small Company Workplace by Inc. Magazine
Recognized for its commitment to maintaining the best possible workplace.
http://www.dealer.com/press/named-top-small-company-workplace-by-inc-magazine/
Dealer.com Reveals Plans for Vermont Growth
Company to Add 200 New Jobs Before 2012
http://www.dealer.com/press/dealer.com-reveals-plans-for-vermont-growth-adding-200-new-jobs-before-2012/
Dealer.com Partners with DriverSide to Bring Vehicle Service and Retention Tools
to Auto Dealer Websites
http://www.dealer.com/press/dealer-com-driverside-partnership/
The Dealer’s Choice: Dealer.com Voted Best Website Provider
Dealer.com wins Dealer's Choice Diamond Award for Best Website Provider and
Platinum Award for Internet Training
http://www.dealer.com/press/the-dealers-choice-dealer.com-voted-best-website-provider/
80 Percent of the Nation’s Top 125 Automotive Dealer Groups Choose Dealer.com
http://www.dealer.com/press/80-percent-of-the-nations-top-125-automotive-dealer-groups-choose-the-deale/
Dealer.com Releases Online Retailer Platform Enhancements for Auto Dealer,
Dealer Group, Manufacturer and Major Media Customers
Unified Online Marketing Platform Upgrades Increase Efficiency and Decrease
Costs
http://www.dealer.com/press/dealer.com-releases-online-retailer-platform/
DrivingSales Announces Winners of 2009 Vendor Ratings Awards
Dealer.com Nets Three Top Awards for Websites, Lead Managment and SEO
http://www.dealermarketing.com/columns/press-releases/1885-drivingsales-announces-winners-of-2009-vendor-ratings-awards.html
Dealer.com's Service and Technology Investments Yield Results for Auto Dealer,
Dealer Group, Manufacturer and Major Media Customers
http://www.dealer.com/press/dealer.coms-service-and-technology-investments-yield-results-for-auto-deale/
Dealer.com Appoints New Chief Financial Officer
Investment Banker and Finance Expert David Stetson Joins Dealer.com’s Executive
Team
http://www.dealer.com/press/dealer.com-appoints-new-chief-financial-officer/
Dealer.com Introduces CarFlix™ HumanVoice Videos, the Next Generation Online
Video Solution for Automotive Vehicle Inventories
Patent Pending Technology Automatically and Instantly Creates High Quality
Videos with Real Human Voices
http://www.dealer.com/press/dealer.com-introduces-carflix-humanvoice-videos-the-next-generation-online-/
Provide a brief (up to 100 words) biography about the leader of this nominated company:
Mark Bonfigli, founder and CEO of Dealer.com, has more than 20 years of
marketing, retailing, wholesaling, and service experience in the auto industry.
Amidst the worst auto recession in decades, the company is thriving, both
because of its technical expertise and unique culture developed by Mark that
prioritizes employees’ health, well-being and career development – which has
helped to attract and retain many of the industry’s best and most highly
motivated people. Mark’s intensely competitive and highly successful management
style has supported Dealer.com as it quietly established itself as the leader in
automotive online marketing.