William J. Cariss
President & CEO
Holman Strategic Ventures
Ensuring Relevancy Through Leveraging Core Assets and Capabilities
Bill Cariss will discuss the evolution of Holman Strategic Ventures and how future investment opportunities and partnerships are evaluated for their potential impact across all Holman business segments. A special emphasis will cover the path of Flexdrive Subscription Services which Holman has added to their car retailing and leasing portfolio.
Another benefit of Holman Strategic Ventures allows them to easily apply lessons learned and capabilities across business segments. Bill will also highlight their Connected Car Connected Dealer strategies and how they are successfully delivering value through the connected car transmitted data across many service units.
About William J. Cariss
Mr. Cariss has been with the company since 1984, beginning his career at ARI. His roles at ARI included Account Executive and District Sales Manager in the Southern California market and Regional Sales Manager for the Pacific Northwest. He joined the retail operations in 1996 as Executive Assistant to the President of Holman Enterprises and went on to become Vice President of Dealership Operations in 2001 and President of Retail Operations in 2015. During that time, he was responsible for operational, financial, and corporate development activities, and led the acquisition of Kuni Automotive in 2016.
Mr. Cariss currently serves as President and CEO of Holman Strategic Ventures, and Chief Strategy Officer for Holman Enterprises. His role focuses on evaluating and implementing strategy, leading corporate development, and identifying future investment opportunities across all Holman business segments. In the beginning of 2017, Mr. Cariss developed the Holman Strategic Ventures Group. This team leverages the many core assets and technologies across all Holman business through a combination of start-ups and joint ventures with key partners, as well as strategic investments in early stage companies.
Mr. Cariss received a B.S. in Business Administration from Messiah College and an M.B.A. from the University of California, Irvine. He currently serves on several boards including Fraser McCombs Venture Capital Fund II, CDK Strategic Advisory Board, and several non-profit boards.