JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Douglas Herberger stepped down this week as president of Allstate Dealer Services, the company confirmed via email on Wednesday. He joined the company four years and brought with him sweeping changes.
“Doug Herberger has announced his resignation, effective immediately,” read a statement Allstate Dealer Services issued to F&I and Showroom. “We wish Doug well in his future endeavors.”
The company did not reveal when Herberger resigned, but sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Herberger emailed several industry connections on Monday to inform them of his departure.
In an email sent out on Tuesday and obtained by F&I and Showroom, Allstate Dealer Services also informed its business partners of Herberger’s departure. It stated that the company is already working to finalize the transition to new leadership. The email also hailed Herberger’s leadership, noting the company doubled its business in less than 1,000 days.
“We have a strong leadership team in place to continue successfully executing on ADS business objectives and continuing to build great business momentum with you, some of the best partners in the industry,” read the email, in part. “We are confident in this team’s ability to drive results.”
Herberger, who recently delivered a keynote address at Bobit Business Media’s Agent Summit event last week in Las Vegas, was named president of the F&I product provider in February 2011. Under his leadership, the company adopted the Allstate name for its line of F&I products, eliminating the CarMor brand the company used to market its offerings.
Allstate Dealer Services also added several new products under Herberger’s leadership, including a new service-contract offering, a bundled product called Allstate Paint and Fabric, and Allstate Complete Protection, an offering that includes cosmetic wheel repair and key recovery and replacement.
“We’ve essentially introduced a new product or had a refresh to an existing product every seven weeks over the last 24 months,” Herberger told F&I and Showroom magazine this past November.
In February 2012, the company announced it was teaming with Allstate Insurance Co. to open insurance agencies inside dealer showrooms. The program, which kicked off with 11 pilot dealers, grew to 34 dealerships by the end of the first year. Herberger told F&I and showroom during the same interview in November that he expected that count to double by the end of 2013. Company officials did not confirm if that goal was reached.
Prior to joining Allstate Dealer Services, Herberger served as vice president and general manager of GM Service and Parts Operations in North America. He replaced Tony Wanderon, who now serves as CEO of the combined entities of National Auto Care Corp. and Family First Dealer Services. Herberger could not be reached for comment.
“We will work diligently to finalize the transition to new leadership with more information to come soon,” read the email Allstate Dealer Services issued to its industry partners on Tuesday. “Until then, thank you for your continued partnership and focus on driving 2014 results.”
