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CALEDONIA, Wis. — Celebrating 45 years of business, Manheim Milwaukee hosted a customer appreciation sale last month that was attended by more than 2,400 dealers and included close to 3,500 units for sale.

"This was a great sale for us," stated Tom Saldutte, the auction's assistant general manager.

"We attracted a lot of first-time buyers while welcoming back many old faces," he added. "Our sale ratio reflected the fact that dealers were able to get the inventory they needed."

There were also drawings for various prizes and dealers were entered into the lot if they bought or sold a vehicle during the sale. The assortment of prizes included such items as nostalgic neon signs, a snow blower and Harley-Davidson foosball table.

The auction also gave each of the dealers a specially labeled "Manheim Milwaukee 45th Anniversary" Sprecher root beer. There was a complimentary luncheon, as well, and the auction also served up rib-eye steak to roughly 320 attendees who enjoyed a customer appreciation cookout on the eve of the event.

"We were pleased to be able to mark this important milestone with our customers," Saldutte noted. "Thanks to their continued patronage, we've been able to serve this market for 45 years, and we just wanted to show our appreciation for their business."