Corporate Leadership

Andrew oversees operations for both the Bright Way and Bridgeview subsidiaries, encompassing the full spectrum of both operations and sales efforts as well as executing on strategic go-to-market initiatives.

Andrew has been with Continental for 9 years, and before his work with Bright Way Group, he led the acquisitions team for Continental and, under his leadership, the department expanded rapidly. He plans to bring that same enthusiasm to his work within Bright Way Group to drive those SLA, powersport, and e-commerce markets to new heights.

Before joining Continental, Andrew spent nearly 10 years managing various locations for two different auto parts wholesalers in New Mexico and Colorado. During that time, he was a key driver for both companies establishing their footprint in the automotive and commercial battery marketplaces.

Andrew is based in Dallas, and at home, what he’s most proud of is raising his daughter.

“She is in her 20s now, and I am so excited to see where she goes in life. What a marvelous young woman she has become. I am so proud of you, baby girl!”

Brian oversees the accounting function of Continental Battery Systems, including accounts receivable, accounts payable, and all general accounting inquiries. He leads the accounting team in closing the books each month and preparing financial statements each period. Brian aims to create an accounting department brand of knowledge, expertise, and reliability. His team consistently seeks out opportunities to improve efficiencies through process improvements or automation to support the field on a larger scale.

“There are a lot of great things happening at Continental. The initiatives taken by the accounting team, along with those from senior leadership, have the singular focus of making Continental Battery Systems a company that places importance on key areas of growth, accountability, and excellence.”

Brian has been with Continental Battery Systems for seven months. Before that, he was with Jacobs Engineering, a publicly traded Fortune 500 company, for three years. Brian is a certified public accountant and actively supports his alma mater, the University of Utah. Go Utes!!

“I have a great partner in life, Nicole, and two amazing chocolate labs, Bubba & Wrigley, that make my life entertaining and keep me on my toes.”

Jonathan Jennings manages the East Coast operations teams for Continental Battery Systems. He focuses on creating efficient operations practices and improving the distribution network. He aims for his team to be flexible, safe, operationally excellent, and a partner to customers and support services groups throughout the country.

Jonathan leads his team to prioritize improvement in overall skills and knowledge to better support team members and our customer base.

“We have the ability to be the premier battery distribution company and work daily towards that goal. My hope is to empower employees and help lead personal and professional growth regardless of position in the organization.”

Jon has been in the battery business for 23 years, previously as VP of Sales and Ops with Battery Distributors Southeast, Inc until its acquisition by Continental in 2018.

Jon is based out of Jacksonville, Florida, where he resides with his wife and three children. Most of his free time is spent between baseball and basketball games, fishing, airsoft, and driving his boys around to other various events. He also devotes his time to his local church, where he assists in the audio/visual department.

Jim Kitchen leads the people, processes, and systems within the IT department as well as the broader organization to deliver secure, scalable technology solutions that support our team members and customers. He aims to make CBS a technological leader in the battery business, emphasizing mobility, speed, and continuous user experience improvement.

Jim started his career as a consultant for businesses who were looking to implement ERP systems or build out e-commerce platforms. He later joined Fossil and built their global e-commerce business to $85m across 24 websites in 11 countries and 8 languages. He joined Continental in 2014 and was pivotal in ensuring the IT infrastructure kept up with the rapid growth of the company.

Jim lives just outside of Dallas with his wife Dru and their teenage son and daughter.

"Together, we enjoy boating, wake surfing, scuba diving, skiing, volleyball, travel, and theater."

Juan Sierra extends Continental Battery Systems’ footprint beyond our borders through global business development. He works with our customers abroad to expand current distribution and also to develop business in other countries. Juan also drives CBS’s commitment to a greener planet by working with our offshore supply partners on recycling opportunities. He also ensures CBS has the most efficient import/export logistics division to keep our logistics costs lower than our competitors. Juan will be celebrating one year with Continental Battery Systems in November 2022.

Before joining CBS, Juan was the president of Power & Energy USA (P&E), Superior Logistics International (SLI), and GTO Auto Trade Inc. Through his leadership, P&E developed distribution markets for top-quality manufacturers from the United States, Colombia, Turkey, and Mexico, introducing their products to the new markets and providing logistics services to their customers’ doors. He has been in the battery business for over 20 years, distributing batteries and offering multimodal logistics services in more than 30 countries throughout North, Central, and South America, the Caribbean, Africa, and the Middle East.

Juan currently works out of Miami and has a bachelor’s degree in finance and a master’s degree in Business Administration from Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana in Colombia. He is a wine enthusiast, and for the last 7 years, he has been learning about wines from Europe, especially from Spain and Italy.

“My greatest personal accomplishment is to be able to marry the love of my life and create a family and a business together. I am an entrepreneur and seeing my ideas and projects succeed is a great accomplishment; and as an immigrant, I am a clear example that the American dream can be a reality.”

Awards:

2010 "Governor's Award for International Trade Excellence" By the State of Kentucky Governor and the Kentucky World Trade Center (SBM)

2011 "Think Global" Publication of the US Department of Commerce (SBM)

2012 Exporter of the Year (US department of Commerce) (SBM)

Scott Hunton manages the operations and sales teams for the Continental Battery Systems central region. He aims to expand the customer base with competitive programs and achieve the highest level of customer service in every branch.

