Lane Changes

Alex Fedorak is no longer with KIA Motors where he was PR director. He can be reached at afedorak@verizon.net and 949-697-5803. . . . Automotive reporter Katie Merx has departed Bloomberg News’ Southfield, Mich. office and Mark Clotheir has joined Bloomberg there.. . . Josh Pichler is now the executive business editor for print and online at The Cincinnati Enquirer.

Kathy Jackson and Robert Sherefkin have retired from Automotive News, while David Phillips has joined the paper as deputy managing editor of autonewsonline. His email is dphillips@crain.com . . . Brandy Schaffels is now the content manager for www.TrueCar.com. The site provides transparent new vehicle pricing based on actual local transactional data. She will be building TrueCar.com’s editorial department to better inform consumers about new vehicles and technologies to help them in their shopping decisions and assisting in TrueCar.com’s social media efforts. She can be reached at brandy@truecar.com or by cell phone: 818-488-7501. Her replacement contact at www.AskPatty.com where she was online editor is JDevere@AskPatty.com.

Mark Sutter, msutter@bizjournals.com has replaced Kevin Baumgarner who wrote a weekly car review for the Greenboro (NC) Business Journal. . . .If you want to get email to Suzy Bruisy, editor of Cardomain Network, Inc. send it to jdunnaway@cardomain.com  . . . Laura Withers, lwithers@nada.org, has replaced Leigh Glenn at NADA public affairs.. . . . Memphis Commercial Appeal Business Editor is Roland Klose, klose@commercialappeal.com . . .Drag Racer editor Randy Fish has a new email, randy.fish@beckett.com . . . Lee Godshall has replaced Roland Gruszewsk as the automotive contact at the Burlington County (NJ) Times: lgodshall@phillyburbs.com . . . Steve Gooch handles the auto pages for Salt Lake City’s Newspaper Agency, sgooch@mediaoneutah.com.

Aaron Gold has been named a consulting producer for the upcoming TopGear/USA which premiers this fall on The History Channel. He will continue as About.com’s guide to cars.  . . .Jeff Johnston, long-time RV and trailer-towing guru, is now associate producer and co-host of Rollin On TV, www.rollinontv.com a new cable-distribution TV show about RVs and the RV lifestyle. . . . Kevin Clemens has penned (keyed?) his last column for European Car. After studies at the University of Michigan and Hamline University he writes, “As a car guy, engineer, writer, publisher, and journalist, I feel a responsibility to find a way to communicate with future generations, and by learning how teachers teach, I’m hoping to learn to be a more effective writer and a publisher of works that will help mold young minds.”

Chad Heard has been appointed Public Relations Manager for Hyundai Auto Canada, cheard@hyundaicanada.com. . . KIA PR gal Beverly Braga has relocated to the company’s D.C. offices. Email remains the same. . . .Wooden Horse reports Corvette Fever magazine will merge with Vette magazine, according to Keith Cornett of www.corvetteblogger.com. October will be Corvette Fever’s last stand-alone issue.  . . .Tom Campbell has retired as Business Editor at WJR radio in Detroit. New contact is Dick Haefner, dick.haefner@citcomm.com .

Roland Klose is the new business editor at the Memphis Commercial Appeal, Klose@commercialappeal.com .  . . .Steve Gooch now handles the auto page at Salt Lake City’s Newspaper Agency Corp, sgooch@mediaoneutah.com .  . . .Bob Kelly is the new general assignment guy for automotive at The St. Louis Dispatch, RKelly@post-dispatch.com . . . .Amit Bloom is the new contact for Adventura in Hallandale, Fla., amit@sternbloom.com .  . . .Dick Messer is retiring as Executive Director of the Petersen Automotive Museum and Buddy Pepp will succeed him June 15.

BMW’s “Joy” is Steve Parker’s slogan as well in announcing not a lane but a venue change –from hospital bed to office and computer. When drugs he had been taking to combat Crohn’s disease for 43 years suddenly started to fail, he went on a not too magical two-year mystery tour of diagnoses, hospital stays, consultations and experiments before, he reports, four different medical departments at Cedars Sinai in L.A. concurred on a treatment and 36 hours later he was able to return home to his adored wife with a “second chance” at life. He is resuming his live radio weekend shows and automotive writing for several outlets, including The Huffington Post.

Steve Keyes is retiring as Audi and Volkswagen director of press and publications after 37 years with the company. He will continue to consult with the company’s PR team. . . . John Vincent, (johnvincent@news.oregonian.com) long-time Oregonian photographer with a ken for cars, is now writing and selecting content for the paper’s weekly “Autos” section. . . . Nissan North America, Inc. has appointed former Ford and Bentley, Motors, Inc. PR executive David Reuter director, corporate communications, succeeding Fred Standish who is retiring after 18 years with the company. . . . Dan Neil has added a second platform for his writing/reporting talents: FoxSports.com. In addition to his weekly Rumble Seat column for the Wall Street Journal, he will host a monthly Wheels Up show for Fox.

