Randi Payton Bio
Randi Payton, CEO and President, has an extensive background in the fields of broadcast and print journalism as well as marketing and public relations. Randi brings a vast amount of industry contacts and market credibility to the On Wheels, Inc. team. He is a founding member of the Jaguar and Volvo Cars diversity council and is an advisor to R.L. POLK, the oldest and largest research firm in the world. He regularly advises top auto executives on the Multicultural market. In addition to having established relationships with key automotive executives, Mr. Payton has formed strategic alliances with NASCAR, The Special Equipment Market Association (SEMA), the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA), and numerous automotive and minority organizations. He is a board member of the Rainbow Push Automotive Task Force and on the Mayor’s Host committee for the Washington/Congressional auto show.
Payton is responsible for assuring the business is profitable and successful. He oversees all the company’s operations, including publishing, finance, administration, and sales. He believes in working as a team and regularly holds director and staff meetings to get input from all staff members in the company’s direction. Under Payton’s leadership, the company has enjoyed the dedication of top managers for more than 10 years and many independent contractors since the company’s inception.
Payton has been an innovator in expanding On Wheels media operations and has helped influence the direction of the auto industry toward diversity. He has managed On Wheels for more than 14 years with only a bank line of credit secured by receivables and without any loans or outside investments. The company has gradually grown over the years by reinvesting in itself.
In 2006, Mr. Payton was named by Folio magazine, the magazine industry trade publication, as one of the “Top 40 Influencers In the Magazine Industry.” On Wheels was honored by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Minority Business Enterprise Office with the “National Media Cornerstone of the Year Award”. He also received a lifetime achievement award from the National Association of Minority Automobile Dealers for his efforts to increase diversity within the automotive industry. On Wheels Inc. was voted Michigan’s Top Minority business by the Diversity Business Council (DBC). In 2005 the DBC voted On Wheels Inc., National Minority Business of the Year.
