Advance Auto Parts Inc. has expanded its products and services offerings to vehicle repair professionals in recent years, but to find a new chief it drove into the world of snacks and beverages.

Advance this week named as its new CEO Thomas Greco, a veteran of PepsiCo who headed up its Frito-Lay North America unit.

Greco, who takes over on April 11, will head up a company that in recent years has grown its online offerings for professional automotive technicians and repair shops. Its main e-commerce site, AdvanceAutoParts.com, includes an “Advance Professional” section where professionals can use special ways of ordering parts and services not available to consumers on the retail sections of the site.

For example, professionals who sign in can get additional online assistance for identifying engine parts compatible with ones they need to repair or replace; they can receive and keep track of price quotes from Advance Auto for custom orders; they can scan and upload a vehicle identification number to ensure they order the correct parts for it; and they can earn cash-back bonuses on most online orders.

The Advance Professional section also links to two sister sites the company operates. Motoshop.com provides online access to vehicle diagnostic and repair data, such as the proper engine torque settings for a particular vehicle; it provides shop management software for managing work orders, customer records and inventory levels; and it provides videos and other materials used in training technicians and in marketing campaigns.

The other sister site, VirtualVehicleMD.com, provides access to a cloud-based library of animated diagrams designed to let repair shop service advisors to explain with online demonstrations how complicated repairs, such as engine overhauls, are conducted. The content on VirtualVehicleMD.com is available in English and 14 other languages and dialects, including Hungarian, French, Polish, Portuguese, Swedish, German, Australian English and Canadian French.

Advance Auto Parts is No. 116 in the B2B E-Commerce 300.

For more about Advance Auto Parts and its new CEO, click here: