Former Googlers on a Mission
We started Google’s Automotive Retail team with one goal in mind: to help dealers drive more revenue through impactful digital advertising.
WHAT WE SAW
Thousands of dealers working with agencies that were behind the times with antiquated technology and an inability to evolve, resulting in cookie-cutter ads that neglected current best digital practices.
WHAT WE HEARD
We heard what dealers had to say about their digital advertising and it wasn’t pretty. Skepticism of agency margins, confusion over ambiguous results, and frustration with the lack of transparency.
WHAT WE DID
We started Foundation Direct to give Automotive Groups & Dealerships the ability to take their ad dollars directly to Google, YouTube, Facebook and Microsoft, enabling them to spend less on margin, invest more in media and drive better business results.
Meet Our Leadership
Andrew Diffenderfer
Driven by a passion for automobiles and digital marketing Andrew, or Diff, has spent his entire career in the automotive industry. From his time as a sales manager at his hometown Honda dealership, to working at OEMs in sales and marketing, and most recently working as a Senior Automotive Retail Strategist at Google he has seen the evolution of digital marketing in the industry.
Driven by a passion for automobiles and digital marketing Andrew, or Diff, has spent his entire career in the automotive industry. From his time as a sales manager at his hometown Honda dealership, to working at OEMs in sales and marketing, and most recently working as a Senior Automotive Retail Strategist at Google he has seen the evolution of digital marketing in the industry.
During his time at Google he saw the pace that technology was changing and how it could help dealerships and OEM’s drive more profitable business results from the platform, he believed there was a better way for dealerships to utilize key digital advertising platforms. This is where Foundation was born, blending class leading tech with industry knowledge of what dealerships need to grow their business.
Diff resides in Northern Virginia with his wife and 2 sons. He and his family are avid gear heads and outdoor enthusiasts. Whether it is a weekend at the race track or camping in the woods, you can be sure of one thing...it is always an adventure.
Tim Mueller
Tim brings experience across every angle of Automotive digital marketing to this innovative company. Most recently, Tim served as Sr. Automotive Retail Strategist for Google, where he advised large auto groups, automotive associations and OEMs in the US and Canada on the best ways to leverage the tech giant’s digital advertising solutions to drive dealership profitability.
Tim brings experience across every angle of Automotive digital marketing to this innovative company. Most recently, Tim served as Sr. Automotive Retail Strategist for Google, where he advised large auto groups, automotive associations and OEMs in the US and Canada on the best ways to leverage the tech giant’s digital advertising solutions to drive dealership profitability. He also regularly delivered keynote addresses and represented Google at countless industry events.
Prior to Google, Tim held roles within the dealership, OEM, and Agency environments. This comprehensive perspective helped Tim see just how ineffective the current landscape has become, and led him to the opportunity to solve it. That’s where Foundation was born.
Tim loves to be outdoors. When he‘s not working, you’ll find him skiing in the winter and spending time on the lake in the summer. He resides in Virginia with his wife Sabrina and dog Sierra.
Ashley Lepczyk
Ashley oversees Foundation‘s daily operations and supports the organization’s long-term strategy. Ashley joins Foundation after 12 years at Google, where she spearheaded efforts to streamline the tech giant‘s go-to-market strategy for dealers, advised OEMs on designing successful digital advertising programs, and led the release of Google’s first ever Dealer Guidebook.
Ashley oversees Foundation‘s daily operations and supports the organization’s long-term strategy. Ashley joins Foundation after 12 years at Google, where she spearheaded efforts to streamline the tech giant‘s go-to-market strategy for dealers, advised OEMs on designing successful digital advertising programs, and led the release of Google’s first ever Dealer Guidebook.
As a founding member of Google’s Automotive Retail team, she has experience partnering with the largest Automotive Digital Agencies and Auto Groups, and regularly presented to regional associations and dealer audiences. She prides herself on leading with positivity and enthusiasm, building strong, long-lasting, collaborative relationships, and having the courage to tackle large, complex challenges.
Lepczyk is an active advocate for women, in Automotive and beyond. Before joining Foundation Direct, she helped to lead Detroit‘s Women@Google community and was responsible for initiating Google’s support of and participation in the Women In Automotive Conference. She is also Co-Founder of Mama In The Making, an online program that prepares pregnant women for the transition to motherhood and helps organizations support and retain their top female talent. She lives just outside of Detroit, MI with her husband and three children.
Peter Leto
Peter is the Chief Client Officer at Foundation Direct, where he guides the company‘s long-term strategy and brings a track record of future proofing a business with the customer’s best interests at heart. He joins Foundation after 11 years at Google where he most recently led the General Motors US business and prior to that founded the tech giant‘s Automotive Retail practice.
Peter is the Chief Client Officer at Foundation Direct, where he guides the company‘s long-term strategy and brings a track record of future proofing a business with the customer’s best interests at heart.
He joins Foundation after 11 years at Google where he most recently led the General Motors US business and prior to that founded the tech giant‘s Automotive Retail practice. During Leto’s tenure, Google partnered closely with OEMs to modernize dealer programs and improve cross-tier digital advertising efforts. Leto also led Google to begin consulting regional ad associations and automotive groups, arming both with valuable insight into regional-specific demand trends to capture missed opportunities to convert more customers to sales.
