American Recovery Service (ARS) appoints Dave Copeland, Dave Baker, and Christian Beyer, to new Executive Roles
El Dorado Hills, CA (February 12, 2024) – The Patrick K Willis Company, Inc. DBA: American Recovery Service (ARS) appoints three internal executives to new roles within the organization. Dave Copeland has been promoted to Chief Executive Officer, Dave Baker is elevated to Chief Operations Officer, and Christian Beyer is promoted to Senior Vice President of Compliance. These promotions are being made following the passing of Peter Willingham, who held the role of Chief Executive Officer since 2010.
ARS has long been a pioneer in the National Forwarding and servicing space for loss mitigation needs within the Auto Finance Industry. As the first business of its kind, the organization has enjoyed a tenured leadership base with steadfast business partners. Pat Willis, owner and chairman, explained, “Considering Mr. Copeland’s established near 20-year history with our organization, we believe he will position our company for continued responsible growth and fiscal health. Dave has demonstrated consistent strategic leadership qualities over the years and has a unique ability to command all aspects of the business, both tactically and strategically. During his time as COO, Mr. Copeland operated at a level beyond what is traditionally assigned to a COO, which will make this transition seamless for the organization, our business partners, and clients. While this promotion comes at a difficult time, I believe our organization and partners would all agree that Mr. Copeland is the best candidate for the role and that he will lead from the front as he always has”. Mr. Copeland added, “I am humbled and honored to accept this new role as CEO. Peter was a great mentor and leader – he will be truly missed. We will honor his legacy and rise to the occasion as a team. Our organization is stronger because of his contributions and we will use that momentum to advance our cause. Our leadership team is committed to always being the standard by which our industry is measured.”
During Mr. Copeland’s tenure at ARS, he has served in leadership positions for several departments throughout the company, including Vice President of Investigations as well as Chief Compliance Officer. In those capacities, he directly contributed to expanding the Investigative Services division, formalizing the corporate Human Resources Department, and implementing a Professional Standards Division and Compliance Program. Since 2010, Copeland has served as Chief Operations Officer, and over the last fourteen years, he has partnered with the CEO and executive team in implementing multiple initiatives to support the company’s strategies for corporate expansion, ongoing technological advances, and increased levels of efficiency and scalability. Mr. Copeland holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Public Administration and a Master’s Degree in Emergency Management from National University. Mr. Copeland believes in giving back, has always been an active community member, and has experience serving on boards.
Mr. Baker joined the American Recovery Service team in 2008. Over the next several years, he excelled in many positions, from Skip Investigations, Special Operations Assistant Manager, V.P. of Skip Investigations, and Senior V.P. of Corporate Compliance. His long history of supervisory, management, and executive management experience, along with his strong compliance and federal regulatory knowledge, made him the right choice to join the ARS Executive Team as Chief Compliance Officer in early 2015. Since then, Baker has been assigned executive oversight of Compliance and Vendor Relations. Mr. Baker holds an Associates’ Degree in Administration of Justice, a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice Administration, and an undergraduate certification in Human Resources Management through Columbia Southern University. Mr. Baker attributes his leadership and inclusive management style to his 25+ year law enforcement career, culminating in his appointment as Chief of Police.
Mr. Copeland explained that he selected Mr. Baker to serve as COO due to Baker’s established track record as a forward-thinking leader within the organization and industry alike. Mr. Copeland said, “Dave Baker has a critical mindset toward operational efficiency and consideration for mutually beneficial outcomes with all stakeholders. His ability to work in a collaborative and participative manner compliments the symbiotic elements of our culture. Mr. Baker will support the continued optimization of service delivery and industry best practices to ensure an unmatched experience for our clients, customers and business partners.”
Mr. Beyer started his journey with ARS in 2009 as part of the Skip Investigations team where he quickly progressed to Team Lead of Investigations. In 2013 he joined the newly developed Compliance Program, serving as Compliance Officer, moving on to Assistant Vice President of Compliance and in 2016 was appointed Vice President of Regulatory Compliance and Auditing. With 15+ years of private sector business experience and 10 years serving in law enforcement, Beyer’s management of ARS’ robust and intensive Compliance Auditing program has positioned the company as the most compliant in the industry.
Mr. Baker explained, “Mr. Beyer has a solid understanding of our organization as well as the industry. His ability to support client protection and risk mitigation while balancing operational efficiency has proven to be a valuable skillset.” Mr. Beyer will lead the Compliance Division now that Mr. Baker has transitioned to his new role as COO.
ARS maintains its vision to not only meet but exceed its client’s expectations through superior performance, integrity-based communication, integrated technology solutions, and compliance-driven business practices. These leadership changes will position ARS not only to continue to deliver the same level of top-tier service to our client base but complement the optimization of our services. These executives know the business model and have been integral in crafting the culture and implementing the strategic plans for a decade. When considering emerging technologies, delivery of services, best practices, and other advancements, ARS will continue to lead the industry and always be the standard by which the repossession industry is measured.
About ARS:
As the respected leading vehicle repossession and investigation service provider to the auto finance industry, American Recovery Service is committed to providing our clientele with customizable, compliant, and cost-effective services. ARS provides loss mitigation services to the auto finance industry ranging from traditional repossession forwarding, investigative service, LPR, and full post-repossession serving. Learn more at: www.AmericanRecoveryService.com
