Wheels, Inc.has announced the promotion of Dan Frank from President of Wheels, Inc. to the additional position of Chief Executive Officer. Jim Frank will transition from CEO to Executive Chairman of the Board.
The Wheels Board of Directors, which consists of four independent directors and two Wheels executives, recommended and enthusiastically supported Dan’s promotion. Dan is the third CEO in Wheels’ 78 year history, following Armund Schoen and Jim Frank, both founding members of the Automotive Fleet Hall of Fame. “Dan’s total commitment to extraordinary customer service and uncompromising quality assure that Wheels will continue its industry-wide reputation for reliability and value creation for its clients,” said Jim Frank.
Dan has almost 20 years of experience at Wheels, having managed nearly every area of the business. On Wheels’ 75th anniversary in 2014, Dan was promoted to President. During his tenure in that position, he led Wheels forward in the development of new products, significant enhancement of the technology platform, continuous improvements in customer service and thoughtful solutions for client challenges caused by credit market disruptions, natural disasters, OEM recalls and other issues.
As Vice President for Government Affairs at the American Automotive Leasing Association, Dan represents the fleet industry before the U.S. Congress, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), and other regulatory agencies on issues relating to commercial fleets. He also serves on the board of the National Safety Council and passionately promotes measures to improve traffic safety.
Dan has a B.A. in Engineering from Dartmouth College and an M.B.A. from Stanford University. Before joining Wheels he had a successful career in technology consulting with Andersen Consulting (now Accenture). He also founded an online restaurant supply business and helped build the world’s first e-commerce company.
His engineering and startup background, deep connections to Silicon Valley and strategic leadership make Dan ideally suited to position Wheels to address the upcoming fleet industry opportunities: new business models such as ridesharing, the impact of autonomous vehicles, and the ever-increasing pace of new technologies, including artificial intelligence and advanced data analysis.
“I feel fortunate to have been able to spend so many years learning from the best in the business, and to have a strong management team with extensive experience,” said Dan Frank. “Wheels is a world-class organization that prides itself on exceptional client service. I look forward to continuing to enhance our capabilities to keep drivers safe, productive and satisfied, while at the same time ensuring cost-efficient fleets. We will continue to live up to our promise that Business Moves Better with Wheels.”