Justin Jude, who led Keystone Automotive Operations’ purchase of Stag-Parkway in 2014, will become the president and CEO of LKQ Corp. in 2024.
Jude will take over for current LKQ President and CEO Dominick Zarcone, who will retire effective June 30, 2024.
LKQ Corp. is the parent company of NTP-Stag.
Jude helped build NTP-Stag while he was the president of LKQ’s Specialty segment from June 2014-July 2015. In October 2014, Keystone Automotive Operations bought Stag-Parkway, joining the Atlanta-based distributor with Keystone Automotive and the former Northwest Trailer Parts distributor acquired in 2011.
The next year, Jude led Keystone Automotive’s acquisition of The Coast Distribution System in July. After the acquisition, Keystone Automotive reorganized its Specialty segment to become NTP-Stag. Bill Rogers was named the president of the newly built national distributor after the Coast acquisition.
Zarcone said LKQ Corp.’s operational excellence progress, a journey begun in 2018, is particularly notable in Jude’s wholesale division.
“Nowhere has (operational excellence) been more evident than in our Wholesale – North America segment which, under Justin’s direction, has significantly expanded margins and improved cash flow, all while enhancing our leading market position,” Zarcone said. “Time and again, Justin has proven himself as both a strong operating executive and an effective leader who definitively embodies LKQ’s values.”
Beginning Jan. 1, Jude will serve as LKQ’s executive vice president and chief operating officer. He will become president and CEO on June 1.
Jude has been with LKQ since 2004. He has held various leadership roles across the company’s North American sales, supply chain and information systems departments. Since leaving Keystone Automotive Operations in July 2015, Jude has served as the president of LKQ Corp.’s Wholesale – North America segment.
“In this role,” the company said, “he has produced remarkable financial results and developed an incredible leadership team.”
Jude said he was grateful to Zarcone and the company’s board of directors for their support.
“LKQ has an extraordinary history and an extremely bright future, and it will be my honor to guide and work alongside the best team in the industry in our ongoing pursuit of our mission: to be the leading global value-added and sustainable distributor of vehicle parts and accessories,” he said. “With the experience I gained leading our Specialty segment years ago and our Wholesale – North America segment for the past eight years, I look forward to driving organic revenue growth while implementing our lean operating model across our entire organization and focusing on execution as CEO of LKQ.”
Zarcone said it was an honor to serve as the company’s CEO.
“Our success is the product of the tireless efforts of our greatest asset,” Zarcone said, “the 51,000 team members who make LKQ truly special.”
