We’re back on the road! In this series, we’ve traveled the country to tell the stories of our unique Cox locations. After visits to Manheim Atlanta and Las Vegas, NV, our last stop of 2024 brought us to sunny Southern California.
Detroit may have been the birthplace of the auto industry in the US, but Southern California’s influence on American car culture is undeniable.
In the early days of the automobile, SoCal became a playground for creativity and experimentation: the region’s open roads and year-round sunshine provided the perfect backdrop for car enthusiasts to push the limits of design, speed and style.
That same passion continues to drive innovation in Irvine, CA, where many automakers have strategically placed their US headquarters, corporate offices and design studios, including Ford, Lexus, Hyundai and Kia, as well as EV trailblazers like Rivian.
Irvine is also home to many Cox Automotive employees who work on powerful tech brands in the industry, including Autotrader and Kelley Blue Book. From test-driving the latest models to developing new tools for car buyers and dealerships, there’s plenty happening here in Irvine.
“There’s a number of car-related companies that are right here and their design centers take cues from the Southern California lifestyle and culture,” explained Ray Lewis, a facilities operations manager at Cox based in Irvine.“I’ve always been a car person, so one of the great things about working at Cox is that I have the opportunity to see all of the new models come and go before everybody else gets to see it.”
Recently, my colleague Ajia Robinson and I had the opportunity to visit Irvine in beautiful Orange County, where we connected with different team members and saw how they’re making an impact on the future of automotive technology.
A place for auto enthusiasts
Cox Automotive’s Irvine office is located on the southeastern edge of the city. We learned from Ray that this district has a special history in the world of drag racing, and the car theme continued inside the building as well with meetings named after automakers (like the Bentley room).
We also learned more about Kelley Blue Book’s history in SoCal’s car scene, which dates back to the 1920s, when LA car dealer Les Kelley created a list of used cars and how much he was willing to pay for them. That idea turned into the famous printed little blue book that industry professionals carried in their back pockets for decades, which then evolved into what is now the largest, most-visited third party automotive website for consumers online.
“We went from a book to the internet,” said Lesa Sperou, a senior business intelligence analyst who’s been at the company for more than 43 years. “We went from KBB, a small company, to Cox, a large company. But we have kept those core values that we’re family first.”
We got a glimpse of why Kelley Blue Book — or KBB.com — continues to be one of the most trusted consumer resources in the auto industry when we met with members of the site’s editorial team.
In the office back lot, Ajia and I met up with Jason Allan, Micah Muzio and Matt Degen, who have some of the coolest jobs we’ve ever heard of. These are the folks who, among other things, get to test drive new cars in the market and review them online to help car shoppers weigh their options.
“Kelly Blue Book is all about credibility, [and] we are a trusted resource,” said senior editor Matt Degen. “Our focus is on everyday shoppers who are going to use their cars for everyday things. We really try to help people decide what’s best for them.”
While you can find written reviews and analysis on KBB.com, this team is also producing videos on platforms like YouTube and TikTok. Micah Muzio, who has expanded his role from video host to the manager of Kelley Blue Book’s video team, will soon be celebrating 18 years at the company.
“If you want to know about our culture, look at how long people have been in their current roles,” Micah said.
While some new editorial team members come from non-traditional automotive backgrounds, it takes years to master the art of car reviews. Case in point: Jason Allan, KBB’s longest-tenured editor, has spent the past 20 years driving and evaluating nearly every notable car, truck, SUV and minivan on the market.
He showed us his current ride for that day: the totally redesigned 2024 Mercedes-Benz E-Class, with the all-new MBUX Hyperscreen.
Jason explained that editorial team members will take turns taking the cars home overnight so they get enough drive time to test out all of its features in different conditions. It also becomes a bonding experience when they meet up to swap cars and grab dinner together.
“It’s super valuable from a business perspective, but they’re awesome team building exercises as well,” he said.
Cruisin’ and sightseeing
While it wasn't that sleek new Benz model, Ajia and I did get hooked up with our own set of wheels to explore the area. Ray loaned us an old-school Lincoln Navigator and shared a handful of his favorite spots with us.
Our first stop was to see the Great Park Balloon. This Irvine attraction is one of the largest tethered helium (not hot air) balloons and the first of its kind in the US. It serves as a public observation deck, with views that span 40 miles on a clear day.
Next, we hit the road down to Laguna Beach to cruise along the scenic Pacific Coast Highway. We drove through cute towns and enjoyed the view of the waves crashing along the coastline through Newport Beach and Huntington Beach.
We could’ve kept driving for hours along this famous road trip route, but we turned back just in time to catch the sunset back in Laguna Beach, where Ray recommended we check out the rooftop at La Casa del Camino, a villa-style boutique hotel by the water.
A city for tech trailblazers
During our visit, we also met with the dedicated team members working behind the scenes to drive significant business impact: the analysts who manage and support vehicle reference data for Cox Automotive’s brands.
“We’re part of the data solutions group and I like to think of us as the backbone of all these products,” said AJ Schoonover, AVP of product management at Cox Automotive. “Data is an asset that’s used by each of the brands and solutions in their products.”
For example, if you’re looking up a car on KBB.com by its VIN — or entering the year, make, model and trim — it’s all referencing the same data that’s created by this team of intelligence and data analysts.
What’s cool about working on this team is that their work has impact and reach across the enterprise — both for dealership technology solutions, like vAuto, to consumer brands, like KBB.com and Autotrader.
“You get amazing opportunities to network across different groups and learn about things that you really want to learn about,” said Greg Hargis-Monroe, senior director of vehicle reference data at Cox Automotive.
The theme of growth and development came up a lot in my conversations throughout the day with other members of the various tech groups. For example, Anika Corpus started as a web development intern at Cox Automotive and is now a lead user interface engineer. She’s also been making moves to become an engineering manager.
“You can honestly take your career anywhere you want,” Anika said.
I also met senior product manager James Solomon, who started his career on the dealership and auto manufacturing side of biz before pivoting into tech. He appreciates the opportunities he has to level-up his skills at Cox: he’s constantly taking new courses, reading books recommended by his managers and earning certifications.
“It’s about more than the company paying for training,” James said. “It shows, ‘We believe in you; we trust you. We want you to develop. And we're not just about lip service.’”
One last sunset for the road
After we bid farewell to all the folks in the office, Ajia and I headed down Laguna Canyon Road South to watch one last picture-perfect California sunset on the beach.
At Ray’s suggestion, we grabbed a bite at Carmelita’s and toasted to another amazing work trip in the books.
