It’s only Day 1 of the NAAA Convention and there have already been big stories coming out of the auction world as the convention hotel stirs with more activity. The latest are two industry awards that the association shared Tuesday.

NAAA announced its Marie Hingst Exhibitor of the Year for 2015, awarding the honors to Ron Hope, president and chief executive officer of CARS Recon, Inc.

NAAA said the award is meant to recognize exhibitors who show “a similar dedication and commitment” to the association as Marie Hingst, who won the first award in 2006.

Also revealed today were two new NAAA Warren Young Fellows: Matt Arias, director of arbitration for Manheim and NAAA’s Auction Standards Committee chairman, and Brian Geitner, the president of NextGear Capital.

This award spotlights industry professionals for their personal achievements and for how they have contributed to the auction business.

A total of 88 people have now won this award.

Today also included some news from BSC America. Its Bel Air Auto Auction has broken grown on its new facility in nearby Riverside, Md.

The auction held a groundbreaking ceremony on Sept. 16 for the new facilities, which will tout a 75,000-square-foot, 10-lane auction facility, as well as a 35,000-square-foot mechanical and body shop.

Elsewhere, XLerate Group, formerly known as American Auto Auction Group, announced the addition of two experienced and respected individuals in the remarketing industry to its corporate sales team. 

On Tuesday, the company promoted Kelly McAllister as director of business development, joining XLerate’s newest hire Julie Heichel, who will be director of sales operations.

Both McAllister and Heichel will report to senior vice president of sales Pat Dudash.

And in some news that includes our neighbors to the north, ADESA subsidiary AutoVIN chose what it dubbed to be a seasoned and experienced leadership team on Tuesday for the company’s expanded operations in Canada and the U.S.

Officials highlighted the AutoVIN leadership team now is led by Richard Carpentier, chief operating officer and senior vice president of operations across North America.

A familiar name in the remarketing and vehicle inspection industries in Canada, Carpentier will oversee all aspects of the company’s day-to-day operations in Canada and the United States, including field operations, call centers, quality assurance teams, client relations and business development. He has more than 20 years of experience in the industry, managing operations and business development teams for inspection companies, first for Quadrex/Manders and later for DataScan.

Carpentier most recently held the position of managing director for DataScan’s Canadian operations. Carpentier will report to Trevor Henderson, chief operating officer for ADESA Canada.