Ed Kim: President and Chief Analyst

Ed is a veteran automotive industry expert with over 20 years at AutoPacific, becoming President and Chief Analyst in 2022. Well known in the industry, he serves as one of AutoPacific’s primary experts on current automotive issues, regularly quoted in the press and frequently appearing on national news programs. He has developed one of the most accurate looks at the auto industry’s future through both the North American Competitive Battleground and Sales Forecast Service products, both of which are renowned in the business for their accuracy and insight. Innovative automotive market research approaches are also a longstanding skillset from his many years developing and running research projects both at AutoPacific and within OEM environments.

Prior to joining AutoPacific, Ed served as a manager in Hyundai Motor America's Advanced Product Development and Strategy area. In this role, he used his background in psychology and sociology to increase company focus on future consumer needs-based product concept development. Over the years, Ed has also worked as an automotive journalist writing for several major automotive publications. He holds a B.A. in Psychology from the University of California, Riverside.

In his spare time, Ed can be found wrenching away on his 1983 Mercedes-Benz 300D, being an armchair music anthropologist, and taking epic road trips with his family.

DEBORAH GRIEB: Director, Marketing & Consumer Insights

An AutoPacific team member since 2007, Deborah is highly experienced in consumer research, data analysis and marketing communications. She is an expert in AutoPacific’s syndicated product offerings and has designed and advised on numerous custom consumer research projects, conducted consumer and vehicle analysis, and helped to expand AutoPacific’s client portfolio.

Prior to joining AutoPacific, Deborah served as Senior Marketing Specialist for Magna International’s Interiors and Exteriors Division. While at Magna, Deborah introduced market research and analysis to support the company’s strategic goals and provided in-depth analysis that explored ideal opportunities for placement of the company’s broad portfolio of products as well as new advanced technologies. Deborah graduated from Alma College with a B.A. in English.

CAROL RUNKLE: Manager, Sales Forecast Service

Carol has been with AutoPacific for over 25 years managing AutoPacific’s Sales Forecasting Service. A self-confessed news junkie, she is always on the hunt for anything political, industrial or economical that could impact automotive sales. 

Carol has been surrounded by the automotive industry since birth. She experienced the heyday of the industry as the child of Chevrolet’s Chief Designer responsible for the fabled 50s and early 60s Chevys. This was followed by a move to Germany and graduation from General H.H. Arnold High School in Wiesbaden, Germany during the period that the Opel GT was developed. As a result, she’s partnered on speeches and visuals for Classic Car presentations celebrating that time period. Carol earned her B.F.A from the University of Michigan.

PAUL WAATTI: Director, Industry Analysis

Paul was born and raised in the suburbs of the “Motor City”, which resulted in a passion for automobiles at a young age. Paul is a numbers guy at heart, with an accounting and business administration background. He has deep skill sets in managing data and sales forecasting, particularly in the area of alternative powertrains.

Paul currently applies his fresh perspective complemented by innovative approaches in maintaining his key roles within AutoPacific. He serves as Manager, Industry Analysis for AutoPacific’s Industry Analysis area, managing the production of AutoPacific’s highly regarded Alternative Powertrain Sales Forecast Service, as well as research and editorial content for AutoPacific’s North American Competitive Battleground product.

Robby DeGraff: Manager, Product and Consumer Insights

Based in Wisconsin, Robby joined AutoPacific in 2019 after nearly a decade of experience in automotive journalism. With a lifelong passion for everything cars, Robby brings a strong attentive focus to detail and an investigative curiosity to explore what makes consumers tick when it comes to buying, owning, and operating a vehicle.

In his role, Robby assists in analyzing data and designing AutoPacific’s market research projects including the annual Future Attribute Demand Study (FADS), as well as monthly consumer insights reports that focus on key trends or topics in today’s ever-changing automotive industry. Additionally, he researches, updates, and creates editorial content for AutoPacific’s North American Competitive Battleground service. Robby holds a B.A. in Advertising and Public Relations from Loyola University Chicago and is also the Vice President of the Midwest Automotive Media Association (MAMA).