SAN ANTONIO -

The National Auto Auction Association inducts its new president at the NAAA Annual Convention this week.

Mike Browning, the general manager of Manheim San Antonio, has spent a year in the president-elect role for NAAA and is well prepared for his tenure as president.

Auto Remarketing reached out to Browning in August to gain insight into the new NAAA president’s career and what led him to the pinnacle of the auto auction industry in the U.S., as well as what his primary focus will be during his upcoming tenure.

Browning, a Louisiana native, brings unique experience to the role, as his first foray into the auto business started in retail.

The NAAA executive entered the auto world back in 1989 as a car salesmen and worked his way up to the position of general manager for Hopkins Toyota of Vicksburg, Miss.

After more than a decade on the retail side of the business, Browning took the unique perspective he gained during his experience in the dealership and decided to jump into the wholesale industry.

In 2003, Browning joined Manheim as the general sales manager of its New Orleans auction. In June of 2005 he was named GM, and according to his NAAA bio, this move resulted in a 200-percent increase in revenue for the auction.

“As a former buyer/consigner at the auction I jumped at the chance to join the Manheim team once David Young (a past senior market vice president and group VP for Manheim) offered me a position,” said Browning. “The remarketing side of the industry always appealed to me, and I wanted a chance to be a part of it.”

And his time in retail, Browning said, helped prepare him for a successful career in wholesale, as well.

“I’ve been a part of all sides. I’ve been a buyer and a seller. I understand the pain points, the needs and wants of all involved. I feel like I can bring everyone together,” he said.

Browning added part of his success in the industry is also due to exposure to some of the industry leaders that helped “mold my career.”

Browning has now been in the auto auction industry for more than a decade, and he told Auto Remarketing one of the most memorable moments of his wholesale career was leading Manheim New Orleans through the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, a disaster that recently marked its 10-year anniversary.

“My team was devastated. Our homes, our facility and our community were all deeply affected,” said Browning. “True heroes stepped up, and we were able to recover. Manheim and our entire industry showed their true colors, and we were able to rebuild and return to a thriving team.”

As for what inspires Browning most about his career, he said he simply loves being part of the used-car market.

“Being involved in the change of traditional auctions is exciting, reviving the ‘Customer’ experience, embracing the challenge of competition and molding our leaders of tomorrow are some of the things that drive me,” he said.

As Browning prepares to be inducted as the leader of NAAA this month, he said that Jack Neshe, chairman of the board at NAAA, and Ellie Johnson, current NAAA president, have been “incredible mentors.”

“Their leadership the past two years has taught me the value and importance of this role and what I need to do to carry on the legacy of the 46 past NAAA presidents,” Browning said.

Upon his induction as NAAA president, Browning shared three focuses that will be top-of-mind as his tenure beings.

“One will be to carry the torch across the finish line for Ellie (Johnson) with our safety initiative. This will be a game changer for our NAAA members and will help to teach and outline our safety expectations for our staff and our dealers,” Browning said.

Last September, when Auto Remarketing interviewed the 2014-2015 incoming NAAA president, Johnson noted she aimed to help NAAA member auctions emphasize the important of safety to employees.

Browning shared that the next item on his agenda will be to roll out the “Auction of the Year” award, which will be based on community involvement.

“We have some incredible stories of auctions who not only give money, but employees who give time. I want to acknowledge their outstanding effort and show the world what an important role we play in each community. More on this to come at our NAAA meeting in Orlando,” Browning said.

Lastly, he explained he wants to “mine” some of the tremendous up and coming talent in the auto auction industry.

“The ideas and vision of our future leaders is vital to our association, and I want to challenge them to get involved,” he said.

And as GM of Manheim San Antonio, and in his soon-to-be role of leading NAAA, Browning says he follows a simple “mantra” when it comes to successful management and leadership.

“The mantra I have put into place for our team in San Antonio is ‘Lead, Teach and Motivate.’ We do these things daily as part of our culture. These simple steps help foster an engaged team and point us in one direction,” Browning said.

Browning is no stranger to leadership. Before moving into national leadership positions, Browning had been active in the NAAA Southern Chapter as secretary, vice president, president-elect and president, and is currently the chapter’s chairman of the board. He has also sat on the NAAA Board of Directors.

And on top of his work with NAAA, Browning is also a professional member of the Mississippi Independent Auto Dealers Association (MIADA), Louisiana Independent Auto Dealers Association (LIADA) and the National Independent Automobile Dealers Association (NIADA).

And NIADA has honored Browning with the NIADA Eagle Award twice already.

As for what challenges and opportunities await the auction industry in the coming year, Browning said it comes down to one word: change.

“I feel like our biggest challenge is also our greatest opportunity. Change … It’s a word often used but not always understood. What needs to change and what needs to stay constant?” Browning said. “I think we should always be challenging the status quo. In-lane or online, we have to be looking forward.”