ATLANTA -
Those who knew Darryll Ceccoli describe him as a unique, empathetic, enthusiastic, decisive individual. He was a true people person, in that he really cared about the buyers and sellers doing business in the lanes, as well as his employees, his peers and even his competitors.
 
Whether it was going undercover at a Manheim auction, playing golf in the hallways of Manheim corporate or explaining to peers that the industry needed to be on single-gage railroad track in terms of technology platform, his friends, peers and former employees were filled with praise for the man Tuesday as the industry mourns his loss.
 
The former chief executive officer and president of Manheim passed away Sunday at his home in Canton, Ga. Auto Remarketing reached out to many of those who worked with him throughout his years in the auction industry to give them the opportunity to share their personal stories and memories.
 
Ceccoli’s wife, Katrina, said, “Everyone that met him felt his charisma. He was as passionate as he was compassionate.”
 
She went on to say, “I will never know another person like him. We were true soul mates.”
 
Diane Barton, Manheim’s vice president of customer experience,  explained that Ceccoli hired her. She spent almost 15 years as his friend and co-worker.
 
“I was always so impressed with just the fundamental belief he had in what Manheim did. He had a lot of passion and did a lot of really, really great things, but he also found a way to have fun,” she recalled.
 
“We’re all walking around kind of stunned, but you can’t stay sad for very long because you’ll end up thinking about something Darryll did or said,” Barton added with a smile apparent in her voice.
 
For example, she recalls him playing golf in the hallways at Manheim corporate. She said the staff tried to keep him supplied with Wiffle golf balls, but when he ran out, “you’d better look out.”
 
“When someone yelled fore, you ducked,” Barton remembered. “You never knew what was going to happen when you came around the corner and went into his office. There was nothing predictable about him. He was an inspiration, a character and a leader.”
 
She went on to recall another memory. “A number of years ago he was inducted into the National Auto Auction association Hall of Fame at a convention in Orlando. His family flew in and surprised him, including his mother, brother, sister and nieces and nephews. I’m sure it was one of the best evenings for him. He was surrounded by the people in the industry that he loved and his family.
 
“I remember his mother; she was overcome with the kind of pride only a mother could have. She told us he’d never given her a moment’s trouble, but we knew better,” Barton added with a grin.
 
Apparently Ceccoli had a lot of fun with his motorcycle and also was a fan of NASCAR. He even went through a period where he was interested in dynamite, giving some of those at Manheim perhaps a bit of cause for concern, Barton suggested with a laugh.
 
Over at BSC America, the team was also remembering Ceccoli. Ray Nichols, of BSC America, had Ceccoli in his thoughts Tuesday. Nichols said he was lucky enough to meet Ceccoli early in his career and spent quite of bit of time working with him on National Auto Auction Association committees, as well as doing some joint projects with the former CEO.
 
“I was privileged to meet him early in my career in the industry,” Nichols explained to Auto Remarketing. “He had a unique style. He was enthusiastic and a unique industry leader. We served together on NAAA committees. He was chairman of the Joint Marketing Committee when we developed the NADA/NAAA data sales business. He really did a great job with that.”
 
Nichols went on to describe Ceccoli as having great foresight.
 
“In the early days of AASC — AutoIMS — he was a very strong proponent. When we worked on new projects like AutoIMS and innovative kinds of services, he always liked to speak about how the industry would best be served by coming together on a single-gage railroad. Being from Pennsylvania, he knew railroads. A single gage is where everything pulls together, all one type that works together,” Nichols pointed out.
 
Basically, at one point, railroad trains ran on different gage tracks, so that the same cars couldn’t be used across all tracks. Nichols said Ceccoli had the foresight to realize that the industry needed one type of technology platform, or a single-gage track, to streamline business and functionality for buyers and sellers.
 
“I don’t think I knew anyone who was more enthusiastic about those types of projects. He was strong, enthusiastic and knowledgeable and ran many auctions. He had a really unique understanding of the industry and people, as well as compassion for dealers and consignors," Nichols said.
 
While Nichols also revealed that Ceccoli was very decisive, in that he could generally make an immediate decision and would stick with it, the BSC America executive also explained that the former Manheim CEO was also very empathetic when it came to dealers and consignors.
 
“He had a great way of developing auction people. He really helped develop many talented people who continue to operate in management capacities today,” Nichols said.
 
The AutoIMS staff also joined the industry in remembering Ceccoli.
 
