FRANKLIN, Tenn. -
Three members of the ServNet Auction Group have purchased additional auction locations, and one of these facilities will mark its debut sale later this week.
Wade Walker and his family, who owns Sparkling City Auto Auction of Corpus Christi, Texas, are hosting the inaugural sale at Sparkling City Auto Auction of San Antonio on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the Brasher family opened up Brasher’s San Jose Auto Auction this summer in California. Also, the group of auctions composed of DAA Northwest and Kansas City Independent Auto Auction will welcome a new auction, El Paso Independent Auto Auction, toward the end of the year.
“These may be challenging times in the industry, but they are also exciting times, and ServNet auctions are proving once again that they have the experience and commitment to succeed, build and grow," noted Jeff Brasher, ServNet’s president.
He continued: “ServNet auctions are moving forward, building market share and developing new opportunities for buyers and sellers.”
Breaking it down, officials shared more details about each new auction, beginning with the new Sparkling City facility.
Sparkling City Auto Auction of San Antonio
This location was built in 2008 and the Walker family bought it last summer, officials noted. It will have two lanes; however, there are plans to add three more soon.
Weekly sales will be held on Wednesdays. Walker’s daughter, Ashley Dietze, and her husband, Weldon Dietze, will manage the San Antonio location. Managing the Corpus Christi facility will be Ace Walker, Wade Walker’s son.
Wade Walker will go back and forth between the two facilities so he can be at each auction on its respective sale days.
“Ever since I opened the Corpus Christi auction, my customers told me that there was a need for a good, strong independent auction in the San Antonio area and urged me to open an auction there,” Wade Walker noted.
“In Corpus, we have 400 to 500 dealers within a 45-mile radius; in San Antonio, there are 10 times that many,” he continued. “When the opportunity came to purchase this facility, it didn’t take us long to decide it was time to expand and offer ServNet’s brand of superior service in San Antonio.”
El Paso Independent Auto Auction
As far as this facility, Bob McConkey, Greg Mahugh and Ron Kemp own the greenfield site in this Texas city. When it debuts later this year, Robert Sullivan will head up the launch. He will also be national accounts manager for EPI.
The auction’s customer base will be the Southwestern U.S. and northern Mexico.
“The El Paso market is a prime opportunity for us,” McConkey stated. "The city itself is an excellent site for an auto auction, with a stable employment base and a vibrant business environment, fed by the federal government, the military and the more than 70 Fortune 500 companies that call El Paso home.
“The area has been under-served, so we have a tremendous opportunity to serve dealers and institutional accounts that have been transporting their vehicles out of the area,” he continued.
McConkey added: “We’re committed to providing dealers and national accounts with the same levels of service and performance that they’ve grown accustomed to from both DAA and KCI, and we are thrilled to be working with two industry pros to make that happen.
“Ron Kemp, who will oversee the operation as general manager, is well known in the auction and remarketing world, and knows this market well,” he further noted. “We are also very pleased to have Bob Sullivan on our team; his years of experience and his business philosophy are a tremendous asset to us, both as we put our operation in place and serve national accounts.”
Brasher’s San Jose Auto Auction
Continuing on, this auction serves as a satellite auction of Brasher’s Sacramento Auto Auction and made its debut sale this summer.
It has four lanes and its weekly sales are on Thursdays, where new- and used-vehicle dealer consignments and rental car returns are for sale.
“We have long looked at the San Jose market as a great opportunity to serve the new and used car dealers in the Bay Area,” stated John Brasher. “With real estate values being what they are, we determined that this was an excellent time to launch an auction to serve dealers in the heart of San Jose."
Gary Mobley leads the auction’s management team, John Brasher noted.
“Gary is known throughout the industry as a true professional, a man of tremendous experience and reputation who knows how to run an auto auction,” John Brasher stated. “He is a great find for us at Brasher’s, and shares our dedication to superior customer service.”