Announcing a pair of auction leadership moves, Manheim said Friday that it has named Michael Meyer as general manager for Manheim Arena Illinois, and Greg Beck as general manager for Manheim San Francisco Bay.

“Mike is a dynamic leader who will use his expertise and experiences to deliver solutions that help our customers succeed,” said Rock Anderson, RVP for West Region Operations. “The hiring of Greg is a true testament to Manheim’s goal of putting leaders in place to drive business growth and expand our customer base. Our customers will benefit from their leadership experiences, and vast industry knowledge and insights.”

Meyer joined Manheim in 2010 as dealer sales manager at Manheim El Paso, and assumed his new role on Jan. 27. He has more than 10 years of auto wholesale experience, including other roles at Manheim and a stint at Auction Broadcasting Company in Michigan. 

He holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Aquinas College in Grand Rapids, Mich.

Beck has spent more than 13 years in the automotive wholesale industry, and began his role at Manheim San Francisco Bay, located in Hayward, on Feb. 18.

Beck spent more than nine years with E-Z GO Textron, where he was responsible for fleet golf cart sales and management for Northern California and Nevada. His career in remarketing began in 2001, and includes experience as an operating location general manager, co-general manager and general sales manager.

He holds a bachelor's degree in management/economics from San Jose State University. 

Poker in PA

In other news from the company, Manheim Pennsylvania hosted a Texas Hold’em poker tournament that helped to raise tens of thousands of dollars for Johns Hopkins medicine programs.

The tournament and an accompanying charity auction were held to benefit the lifesaving work of two area medical centers, in honor of the care they provide to area patients.

In the end, the Feb. 20 event attended by Manheim Pennsylvania’s top buyers and sellers and participants of the 2013 NextGEN series and their guests, raised $31,750 to benefit the Johns Hopkins Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center and Johns Hopkins Heart and Vascular Institute.

“Manheim Pennsylvania is proud to support Johns Hopkins Hospital and these wonderful programs that continue to save so many lives,” said Julie Picard, vice president and general manager of Manheim Pennsylvania.

“We are very pleased with the turnout of employees, customers and NextGEN participants that will help Johns Hopkins and its programs make a difference in the lives of so many,” she said. “We are honored to provide support as the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center and Heart and Vascular Institute fight the two biggest killers on the planet.”

Michael Hibler, senior associate director of development for Johns Hopkins Medicine, called the benefit an investment toward accelerating medical discoveries that can be translated into clinical achievements that help patients.

More than 100 participated in the charity auction and poker tournament, which also included the sale of two late-model vehicles and two Manheim Pennsylvania lithographic prints.

Prior to the event, Manheim Pennsylvania assistant general manager and leukemia survivor Randy Derr shared his story of treatments at Johns Hopkins 13 years ago.

Susan Adcock, the wife of an auctioneer at Manheim Pennsylvania, talked about receiving a heart transplant at Johns Hopkins last year, and introduced the Wagners, family of the donor.

This fundraiser served as the final session of the four-part NextGEN series that began in 2013, an educational series developed by Manheim Pennsylvania to strengthen existing remarketing knowledge and prepare the next generation of auto remarketing leaders.

More Winning News

In other auction news, Asbury Automotive Group’s Gray-Daniels Auto Family, in association with Mid-South Auction in Pearl, Miss., ran a promotion during the auction’s Dealer Appreciation Sale festivities earlier this month.

Maurice Martin of D & M Auto Sales in Jackson, Miss., a buyer of Gray-Daniels vehicles that ran through auction, was randomly selected to play the Draw 5 promotion, in which he drew the grand prize of $50,000.  

The independent Mid-South Auction, which covers 48.5 acres with parking for 1,000 vehicles, was founded in 1972 as a one-lane auction in a small greenhouse.

Following a multi-million dollar expansion, including a six-lane auction operations center with leading edge technology, the auction today serves dealers nationwide, and is a member of the American Auto Auction Group.