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Gregg Owen
Experienced legal and executive professional
Gregg Owen is the CEO Emeritus of Text2Drive, a leading two-way text communication platform for the automotive industry. His career is notable for its diversity, having transitioned from a successful musician to a prominent lawyer and then to an entrepreneur in the tech sector.
Background and Career
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Music Career: Gregg Owen began his professional journey as a musician, joining the band The American Breed in 1969. He spent two decades in the music industry, during which he taught himself to play the keyboard and performed extensively. His experiences in this field led him to pursue law school, motivated by a desire to protect his band from the complexities of the music business.
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Legal Profession: After completing law school, Owen worked at the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office, where he was appointed as Chief of Gang Prosecutions. In this role, he tackled gang violence in Chicago and collaborated with federal authorities, gaining insights into telecommunications law, particularly the FCC and TCPA regulations.
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Entrepreneurship: Following his legal career, Owen ventured into publishing by co-founding several automotive magazines, including Autofocus Chicago and Autoplus. This experience laid the groundwork for his later work in tech.
Text2Drive
In 2008, Owen founded Text2Drive with the vision of transforming how auto dealers communicate with customers through text messaging. Under his leadership, Text2Drive has developed innovative features such as:
- Automated Messaging
- Speed CheckOut™ mobile bill payment
- OPT-INal™ Marketing Kiosk
These tools have positioned Text2Drive as a significant player in the automotive sector, enhancing customer interactions and streamlining operations for dealerships across the United States. Gregg Owen's blend of creativity, legal expertise, and business acumen has been pivotal in driving the company's success and reputation within the industry.1234