Peter is from the Motor City, where he still lives with his wife and two daughters. A graduate of the University of Michigan, he started his career in TV Ad Sales with Turner Broadcasting (TBS/TNT) before joining Google in 2008. From 2008-2011 Peter worked in Google’s B2B Vertical supporting large manufacturers like 3M, Newell Rubbermaid, and Dow Chemical where he first learned about co-op marketing models.
Ashlyn Murray
Ashlyn is the VP of Client Experience, where she is responsible for the development and execution of Foundation Direct’s customer experience. Before joining Foundation, she spent the majority of her career working for two of the fastest-growing automotive startups in the industry, where transparency and automation were not only focal points of their business but the foundation to their success.
Ashlyn is the VP of Client Experience, where she is responsible for the development and execution of Foundation Direct’s customer experience.
Before joining Foundation, she spent the majority of her career working for two of the fastest-growing automotive startups in the industry, where transparency and automation were not only focal points of their business but the foundation to their success. Ashlyn‘s experience combines an impressive depth of knowledge on dealership operations, breadth of diverse experience across automotive partners, and an unwavering focus on the clients’ best interests.
Ashlyn currently resides in Portland, Oregon. She is an advocate for empowering students through her partnership with Elevate Students. Elevate Students empowers communities to elevate character, self-esteem, academic success, and leadership abilities through curriculum and coaches.
Jessie Niespolo
Jessie joins Foundation Direct as the SVP of Performance after eight years as Google’s Lead Automotive Retail Strategist. She brings expertise in broadening Foundation Direct’s already best-in-class arsenal of Digital Solutions and further differentiating the company as the industry’s leading Digital Advertising solution.
Jessie joins Foundation Direct as the SVP of Performance after eight years as Google’s Lead Automotive Retail Strategist.
Jessie Niespolo joins Foundation Direct as the SVP of Performance after eight years as Google’s Lead Automotive Retail Strategist. She will be tasked with broadening Foundation Direct’s already best-in-class arsenal of Digital Solutions and further differentiating the company as the industry’s leading Digital Advertising solution.
Beyond her 15+ year career in automotive marketing, Jessie has a passion for empowering women to reach their full potential and most recently led Google’s efforts to bring the #IamRemarkable initiative to Google’s top clients in The Americas. Outside of Google, Jessie is the Co-Founder of the local Detroit 4Word Chapter, an organization that supports Women in the Workplace.
Michael Heidner
Michael (Mike) Heidner, joins Foundation Direct as the VP of Strategy and Business Development after being a Sales Development Manager at Google for over 7 years where he led go-to-market strategies and research for Google’s Automotive Division. Mike has extensive knowledge of the automotive industry trends and consumer behaviors across the automotive purchase cycle.
He has been a project lead on Google’s annual path to purchase since 2013 where he analyzed 100,000s of automotive buyer survey responses, clickstream behaviors and qualitative interviews through the years including creating the 5 Auto Shopping Micro-Moments. Prior to Google he helped launch and produce content for the FOX Sports regional websites and worked with television sales teams on activation.
Michael is the VP of Business and Strategy, where he is responsible for the development and strategy of Foundation Direct’s media and business strategies.
Michael holds a Bachelors in Economics and Master of Science - Business Analytics both from the University of Michigan. Mike also has a passion for data analysis and visualization where he taught on the subject as a professor at Wayne State University teaching Data Science and Leadership to graduate students.
Mike was born and raised in Metro-Detroit where he continues to reside. He has deep blue-collar ties to the auto industry with his mom having worked the assembly line at the Ford Mustang plant and his father worked at the railroad shipping vehicles across the US. When not digging into data Mike enjoys traveling with his wife Cassandra.
Michelle Roberts
Michelle Roberts is a seasoned executive with over 15 years of experience driving business growth, fostering strategic partnerships, and delivering exceptional client experiences. Currently serving as the Vice President of Business Intelligence at Foundation Direct, she is instrumental in shaping go-to-market strategies, driving adoption of the products, and implementing new features to help dealerships be successful.
Michelle Roberts is a seasoned executive with over 15 years of experience driving business growth, fostering strategic partnerships, and delivering exceptional client experiences. Currently serving as the Vice President of Business Intelligence at Foundation Direct, she is instrumental in shaping go-to-market strategies, driving adoption of the products, and implementing new features to help dealerships be successful. Her expertise lies in developing product roadmaps, making complex digital strategies easy to understand, and leading high-performing teams. Prior to this, Michelle held key positions in financial technology companies, Lendio and MX, where she excelled in driving revenue growth, fostering cross-departmental collaboration, and delivering exceptional client service. With a solid foundation in digital marketing and having begun her career at Dealer.com, she brings a wealth of knowledge and strategic insights to Foundation Direct. Michelle feels she has "come home" to the automotive/ digital marketing world.
Outside of her professional endeavors, Michelle takes advantage of living in Park City, UT as an enthusiastic runner and mountain biker, is an avid traveler, and loves to cook and bake. With her husband’s role as the Team Manager of the factory Subaru Rally and Rallycross teams, automotive and racing hold a special place in her heart. Her two young daughters are already passionate race fans and the family loves to be on the go!
Careers at Foundation Direct
At Foundation Direct, we provide a robust technology platform that empowers dealers to take control of their digital advertising and go direct to the largest media partners with automated digital solutions that drive real results. Our unique culture promotes creativity, camaraderie, and success.
Interested in joining our team?