Joel Ewanick’s jumps from Hyundai to Nissan to GM deserves mention here for being the fastest on record for an automotive marketing director. Also, to express a hope that his facile maneuvering doesn’t presage more of the credulity-straining, out-of-touch “they’ll believe what we tell them” presumption behind Ed Whitacre’s TV spots. Nissan, Mediapost reports, was totally surprised by their ex-marketing chief’s departure after less than two months on the job – one of their executives suggesting he stopped by Nashville to “close his deal in Detroit.” . . . Brian Gluckman is leaving his post as manager, media relations for AutoTrader for a digital PR job with a Washington, D.C. social media agency. Until settled in at the new post he can be reached at: bgluckman@drivenbydesign.com.

Jeff Sabatini is now Managing Editor at AOL Autos. The former car reviewer for The Wall Street Journal will be working primarily out of his Ann Arbor home and can be reached at Jeff.Sabatini@corp.aol.com. . . . Kevin Smith is parting ways with www.Edmunds.com. He can be contacted at 1701@gmail.com and promises to keep AWCom posted on his next venture. . . . Also available is 19-year Detroit area newsman Bryan Laviolette. The former Oakland Press auto writer is well connected with the regions’ media fleet managers and can be reached at: laviolette.autoscribe@yahoo.com.

Dicken Wear’s new title is: Chief of Technical & Safety Inspections at American Sports Racing Assn., & GT Cars. . . . Chris Hosford has advanced at Hyundai Motor America to executive director, corporate communications. . . . Joe McCardle’s email address at Super Estralla radio in Chicago is: jmcardle@newswebradio.net.  . . . Replacing the retired Bob Hill at the Oregonian is Kendra Hogue who edits the weekly “Autos” section. She can be reached at: kendrahogue@news.oregonian.com. . . Mary Watson no longer edits Auto Services Operator Magazine. She is freelancing and can be reached at: asowatson@indy.rr.com.

Randi Payton has definitely decided and designated with the launch of a new web site, that Decisive will umbrella his many initiatives in multi-cultural communications. The plan is to extend the cultural awareness and appeal of his OnWheels franchise to other consumer markets. . . . Not exactly a Lane Change, more like new heights: William Jeanes has been elected to the board of the Eudora Welty Foundation and last year became a Life Trustee at Millsaps College, his alma mater. He continues as chief judge at the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance and as an editor-at-large for AOL Autos. Jeanes and his wife Susan live in Ridgeland, Mississippi, a suburb of Jackson, where, he reports, life is remarkably good.

To complete last month’s report of his departure from The Wall Street Journal, AWCom has been advised that John Stoll is now “a flak for Ford.” . . . Scott Sloan replaces Risa Brim-Richardson as auto industry contact for the Lexington Herald Leader. His Email is: ssloan@herald-leader.com  . . . Steve Plum who writes for autobeatdaily and autotechdaily, can be reached at: Steve@autobeatgroup.com

Features editor Enrique Lavin supplants Lori Crowell at the Newark Star Ledger, elavin@starledger.com  . . . Freelancer Preston Gratiot’s new email address: pgratioit@gmail.com . . . Keith Chrostowski replaces Chris Lester as business editor at the Kansas City Star, chrostowski@kcstar.com . . . Jean Halliday’s new email address is: jhalliday42@gmail.com . . . Ron Eldridge no longer is with Trailer Boats Magazine and emails should be directed to publisher/editorial director Jim Hendricks: jhendricks@affinitygroup.com

Valley Morning Star auto writer Nic Barrera in Harlingen, Tex., moved to its sister paper, the Brownsville Herald, as advertising director and his old post has not been filled. . . .Matt Emery’s new email address is memery@beckett.com . . . Jonathan Banks, Sr., Director Editorial and Data Services, supplants Terrence Wynne as the primary media contact at NADA: jbanks@NADA.org  . . .The new email address for the LaVida News and The Ebony Voice in Missouri, Tex. is: fblavida@lavidanewstheebonyvoice.us . . . GM Communications has relocated its Irving, Texas headquarters to Suite 200, 600 E. John Carpenter Freeway, 75062, telephone, 469-417-7083. . . . Mike Seuffert has been replaced as the Aftermarket Business contact by Krista McNamara Managing Editor. Her phone# 440-891-2746 EMAIL: kmcnamara@advanstar.com.