CRANBURY, N.J., Oct. 06, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- PARTS iD, Inc. (NYSE American: ID) (“PARTS iD” or “Company”), the owner and operator of, among other verticals, “CARiD.com,” a leading digital commerce platform for the automotive industry, today announced that it has hired Michael Bowers as General Manager of Boating & Marine and Terry Graham as General Manager of RV & Camper, two high-growth verticals for the business.
Michael Bowers comes to PARTS iD with extensive supplier management and purchasing experience across the boating, automotive and fitness retail industries including eight years at the Brunswick Boat Group, the largest boat manufacturer in the U.S., and 15 years at Panasonic. Bowers will apply his knowledge of the manufacturer landscape, marine and boating fitment considerations, and lifestyle trends to lead vendor relations and inventory expansion for the BOATiD.com vertical.
“I’m thrilled to be joining the PARTS iD team at such an exciting time for the boating industry and ecommerce as a whole,” said Michael Bowers, General Manager of Boating & Marine at PARTS iD, Inc. “I was incredibly impressed by the breadth of product selection available to boaters on BOATiD. With a solid foundation of fitment data, industry knowledge and vendor relationships built over the years, I look forward to working with this team to apply these same key value propositions in our efforts to expand the boating segment and offer unparalleled selection and service to more customers.”
Terry Graham is a retail industry veteran, previously holding management roles at Sears and Advance Auto Parts, as well as Camping World, where he worked as a Senior Buyer for nine years, focusing on improving the product assortment, growing the vendor base and developing market strategy. As General Manager, Graham will focus on enhancing the CAMPERiD.com shopper journey by expanding category offerings, amplifying product information and customer resources, all with the goal of providing the most optimized online experience available for camper and RV products.
“Successful retailers present products and information in a way that leads a customer to make the right decision, with confidence. This is incredibly true in an industry like outdoor recreation and RV accessories, where each product will fulfill a specific need within the shopper’s journey and reliability of parts and accessories is paramount,” said Terry Graham, General Manager of RV & Camper at PARTS iD, Inc. “PARTS iD and its stores offer the foundation needed to provide an unparalleled shopping experience for RV and camper customers and I can’t wait to apply my retail industry experience to this growing market.”
These hires come at a time when boating and outdoor recreation have seen tremendous growth. According to the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA), U.S. sales of boats, marine products and services reached an estimated $47 billion in 2020, a 9% increase from the previous year, and continuing a 13 year trend of growth for the industry. Additionally, the RV Industry Association reports a 43.4% year-over-year growth in RV shipments from 2019 to 2020.
“Michael Bowers and Terry Graham each bring a wealth of experience in retail, supplier relations and strategic growth. This, coupled with their respective knowledge of the boating and camping/RV categories, make them ideal additions to our team. With the recent growth in the boating and RV industries, PARTS iD is working hard to position itself as a leader in these segments, attracting both new and old customers in search of any and all parts and accessories to fulfill their boating and camper needs,” said Nino Ciappina, CEO of PARTS iD Inc. “These hires will enable us to continue to optimize vendor relations, inventory growth and customer service for BOATiD.com and CAMPERiD.com, building true and reliable one-stop-shops for customers. With our platform and growing leadership team, we’re well-positioned to increase our market share and awareness in these high-value categories.”
For more information, please visit www.partsidinc.com.
About PARTS iD, Inc.
PARTS iD is a technology-driven, digital commerce company focused on creating custom infrastructure and unique user experiences within niche markets. Founded in 2008 with a vision of creating a one-stop eCommerce destination for the automotive parts and accessories market, PARTS iD has since become a market leader and proven brand-builder, fueled by its commitment to delivering a revolutionary shopping experience; comprehensive, accurate, and varied product offerings; and continued digital commerce innovation.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
All statements made in this press release relating to future financial or business performance, conditions, plans, prospects, trends, or strategies and other such matters, including without limitation, expected future performance, consumer adoption, anticipated success of our business model or the potential for long term profitable growth, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. In addition, when or if used in this press release, the words “may,” “could,” “should,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “plan,” “predict,” “potential,” “confident,” “look forward” and similar expressions and their variants, as they relate to us may identify forward-looking statements. We operate in a changing environment where new risks emerge from time to time and it is not possible for us to predict all risks that may affect us, particularly those associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, which has had wide-ranging and continually evolving effects. We caution that these forward-looking statements are subject to numerous assumptions, risks, and uncertainties, which change over time, often quickly and in unanticipated ways.
Important factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from the results discussed in the forward-looking statements include risks and uncertainties, including without limitation: costs related to operating as a public company; difficulties in managing our international business operations, particularly in the Ukraine, including with respect to enforcing the terms of our agreements with our contractors and managing increasing costs of operations; the impact of health epidemics, including the COVID-19 pandemic, on our business and the actions we may take in response thereto; changes in our strategy, future operations, financial position, estimated revenues and losses, product pricing, projected costs, prospects and plans; the outcome of actual or potential litigation, complaints, product liability claims, or regulatory proceedings, and the potential adverse publicity related thereto; the implementation, market acceptance and success of our business model, expansion plans, opportunities and initiatives, including the market acceptance of our planned products and services; competition and our ability to counter competition, including changes to the algorithms of Google and other search engines; developments and projections relating to our competitors and industry; our expectations regarding our ability to obtain and maintain intellectual property protection and not infringe on the rights of others; ability to maintain and enforce intellectual property rights and ability to maintain technology leadership; our future capital requirements, our ability to raise capital and utilize sources of cash; our ability to obtain funding for our operations; changes in applicable laws or regulations; the effects of current and future U.S. and foreign trade policy and tariff actions; disruptions in the marketplace for online purchases of aftermarket auto parts; disruptions in the supply chain; and the possibility that we may be adversely affected by other economic, business, and/or competitive factors.
Further information on the factors and risks that could cause actual results to differ from any forward-looking statements are contained in our filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), which are available at https://www.sec.gov (or at https://www.partsidinc.com). The forward-looking statements represent our estimates as of the date hereof only, and we specifically disclaim any duty or obligation to update forward-looking statements.
Investors:
Brendon Frey
ICR
ir@partsidinc.com
Media:
Erin Hadden
FischTank PR
partsid@fischtankpr.com
