The folks at the Carolina Auto Auction find themselves in a “bittersweet” transition period as they celebrate the career of their fleet/lease manager, Sal Terranova, who is headed for retirement.

Announced by the company on Wednesday, CAA’s well-known Terranova is succeeded in his position by Joe LeMonds, who has been shadowing Terranova in the position for the last six months in preparation for the transition.

Looking back at his career, Terranova highlighted some of his fondest memories at the South Carolina auction.

“Certainly the thing that I have always really enjoyed has been testing market modifications to see if there was any way to enhance the value of a vehicle,” Terranova said. “Testing the value of a wholesale certification program; running vehicles with / through a manufacturer’s captive remarketing program; pushing the Internet and simulcast opportunities; testing the impact of various repairs; etc., all have been a lot of fun, and very mentally engaging. But the most rewarding part of the job has probably been the ability to communicate the results of some of those value-enhancing experiments with other sellers, and clients in the business.”

After retiring at the end of the year, Terranova looks forward to spending time with his wife, five children and seven grandchildren.

Continuing that theme of looking forward, Terranova says that the biggest change during his career that will continue to affect the auction industry is online buying.

“Buyers can now view and interact with a vehicle online — from viewing a CR to the consummation of a buying decision without ever leaving their home or office,” he said. “However, I also believe that the physical auction will also continue to grow in that there will always be a number of buyers that want to physically inspect the vehicle, and interact with the market live.”

In other CAA news, the auction’s next major sale will be hosted on Jan. 6 with its Tax-Time Sales Event that will continue through Fe. 17. Dealers will have the opportunity to win a share of $30,000 in cash and prizes and stock up on vehicle inventory. Those most interested in picking up some pickups can check out CAA’s Truck Sale on Feb. 9.

For more information on CAA, visit its site here.