LAS VEGAS -

A few handfuls of auction awards and other industry honors were recognized Wednesday with annual top honors from consignors, as the first round of auction award announcements began circulating.

Plus, at the CAR Conference in Las Vegas, the International Automotive Remarketers Alliance awarded its IARA Circle of Excellence award to Tom Adams, president of the Auction Insurance Agency. 

More auction award announcements are to come Thursday, but below is a recap of the awards so far:

Ally Financial

Ally Financial’s SmartLane Auction of the Year award winner was ABC St. Louis, which has now won this award three years in row.

“ABC St. Louis continues to be a top performing auction with a commitment to service excellence and we are proud of the success they’ve achieved," said Robert Stahl, executive vice president of remarketing for Ally. “We're pleased to do business with their outstanding team and look forward to future success.”

Winning the SmartAuction Mid-Stream Auto Auction of the Year award for the third straight year was Flint Auto Auction in Flint, Mich.

“Flint Auto Auction is well deserving of this award. They have consistently done an outstanding job leveraging the SmartAuction platform and providing the service excellence that our buyers and consignors have come to expect,” said Steve Kapusta, vice president of dealership online services at Ally. “We value their commitment and dedication and look forward to another great year in 2015.”

SmartAuction’s Year-Over-Year Sales Growth award went to North Shore Auto Auction in New York. Carolina Auto Auction in South Carolina was the Top New Auction winner.

ARI Honors Auctions

ARI announced Wednesday the winners of 2014 ARI Auction of the Year Award, recognizing auctions in each of its seven regions. The winners for 2014 include:

Region 1 – State Line Auto Auction (Waverly, N.Y.)
Region 2 – Corry Auto Dealers Exchange (Corry, Pa.)
Region 3 – ABC Birmingham (Birmingham, Ala.)
Region 4 – Morton Auto Auction (Morton, Ill.)
Region 5 – Louisiana’s 1st Choice A/A (Hammond, La.)
Region 6 – Brasher’s Northwest A/A (Eugene, Ore.)
Region 7 – Missouri Auto Auction (Columbia, Mo.)

“In addition to being among the top performing auctions in their respective region, each of the winners demonstrates a commitment to the industry-leading customer service that our clients have come to expect from ARI and our strategic partners,” said Brian Garner, ARI manager of vehicle remarketing. “All of the honorees strive to provide a superior level of service to both buyers and sellers alike, helping to create the ideal environment for maximizing used vehicle returns on behalf of our clients.”

ARI will honor the winners during a banquet at its headquarters later this year.

FCA US

Taking home the 2014 Auction of the Year honors from Fiat Chrysler Automobiles US was Manheim Orlando.

“In addition to being our top volume auction, Manheim Orlando demonstrated excellence in the areas of customer satisfaction and operational efficiency. We are pleased to present this award to the entire team and look forward to another outstanding year in 2015,” FCA US noted.

Consumer Portfolio Services

Consumer Portfolio Services announced its auction winners Wednesday afternoon. They are as follows:

Heavy Hammer Award (Best Retention): Manheim California
Top Gun Award (Auction of the Year): North Bay Auto Auction
CPS Small Market Top Gun Award (Auction of the Year for a CPS small volume sale): ADESA Seattle
Operational Excellence Award: ABC Toledo
Highest Online Sales Percentage: Manheim Harrisonburg 

Santander Consumer USA

Santander Consumer USA revealed its annual awards during a ceremony Tuesday night. A recap is below:

SCUSA Auction Manager of the Year: RJ Contich and Jason Keese
Distinguished Auction Partner: Manheim Arena
Best Auction Operations: Manheim Louisville
Best E-Commerce Auction: ADESA Cincinnati-Dayton

2014 Santander Auction of the Year: ADESA Phoenix

Regional Auction Awards
Northeast: ADESA Concord
Southeast: ABC Birmingham
West: ADESA Phoenix
Midwest: Manheim Louisville
Central: Manheim San Antonio