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IU Kelley School of Business announces vAuto's Dale Pollak as its next Poling Chair

• Sept. 4, 2014

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Dale Pollak, chairman and founder of vAuto, Inc.,  executive vice president for Cox Automotive and an alumnus of Indiana University's Kelley School of Business, has been named a leader-in-residence at the school, its Poling Chair of Business and Government, for the upcoming year.

The Poling Chair was established in 1993 by the late Harold "Red" Poling, a Kelley School alumnus and Ford Motor Co. chairman and CEO from 1985 to 1994.

Recipients of the Poling Chair are given the charge to stimulate discussion in the areas of leadership, the critical interactions between private business and government in matters of public policy, enterprise competitiveness and economic growth. He will interact with students and faculty at the Kelley School in Bloomington and Indianapolis through 2015.

“I am honored and privileged to be part of this prestigious program at the Kelley School of Business,” said Pollak, who will continue in his current roles with vAuto and Cox Automotive while serving as the Poling Chair. “I’m looking forward to engaging Kelley students and learning as much from them as they might from me.”

Idalene “Idie” Kesner, dean of the Kelley School and the Frank P. Popoff Chair of Strategic Management, said she knows students will be inspired by Pollak, who is visually impaired.

“Dale often talks about the hurdles you have to jump to become a successful entrepreneur. He has met those challenges in his career and his personal life. He believes you shouldn’t let anything hold you back, and he is a wonderful example of that.”

As vAuto founder, Pollak led the creation of inventory management solutions and best practice performance management to help retail automotive dealerships appraise, manage and price their new and used vehicles based on real-time market data. His current roles with vAuto and Cox Automotive include strategic planning and product development.

He also is the author of three books: "Velocity Overdrive: The Road to Reinvention," "Velocity 2.0: Paint, Pixels and Profitability” and “Velocity: From the Front Line to the Bottom Line” (all New Year Publishing LLC).

Prior to vAuto, Pollak served as vice president of sales and business strategy at Digital Motorworks, the market leader in data integration and application development for original equipment manufacturers, mega dealers and third-party providers. Pollak helped build the company from inception to its successful acquisition by ADP in 2002.

Pollak earned a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration from IU and is a graduate of the General Motors Institute of Automotive Development. He also earned a law degree from DePaul University and was a four-time winner of the American Jurisprudence Award for top performance in his class. His wife, Nancy, also is a graduate of the Kelley School, and they have three sons.

Previous Poling Chairs have come from both the public and private sectors. They include Elizabeth Acton, retired chief financial officer of Comerica and a former vice president and treasurer of Ford Motor Co.; Bob Eckert, CEO of Mattel Inc.; Ronald Dollens, former president and CEO of Guidant Corp.; Samuel K. Skinner, former U.S. secretary of transportation and chief of staff to former President George H.W. Bush; former Sen. Evan Bayh, who taught prior to his election to the U.S. Senate; Randall L. Tobias, chairman emeritus of Eli Lilly and Co., former vice chairman of AT&T Corp. and chair of the IU Board of Trustees; Gen. Peter Pace, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Frank Popoff, former CEO and chairman of Dow Chemical Co.; and Cie Nicholson, chief marketing officer of Equinox Fitness Clubs.

Related Links

• IU Kelley School of Business
• vAuto Inc.