DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sep 2, 2025--
Continental Battery Systems (CBS), a leading national distributor of batteries and battery accessories, today announced the promotion of John Rauco to the role of Chief Commercial Officer (CCO). Rauco most recently served as Senior Vice President of Sales, where he played a pivotal role in accelerating growth, deepening customer relationships and advancing the company’s integrated national go-to-market strategy.
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In his expanded role, Rauco will oversee all commercial functions, including sales, marketing, pricing and strategic customer engagement. He will report directly to CEO Chris Alberta and will continue to shape the company’s commercial direction with a focus on delivering customer value, optimizing performance and driving long-term, sustainable growth.
“John has been a transformational leader at CBS,” said Chris Alberta, CEO of Continental Battery Systems. “His ability to align our commercial strategy with customer needs has been a cornerstone of our recent success. As CCO, John will play a critical role in scaling our platform and unlocking new opportunities in a rapidly evolving marketplace.”
Since joining the company in 2020, Rauco has been a key architect of CBS’ national expansion. He led the build-out of a high-performing sales organization, guided the seamless integration of over 25 acquisitions and championed initiatives that enhanced the company’s commercial agility and market responsiveness.
“I’m honored to take on this role at such a pivotal time,” said Rauco. “Our mission is clear: to deliver meaningful value through performance, reliability and innovation. As both our industry and the broader economy face ongoing disruption, I’m focused on helping our team stay agile, solve problems quickly and build stronger, lasting partnerships across our markets.”
This leadership transition reflects CBS’ ongoing commitment to a “customer-first” focus, strategic growth and industry leadership to face rapidly-growing demand.
About Continental Battery Systems
Founded in 1932, Continental Battery Systems is a leading distributor of batteries and battery accessories, serving a wide range of industries including automotive, commercial, marine, RV, solar and industrial. With a rapidly expanding national footprint and a deep focus on customer service, CBS is committed to leading the charge through innovative battery solutions and a customer-first culture.
Learn more at www.gocbs.com.
John Rauco, Chief Commercial Officer, has been a driving force behind Continental Battery System's national expansion and customer-first growth strategy.
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodríguez on Thursday asked lawmakers to approve reforms to the oil industry that would open the doors to greater foreign investment during her first state of the union speech less than two weeks after its longtime leader was toppled by the United States.
Rodríguez, who has been under pressure by the Trump administration to fall in line with its vision for the oil-rich nation, said sales of Venezuelan oil would go to bolster crisis-stricken health services, economic development and other infrastructure projects.
She outlined a distinct vision for the future, straying from her predecessors, who have long railed against American intervention in Venezeula. “Let us not be afraid of diplomacy” with the U.S., said Rodriguez, the former vice president who must now navigate competing pressures from the Trump administration and a government loyal to former President Nicolás Maduro.
The speech, which was broadcast on a delay in Venezuela, came one day after Rodríguez said her government would continue releasing prisoners detained under Maduro in what she described as “a new political moment” since his ouster.
On Thursday, Trump met at the White House with Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, whose political party is widely considered to have won 2024 elections rejected by Maduro. But in endorsing Rodríguez, who served as Maduro’s vice president since 2018, Trump has sidelined Machado.
Rodríguez, who had a call with Trump earlier this week, said Wednesday evening on state television that her government would use “every dollar” earned from oil sales to overhaul the nation’s public health care system. Hospitals and other health care facilities across the country have long been crumbling, and patients are asked to provide practically all supplies needed for their care, from syringes to surgical screws.
The acting president must walk a tightrope, balancing pressures from both Washington and top Venezuelan officials who hold sway over Venezuela's security forces and strongly oppose the U.S. Her recent public speeches reflect those tensions — vacillating from conciliatory calls for cooperation with the U.S., to defiant rants echoing the anti-imperialist rhetoric of her toppled predecessor.
American authorities have long railed against a government they describe as a “dictatorship,” while Venezuela’s government has built a powerful populist ethos sharply opposed to U.S. meddling in its affairs.
For the foreseeable future, Rodríguez's government has been effectively relieved of having to hold elections. That's because when Venezuela’s high court granted Rodríguez presidential powers on an acting basis, it cited a provision of the constitution that allows the vice president to take over for a renewable period of 90 days.
Trump enlisted Rodríguez to help secure U.S. control over Venezuela’s oil sales despite sanctioning her for human rights violations during his first term. To ensure she does his bidding, Trump threatened Rodríguez earlier this month with a “situation probably worse than Maduro.”
Maduro, who is being held in a Brooklyn jail, has pleaded not guilty to drug-trafficking charges.
Before Rodríguez’s speech on Thursday, a group of government supporters was allowed into the presidential palace, where they chanted for Maduro, who the government insists remains the country’s president. “Maduro, resist, the people are rising,” they shouted.
Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america
Venezuela's acting President Delcy Rodriguez makes a statement to the press at Miraflores presidential palace in Caracas, Venezuela, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)
Venezuela's acting President Delcy Rodriguez, center, smiles flanked by Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello, right, and National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez after making a statement to the press at Miraflores presidential palace in Caracas, Venezuela, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)
