EFG has been leading the way in consumer protection products for more than 40 years. And today, our executive team continues to bring both client and consumer insights to the table to make EFG Companies an invaluable business partner.
Rick Christensen brings more than 42 years of retail and OEM automotive and reinsurance experience to his position as the Chief Risk Officer at EFG Companies. In this role, Rick utilizes his wealth of experience in leading and developing the strategic efforts of EFG’s product development team, including product lifecycle and relationship management, as well as EFG’s reinsurance initiatives. In his previous roles, he has overseen the launch of global strategic alliance formations, with the development of brand and sales processes, reinsurance models, and regulatory and compliance practices. Rick most recently served as a Senior Director at Hyundai Capital America (HCA), where he was responsible for launching and managing a captive insurance subsidiary of HCA. He also served as President, Nissan Global Reinsurance, Ltd based in Bermuda.
Christopher Browne brings to EFG more than 26 years of success in business development, sales and operations in multiple industries including the automotive, insurance industry, OEMs and multi-product companies. Throughout his career, Christopher has directed multi-million-dollar expansions and revenue growth through the development of core business segments, including new market penetration and product development. With a strong track record in revenue development, sales and operational management, Christopher is responsible for the development and execution of strategic sales initiatives to acquire new business at EFG. He is a forward-thinking entrepreneur and uses his ability to continually forge profitable new paths and transform EFG innovations into new business opportunities for the company’s clients. Prior to EFG, Christopher served in several leadership positions across companies like Endurance Dealer Services, The Warranty Group, Ally Financial, Global Automotive Solutions Inc, Allstate Dealer Services, Global Business Solutions, and several OEM franchise dealer groups. While working at the dealership-level, he was recognized as the number one Finance & Insurance Manager in the nation by General Motors.
James Colman brings more than 21 years of retail automotive experience to his role as Regional Vice President of Dealer Services at EFG Companies. James leads his team in expanding on EFG’s exceptional level of service and engagement model by cultivating a consultative team to serve as trusted advisors with one goal: maximizing compliant F&I profitability for our clients. EFG clients benefit from James’ ability to take complex business objectives and turn them into actionable programs with defined key performance indicators, pay plans, and ongoing training. James started his career at Van Tuyl Auto Group, where he worked his way up through the dealership to serve as Finance Director. He also served as a Finance Director for Eckert Hyundai, where he was responsible for creating the F&I department from scratch, creating processes for the sales floor, and expanding the dealership’s relationships with multiple lenders. These efforts were a key factor in increasing unit sales by 271 percent. James was also instrumental in establishing a satellite, high-end, pre-owned dealership for Liberty Ford. This included recruiting and training the dealership’s sales and finance staff, building lending relationships, and implementing best practices. James is Master AFIP-certified from the Association of Finance and Insurance Professionals.
Victor DiBlasi brings more than 30 years of experience creating operational efficiencies, building teams, and achieving organizational success to his role as Director of Platform Development for EFG Companies. He develops, implements, and ensures the success of enterprise programs and projects through detailed planning and precise teamwork. Prior to joining the team at EFG, Victor served as President of MediaMark Strategies, where he helped clients analyze business and financial trends, launched new companies and products, and raised capital. He has also served in management roles for Southwest Airlines and Fujitsu, where he provided international sales and operations training, and provided an extensive set of IT products and services, including infrastructure, consulting, integration, application services, retailing solutions, and enterprise platform technologies. Victor holds a BBA, ORBP from Southern Methodist University.
Throughout his 17 years of service with EFG Companies, Jay Hartmann has excelled at identifying and seizing opportunities, building high-performance teams, and developing systems and processes that create efficiencies, increase productivity, and drive business results. Within the last five years, the claims and administrative operations team has earned eight national awards and certifications for their dedication to customer service excellence. A highly analytical thinker with demonstrated talent for identifying and streamlining complex work processes, Jay also manages key relationships with EFG vendors and partners across multiple lines of business. Prior to EFG, Jay served as the National Sales and Installation Manager for SalesEdge, a retail automotive CRM, where he maintained strong profit margins in upfront sales and monthly recurring contracts. Jay’s extensive background in the automotive and technology fields began at ADP Dealer Services (now CDK Global, Inc.), where he managed CRM pricing and deal structuring for North America and Canada and re-engineered sales, support, and business development processes to yield significant productivity gains, error reductions, and time savings. Jay holds a B.S. from Bradley University.
