BMW's Jack Pitney Tragically Killed In Farm Accident

Jack Pitney

We have lost a good friend. Jack Pitney, BMW of North America Vice President of Marketing, 47, was just six days away from becoming the Vice President of the U.S. Eastern Region for BMW in a move that would have groomed him for the top U.S. job. Jack was killed yesterday in a tragic accident while on vacation at his farm. He was apparently trying to remove a tree stump with a tractor which flipped over on him causing injuries that were fatal. 

Jack was one of us in the media/public relations realm before becoming the poster boy for transitioning from an automotive PR guy into an automotive executive with serious responsibilities like the launch of MINI in the U.S. Though he had big assignments, he was always the fun and friendly Jack we used to know, he never changed - always greeting me with a big warm smile at auto shows, in the lobby of the BMW New Jersey headquarters or wherever. I knew Jack for more than 20 years, starting from his PR days on the West Coast. Jack was destined to make it big, really big, before yesterday's tragic accident that took him from us.

My heartfelt condolences go out to his family.