FRANKLIN, Tenn. -

Auction Academy held its first ever “joint session” early last month as the two current class groups — the Managers Group and the Next Generation/Sons and Daughters Group — traveled with the Auction Academy staff to the Baltimore and Washington D.C. areas for a series of training programs.

Organizers recapped that the session began with presentations by Frank Hackett of the National Auto Auction Association as well as Todd August of the Avis/Budget Group.

The next day the group spent the entire day at the headquarters of the National Automobile Dealers Association in McLean, Va., where participants attended a customized program called “Through the Eyes of the Dealer,” led by NADA Academy instructor Les Abrams.

That evening the Nichols Family of BSC America Auctions hosted the group in Annapolis, Md.

The event concluded with a day at BSC America’s corporate headquarters for a review of the company’s remarketing programs and tours of its auction facilities, including the specialty and salvage sale at nearby Clayton Station, marshaling operations, and Bel Air Auto Auction.

Bob Graham, ARI’s vice president of remarketing closed the session with a thorough review of the commercial leasing process.

“The Baltimore session was a very intensive two day program designed to thoroughly immerse the students in the functions of franchise dealership operations,” Auction Academy president Dick Curtis said.

“In the end, auto auctions are in the business of serving auto dealers, so everything these managers and next generation leaders can learn about how dealers work and think is of great benefit,” Curtis continued.

For the summer sessions, organizers highlighted that the Auction Academy goes back to separate class groups with the managers group heading to Spokane, Wash., in July to be part of one of the largest auction promotional events held each year: DAA Northwest’s Rock & Roll Sale, which features REO Speedwagon this year.

The academy explained the Session will combine classroom time with hands-on work at the auction during the two-day event.

Meanwhile, the Next Generation/Sons & Daughters Class Group will attend its summer session in Dallas in conjunction with the IARA Summer Roundtable in August.

“The acceptance and cooperation for Auction Academy from both within and outside the auto auction industry has been overwhelmingly positive,” Curtis said. “We sincerely feel programs like this help to ensure the viability of the auto auction process as a cornerstone for vehicle remarketing well into the next generation.”

The Auction Academy is a continuing education program developed by TPC Management for professionals in the  auction industry. It provides a two-year training and development experience for auction professionals, structured like an executive MBA program.

With faculty drawn from expert practitioners around the country, Auction Academy’s programs are designed to enhance essential skill sets, promote best practices and yield better auction performance. The curriculum includes site visits, field trips and work with industry experts in all areas of auction operations.

For additional information about Auction Academy, contact Randall McCathren by email:  rmccathren@auctionacademy.net or by telephone at (615) 383-1930 or visit the website www.auctionacademy.net.

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