FREDERICK, Md. -

National Auto Auction Association president Mike Browning found both celebratory and somber moments during National Auto Auction Week, which was wrapping up Friday.

A highlight from the weeklong event was the announcement of the four regional winners of NAAA’s first-ever Auto Auction of the Year Award, which honors excellence in community service.

The winners were:

• Eastern Chapter: ADESA Winnipeg

•Midwest Chapter: West Michigan Auto Auction

• Southern Chapter: Louisiana 1st Choice Auto Auction

• Western Chapter: Kansas City Independent Auto Auction

“On behalf of all our members, I would like to congratulate these auctions, and all the nominees and, really, all of our member auctions, whose staffs give so much every day to help others,” Browning said.

Each of the four winners received $5,000, to be donated at the discretion of the auction. The auction chosen as the National Auto Auction of the Year will receive an additional $10,000 to be donated as the auction sees fit. The auction chosen as the National Auto Auction of the Year will receive an additional $10,000, be featured in an NAAA On The Block magazine cover story and appear on the cover of the NAAA 2017 Member Directory.

“I am overcome with pride when I see the list of community activities our member auctions have participated in over the past several years,” Browning said before highlighting some of the auctions’ charitable endeavors, including:

  • ADESA Winnipeg raised nearly $3 million in in the past year for a dozen worthy causes.

  • A female staffer who befriended a dealer customer at West Michigan Auto Auction donated a kidney to the man.

  • Over the past 14 years, Louisiana’s 1st Choice Auto Auction has donated more than $400,000 for community service activities.

  • Kansas City Independent Auto Auction has raised $441,000 for three community service organizations in the past four years.

“These activities, of course, grab the headlines,” Browning said. “However, there are many more examples of our member auctions helping others — donating items to schools and hospitals, creating Thanksgiving and Christmas baskets for members of the community, hosting blood drives, and so much more!

“It gives me great pleasure to see that our association members are making philanthropy and giving back core values in their businesses," he continued.

“I have seen firsthand what the people at these auctions do for others,” added NAAA chief executive officer Frank Hackett. “I am very pleased that this new award will draw attention to their charitable efforts, and I am humbled to play a small role in seeing that an additional $30,000 will go to helping these organizations.”

Paying homage to Louisiana flood victims

Browning took a moment to offer thoughts and prayers to the leadership and staff of Oak View Auto Auction in Baton Rouge as well as to all of the people of the region, which has been devastated by recent flooding.

“The 1,000-year flood there has devastated the region, including the NAAA member auction owned by Eric Boyd,” Browning said. “As always, your friends at NAAA headquarters and across the country are ready, willing and able to assist in whatever ways possible.