The Car Wash Show 2019

Derek Kaufman
Managing Partner
Schwartz Advisors LLC


Derek Kaufman started his career in 1975 as a manufacturing process engineer with the Chevrolet Division of General Motors after his graduation from General Motors Institute. In 1978, Derek joined Euclid Inc, a producer of mining and construction trucks in Cleveland, Ohio. In 1984, Mr. Kaufman joined Freightliner Corporation in Portland, Oregon as Vice President of Marketing and Product Planning. During his time at Freightliner, the on-highway truck manufacturer moved from 10% to 18% market share of the North American Class 8 truck segment. In November 1988 Derek joined the Penske Corporation Team as President of Diesel Technology Company, a producer of diesel engine fuel systems. Under Mr. Kaufman’s leadership, DTC formed a global partnership with Robert Bosch Corporation to sell fuel systems to the major European truck manufacturers. Bosch eventually purchased DTC from the Penske organization. In April 1997 Derek completed his personal goal of forming his own company. As the Founder and President of C3 Network, LLC Derek and his team help clients launch new products into the transportation market. In 2003 Derek returned to the Penske organization to serve as Senior Vice President of Sales, Marketing and Customer Support for Hino Trucks, a Toyota Group company, based in Detroit, Michigan. Today, Derek is a Managing Partner at Schwartz Advisors LLC, a La Jolla, CA based firm supporting the M&A activities and organizational development of companies in the automotive aftermarket. Derek also continues to own C3 Network, LLC, his product launch company in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

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