Don Meadows, president and chief executive officer of AutoIMS, pointed out, “I had the pleasure of working with Darryll for the first six years of forming Auto Auction Services Corp/AutoIMS.com. He was an original visionary of the concept for AASC and fully understood why it would succeed as an industry effort.  I am proud to know how funny Darryll could be. His metaphors were always a delight to listen to.  He was truly a giant in the auto industry."
 
Even the exhibit company that often worked with Manheim on conventions and conferences sent a note to Barton praising Ceccoli.
 
“All of us at Compass who worked so many years with you and the management team that gave Manheim a real heart, and especially those of us who got to know Darryll personally through projects we worked on after his retirement, share in your sorrow at the passing of a genuine, good man,” wrote David Peck, of Compass.
 
“He was Mr. Manheim to me,” Peck added.
 
Returning back to Manheim, Dean Eisner, Manheim’s current president and CEO, said Tuesday, "We were shocked and saddened to learn of Darryll’s passing. His career with Manheim spanned three decades, and he was instrumental in shepherding Manheim through many years of significant growth. Darryll was known for his enthusiasm for the business and his deep commitment to the company and its employees. He was also well-known for developing talent among Manheim’s employees and inspiring their loyalty. We will all miss him."
 
Mike Broe, executive vice president of Manheim’s U.S. operations, shared, "I was saddened to learn about Darryll’s untimely passing. He was a driving force at Manheim and a tremendous influence in the auction industry. At Manheim, he served in a variety of senior management roles, including chief operating officer and president and chief executive officer. He also made a big impact in the industry, including helping to create the AutoIMS inventory management system, which marked the first time that auction companies worked together to create something for the remarketing industry.
 
"He was also instrumental in developing and supporting AuctionNet which serves as a key revenue stream for the National Auto Auction Association. We wish his family all the best in their time of loss," Broe added.
 
When asked to describe one of the things she remembers Ceccoli best for, Barton quickly replied, “Probably the thing that I remember most is the good that he did in his darkest hour. His best friend, Mike Fisher (Manheim counsel) was killed in a plane crash (in 1998). It came out of nowhere. Two small planes collided in midair. Darryll worked with Mike’s wife and turned that unspeakable tragedy into something that has now raised more than $6 million.
 
Ceccoli helped the Fisher family create an endowment for the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Sibley Heart Center, which was named in his best friend’s honor.
 
“He ensured that Mike’s children would be involved every year in deciding how the funds will be spent. Both kids are now in college, but they are helping us set the agenda for that unit. They want that unit to be the best of its kind in the world. We’re changing pediatric protocols. To do this in his darkest hour and turn it into something like that is amazing.”
 
Auto Remarketing ran an initial story about Ceccoli’s death on Tuesday and already several comments had been posted before the end of the day.
 
One poster wrote, “One, if not the best auction executive to ever walk the lanes.”
 
Greg Gehman wrote, “Darryll was absolutely THE BEST EVER!!! He always said that our employees were our most valuable asset and he was one of the few people that could walk the talk. He was able to put people ahead of the financial side of the business. He was the most humble executive I have ever known, a great man and a great friend who will be missed by all.”
 
According to a statement from Manheim, Ceccoli’s career with the company spanned three decades and many regions of the country with “a tremendous impact on the wholesale automobile auction industry.”
 
When he joined Manheim in May 1975 as assistant general manager of National Auto Dealers Exchange in Bordentown, N.J., the company had 12 auctions in the eastern part of the U.S., in addition to 2,500 employees, and handled about 360,000 vehicles a year.
 
When Ceccoli retired from Manheim in 2002, the company had 83 auctions throughout the U.S., two auctions in Canada, 32,000 employees, as well as operations in the United Kingdom, France, Australia and New Zealand. The company handled more than 10 million vehicles annually.
 
The funeral will be held noon Saturday at the Lawrence E. Young Funeral Home in Clarks Summit, Pa., with a viewing at 10 a.m. According to Barton, arrangements are being made for a memorial service in Georgia that will be held early in the new year. Details will be forthcoming.
 
In addition to his wife, Katrina, and sister, Demaris Farrell, Ceccoli is survived by his mother, Helen Ceccoli; a brother, Joseph Ceccoli; and three nephews and nieces.
 
Donations to the Michael P. Fisher Cardiac Intensive Care unit are requested in lieu of flowers.
 
Donations can be sent to:
 
Attn: D. Lee
Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta
Michael P. Fisher Cardiac Intensive Care Unit
1687 Tullie Circle NE
Atlanta, GA 30329