Brien Joyce brings more than 40 years of strong, multi-disciplinary experience to his role as Executive Vice President of Specialty Services at EFG Companies. He joined the team at EFG in 2010, where he established relationships with U.S.-based credit unions, and expanded the reach of EFG’s specialty services products to Puerto Rico in 2011. . EFG is presently the third party administrator for more than 100 credit unions and automotive dealership accounts in Puerto Rico, protecting more than 125,000 customers with EFG’s consumer protection products. Brien’s primary area of focus is auto finance, enabling banking, finance companies and credit unions to better serve consumers through unique value-driven market strategies and ancillary product offerings. Prior to EFG, Brien served at General Motors for 25 years. He also served in numerous leadership positions at Saturn Corporation and the Chevrolet, Pontiac, Canada Group. Most recently, Brien was awarded the coveted EFG 2021 Top New Account Acquisition Award. Brien received his Masters of Education, Counseling & Student Personnel from Mankato State University.
Scott Kaskocsak brings more than 26 years of experience in sales leadership, strategic planning , direct and indirect sales, and marketing to his role as the Executive Vice President of Dealer Services at EFG Companies. Scott is responsible for bringing EFG’s market-differentiating solutions and industry-leading client engagement model to market through client development and acquisition efforts within the retail automotive industry. He provides strategic leadership for EFG account service professionals in optimizing the profitability of EFG’s direct dealer partners and supporting the use of EFG products and services. Prior to EFG, Scott served as the Senior Director of Enterprise Sales for Cox Automotive, where he managed and grew a $60 million book of business as part of their largest enterprise customer segment. He has also served as the Vice President of Sales for Strategic Marketing, Inc. and held numerous positions for Reynolds & Reynolds including sales leadership, marketing management, sales and training. Scott holds a a BBA in Finance from the University of Kentucky and an MBA from Indiana University.
Lauri Luckey is a 21-year marketing veteran with experience developing and managing integrated marketing programs for national brands in the automotive, healthcare and consumer packaged goods industries. Prior to EFG, Lauri served as the Director of Marketing and Interactive Services at MEDSEEK, Inc. and Healthvision, where she lead teams in the full management of healthcare marketing programs, including website strategy development, usability testing, creative design, content development, reputation management, ad campaigns, and pay-per-click program management. As the Senior Director of Marketing for EFG Companies, she leads her team in developing EFG’s marketing goals, objectives, and overall creative and communication strategies for both online and traditional marketing initiatives. In addition to leading the marketing efforts at EFG, Lauri’s extensive background in client relationship building enables her to effectively serve EFG clients as an extension of their marketing team.
Adam Ouart brings more than 26 years of automotive industry experience to his position as the Vice President of Agency Services at EFG Companies. In this role, Adam is responsible for dealer development through a distribution network of top-tier agents. Prior to his current role, Adam held an Account Executive position at EFG for 12 years, where he enabled clients to enhance their income opportunities with product development, reinsurance, ongoing training, recruiting and marketing, and compliance support. Prior to EFG, Adam worked his way up the dealership career path, starting as a Porter for Buz Post Pontiac GMC Isuzu Kia in 1995, and ending with Ewing Auto Group as a Finance Director. Adam is AFIP Certified.
Tom Rubadue brings more than 32 years of retail and wholesale automotive and insurance experience to his position as President of Product Development at EFG Companies. In this role, Tom leads EFG’s initiatives in product innovation, taking concepts all the way through market rollout and ongoing product support. He was most recently on the executive team at Affinity Enterprise Group, where he was responsible for product and business development, in addition to key account management. Tom has also served as the president of Vehicle Insurance at First American Financial Corporation where he was part of a team that evaluated companies for mergers and acquisitions, in addition to managing complex regulatory matters. Tom holds a BA from Michigan State University, and an MBA from DePaul University.
Jared Sutherland brings more than 20 years of experience working with Vehicle Service Contract Marketing Companies to his position as Vice President of Sales for the Diversified Solutions division of EFG Companies. In this role, Jared is responsible for developing strategic partnerships with companies looking to diversify revenue streams and increase profit. He is accountable for providing the highest level of expertise and engagement, developing performance metrics, providing ongoing training, and implementing effective reward systems to support desired behaviors. Prior to joining EFG, Jared served as the General Manager for National Security Exchange, BA Autocare. He also served as a Vehicle Service Contract Specialist with CarSafe, LLC.
A 39-year industry veteran, Glenice Wilder is responsible for growing and developing EFG’s action and powersports market channel. She combines her passion for motorcycles and her dedication to serving EFG’s customers to develop solutions that consistently exceed their expectations. If anyone at EFG could be said to have gravitas, it would be Glenice. Her presence brings a sense of empowerment to everyone around her. Glenice acts as a strategic partner to assess her clients’ areas for improvement and how EFG can fill that role. She provides insight in how to increase productivity by pairing the right products within the right markets for the greatest return on investment.
