THE CANADIAN AUTO DEALER TEAM IS GROWING AGAIN AND EXPANDING ITS FOOTPRINT. UNIVERSUS MEDIA, PUBLISHERS OF CANADIAN AUTO DEALER AND AFFAIRES AUTOMOBILES, IS OPENING AN OFFICE IN VANCOUVER, B.C. TO BETTER SERVE CUSTOMERS FROM COAST TO COAST.
As of the beginning of July, Kristina Alexiou, Director of Business Development, will be located in Richmond, B.C. Kristina has been a leading member of the Canadian auto dealer and Affaires automobiles team. Relocating Kristina to Vancouver provides a number of benefits to the magazine, and ultimately to the dealers and advertisers we serve.
“The closer we get to dealers, the more effectively we can share their successes, understand their challenges, and produce media products that meet their information needs,” says Niel Hiscox, Publisher of the magazines and President of Universus. “We’ve had a remarkable 10 years with Canadian auto dealer. Having one of our most important team members located out West will only make us better.”
The Western office of Universus Media will be a familiar address to many dealers. Universus is setting up shop in office space sublet from the New Car Dealers Association of BC (NCDBC). In locating Kristina within the Association’s offices in
Richmond, Universus is building on a successful formula. Universus’ head office is located at 85 Renfrew Drive in Markham, Ont. home of the Canadian Automobile Dealers Association (CADA) and the Trillium Automobile Dealers Association (TADA). Locating publishing and production staff into the heart of the industry has been invaluable for Canadian auto dealer and the Universus team.
Over the years the magazine team and Association staff have become partners in the
industry in every sense of the word, collaborating on industry coverage and on events like the CADA Summit and TADA’s Dealer Day.
Kristina is excited about the upcoming move. “Leading our development from the West coast is a huge opportunity and challenge for me. I look forward to expanding our presence in British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan. You’ll see that reflected in our magazines and digital media, and in the growth of our related businesses like video and in-dealership digital signage.”
With the addition of the Vancouver office, the Canadian auto dealer team is adding to a national network of offices and alliances that are unique in the industry. Linda Nadon, Associate Publisher of Affaires automobiles magazine, has been workinghand in glove with Jacques Béchard and the team at the Corporation des Concessionnaires d’Automobiles du Québec (CCAQ) since that magazine’s launch in 2006. Over the years, that relationship has given Affaires automobiles access to the industry in Québec that it could not have otherwise had. From Linda’s offices just north of Montréal, she is able to participate first-hand in industry events across Québec.
In the Maritimes, Universus works closely with the Nova Scotia Automobile Dealers Association (NSADA) through a strategic alliance that has led to the creation of the annual CADEX event in Halifax, among other things. So, the western expansion strategy is consistent with a formula that has been in place in the rest of Canada.
“We’ve always had, and will continue to have, a great freelance team that extends the reach of our full-time staff,” says Niel Hiscox. “Still, there is no substitute for having our core team members working in the markets we need to cover. We’re very excited about getting closer to dealers and the Associations in the western provinces. We really appreciate the way in which Blair’s team at the New Car Dealers Association of BC is welcoming us into the fold.”
In planning the office move, Niel Hiscox travelled to Vancouver and met with Qualey, NCDBC President and CEO and his team in their Richmond offices. After exploring the concept and identifying office space that Universus Media will use, the group engaged in some brainstorming to explore how best to take advantage of the new arrangement.
“We can see tremendous benefits for the Association and our members to having the Canadian auto dealer team onsite,” says Blair Qualey. “We are growing our members services in a number of areas where their communications tools and skills will come in handy. In our initial meetings we identified a number of key areas where we can collaborate, from enhancing member education to building on the momentum we have with a growing Vancouver International Autoshow. We’ve always had a strong relationship with Niel and his team. This will make it even stronger.”
Moving Kristina to the West is not the only change in the Universus offices. To ensure there is continued strong coverage in central Canada, Kathy Liotta is joining Universus in the role of Canadian auto dealer Associate Publisher. Kathy brings a long and successful track record in publishing to her new role. In fact, she worked with the Niel Hiscox, Kristina Alexiou and Canadian auto dealer Editorial Director Todd Phillips in a previous role prior to the launch of Universus in 2010.
“Having Kathy join the Canadian auto dealer and Affaires automobiles team is a great win,” says Todd Phillips, Editorial Director. “I know from working with her previously that she brings great energy and ideas to her work. She collaborates well with her co-workers, advertisers and industry organizations. Collaboration and innovation are at the heart of our business model, and I know she thrives in that kind of environment.”
Kathy will be in place in the Toronto office as of the beginning of July.
Dealers are facing a rapidly changing market. There has never been a more important time to have strong industry publications helping dealers understand and navigate the challenges ahead. As Canadian auto dealer and Affaires automobiles magazines celebrate their first decade, the team they are putting to work to keep Canada’s dealers informed has never been stronger.