“Customer service is our number one priority and it takes a team effort to keep up that service level.”

Scott started with the company in 1994 as a route manager. Since then, he has worked his way up through the company through many managerial positions, including branch manager, regional manager, director of operations, and lead for the acquisitions team from 2018 to 2020.

Scott currently lives in Ponder, Texas, with his wife and two kids. He also has two other children who are out building their own careers as adults. He is currently working with his wife on starting a small farm in Jacksboro, Texas, where they plan to raise cows and other wildlife.

Todd Scott leads all HR recruiting, developing, organizing, and retaining, which also includes total compensation concepts, communication, safety, diversity, and cultural development. He focuses on aligning company strategy with maximizing the satisfaction of team members, building cultures of excellence, and generating forward momentum in their lives.

“I love what I do. I help the company to be attractive to potential team members, and to inspire folks to enjoy their job here as well as improve their lives. This is where I find my passion.”

Todd brings two decades of experience in HR leadership to Continental Battery Systems. Before beginning his career in HR leadership, Todd worked his way up from an apprentice in a company that manufactured prototype analyzer systems sold all across the globe. This unique work exposed him to a higher plane of international manufacturing standards, artistry in many trades, and work in multi-country operations management, QA, aftermarket support and field service management, purchasing management, and executive special projects. For him, this experience was indispensable in understanding employee objectives and motivations at every level.

In his spare time, Todd works with organizations to train folks with significant trauma to reenter the workforce and also stays involved at his place of worship, with a focus on teaching and fostering marriages to grow. He enjoys gardening and spending regular time at the gym with a long-time habit of listening to audiobooks while he lifts.

“…But my favorite pastime is loving on my six kids and evening walks holding the hand of my beautiful wife.”

Zef Leon leads internal and external financial reporting, budgeting and forecasting, and financial analysis to improve business performance. He aims to build a world-class, highly profitable organization that is centered on superior customer service and fulfilled employees as the cornerstone of the business. He is focused on developing a best-in-class finance department to support the growing needs of Continental Battery Systems and its shareholders.

Zef has over 20 years of experience in finance and operations roles for distribution, logistics, transportation, and retail companies as well as experience in leading and supporting operational and financial turnarounds, M&A and go-to-market processes, banking relationships, and business intelligence and analytics.

Zef currently lives in Dallas with his wife and two sons, 12 and 15 years old, and is the proud owner of the sweetest 150-lb dog! He is an avid sports fan and spends his weekends driving his kids from game to game.

John Rauco leads all aspects of national and local sales, marketing, customer experience, pricing, and retail. He also leads the development of the sales operations for the organization. John aims to turn Continental Battery Systems into a household name and the leader in aftermarket batteries and accessories with a global presence.

John has more than 20 years of experience in the automotive and HD aftermarket industry. Prior to joining Continental more than two years ago, he worked for five years at FleetPride as VP/GM of National Accounts and RVP of Sales and Operations. He also has 10 years of experience at Advance Auto Parts as a regional manager and on the National Accounts team where he was instrumental in creating a leading National Accounts business.

John resides in Dallas where he lives with his wife and two kids, 10-year-old Ryder and 7-year-old Reagan. He enjoys playing golf and is involved in coaching multiple youth sports teams in his community. He played D2 soccer at Gwynedd Mercy University in Philadelphia, where he is originally from, and is still an avid Philadelphia sports fan.

Keith Tougas leads the operations team nationwide to work cross-functionally within all company departments and ensure smooth integration of operations procedures. He focuses on driving the most important KPIs and recognizing team members for their great successes and growth. Keith aims to make Continental Battery Systems the safest, most efficient, and most customer-centric company in the industry.

Keith has been in the battery industry for 13 years, first with Battery Systems Inc. and now with Continental Battery Systems. At Battery Systems Inc., he ran the Pacific Northwest Region as the Regional Manager, overseeing the Battery Systems, North American Battery Systems, and Battery X-Change business units. In 2019, he became the Vice President at Battery Systems Inc. and oversaw Sales, Operations, and Supply Chain. Prior to Battery Systems Inc., Keith was a Division Manager for UPS Operations, overseeing 1,000 employees in Southern California. 

Keith lives with his wife and three boys—11, 8, and 5—who are all heavily involved in sports.

“My wife and I are focused on ‘all things family’. Whether it be sporting events, family dinners, or just weekends out on our boat, we love doing them all together.”

David Meeks leads supply chain operations and aims to build a resilient and efficient supply chain network that delivers exceptional customer service. He is working to develop a supply chain team that will be innovative, possess a culture that drives continuous improvement, and will challenge teams to think beyond what’s possible.

David has more than 25 years of experience in Wholesale Distribution, including 10 years in Sales and Sales Management. He has extensive experience in leading supply chain and logistics for regional and national distributors, including network flow optimization as well as distribution center design, build, automation, and start-up. He has also led ERP and Warehouse Management System implementations nationally and internationally. Before Continental, he served as COO and President at a large regional electrical distributor.

David currently resides in Dallas with his wife of 30 years, Tracie. In his free time David, who is a licensed pilot, enjoys flying, sailing, and fishing. He has two children, Justin and Jennifer, and two grandchildren. Justin is an airline pilot for American Airlines and lives in Houston with his wife and two daughters. Jennifer is a senior project manager for a global pharmaceutical research firm and lives in Colorado with her husband and two dogs.