Porsche Cars North America, Inc. (PCNA)—a car company that has enjoyed record sales in the United States during the past three calendar years — announced that it will reorganize its U.S. field operations to help foster more direct interaction with it dealers and customers, and better serve each region’s unique marketing demands.
Beginning October 1, PCNA established four Area Offices across the country, including a new Central (Midwest) Area Office, which is one more than the company had previously operated. With this addition, Porsche is realigning all its Area Offices to better cover and service its 202 national dealers. The change represents a 28 percent expansion of the company’s field operations.
PCNA’s four offices will be managed by Area Vice Presidents; previously, the previous structure of Porsche’s three offices were managed by General Managers. The move is designed to decentralize decision-making away from PCNA headquarters, with new Vice Presidents being responsible for the Area’s business objectives. Additional in-field personnel in the Area Offices will also include a Marketing Manager, a Pre-Owned Manager, a Dealer Business Consultant and an AfterSales Manager, who will also have Parts Manager responsibilities.
The change is timed, in part, to coincide with preparations for the launch of Porsche’s highly anticipated four-seater Gran Turismo Panamera model that will debut here in 2009.
“With this change, we are striving to be more competitive than ever, and improve the company’s ability to support our dealers and customers in the U.S. on a more personal level,” said Michael Bartsch, PCNA’s Executive Vice President and COO. “Just as importantly, it will also enable us to reach new segments in the market as we bring the Panamera, which is a car unlike any Porsche has ever offered before.”
PCNA, which is headquartered in Atlanta, will establish four Area Offices covering the West, Central (Midwest), South and East regions of the country. Geographically, the offices will increase dealership contact, improve dealer and customer share of mind, improve structure for future growth and more logically follow state borders and meet regional needs.
“We are empowering the Areas and creating a more market-driven organization,” said Bartsch. “They will now have the needed resources and mindset to more effectively influence our retail body and achieve our goals for value-oriented growth,” said Bartsch.
Porsche’s Area Vice Presidents, all of whom hold positions within the company today, include: Dave Martin, currently PCNA’s Vice President of After Sales, VP of Area West; Doug Battie, currently the West General Manager, VP of Area Central (Midwest); Dave Kurtz, currently South General Manager, VP of Area South; and Mick Pallardy, currently East General Manager, VP of Area East.
