Online car auction EBlock and custom dealership website designer EDealer have announced two changes to their Canadian team: CEO and Founder Ryan O’Connor is now the new Chief Innovation Officer, and COO and President Jason McClenahan has been promoted to CEO.
“From the moment we joined forces over three years ago, I knew Jason had what it took to help us realize our full potential,” said EBlock founder Ryan O’Connor. “His influence on our business has been outsized; from refining our customer experience to steering us through our latest successful capital raise, together with his unmatched understanding of the auction business, has been critical to our success.”
McClenahan was selected in large part for his work in the Canadian and U.S. markets, and for his hands-on experience with brick-and-mortar. He was immersed in the brick-and-mortar auction business for 16 years before joining EBlock, touching on all levels of the business and digital auction spaces.
As for founder Ryan O’Connor, the new Chief Innovation Officer, McClenahan said they were aligned very early on in terms of their vision for the auction industry and the company.
“We come from a world centred around buying and selling cars. We both took a technology-first approach towards improving efficiencies that separate the EBlock experience from everyone else in the space,” said McClenahan. “While others have been able to mask inefficiencies with cash, our focus has been on solving real problems with technology.”
He said these are the main reasons why they have been able to succeed, and that many people now want to connect with them to discuss trust and transparency — two themes that continue to grow in importance in the auto retail sector and retail in general.
