CARY, N.C. -

Like it has with so many other industries, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused a major shift at auto auctions over the last seven months.

Whether that’s putting a greater emphasis on digital sales and not running cars through the lanes — as has been the case with the industry’s two largest corporate auction houses, Manheim and ADESA — or running in-lane sales with social distancing protocols, 2020 has been a year of change in how auctions operate.

In a sense, the same could be said for the organization that represents them.

Typically, this feature profiling the incoming president of the National Auto Auction Association would arrive with the group set to hold its annual convention, and its leadership having toured member auctions throughout the year.

But this is no typical year, and NAAA has had to pivot.

To get a sense of that shift, Auto Remarketing connected with 2020 NAAA president Laura Taylor and incoming president Julie Picard over Zoom in late August.

Safety remains key

Entering her presidency, Taylor’s top priority was safety, with live training programs scheduled for the spring CAR Conference and plans to carry the training beyond managers and owners.

How the importance of safety has manifested itself has changed.

“Workplace violence and safety was on top on everybody’s mind. Well, with COVID striking, it brought out an even different realization of how important this program was going to be. The first direction we went in, we thought it was not quite what we were looking for as far as an active shooter (training session), so we came up with active threat preparedness,” Taylor said

NAAA has been mindful of how a pandemic and its subsequent furloughs, terminations and illnesses, can have on one’s well-being.

“It’s really heightened awareness of things to look for that will pinpoint maybe something we can do to help recognize and intervene before a situation occurs,” Taylor said.

And at the top of NAAA’s webpage is a 13-page document titled “Active Threat Preparedness Plan.”

The “Purpose and Objectives” section of that plan states:

“A priority of the National Auto Auction Association is to assist member auctions in providing a safe workplace for employees, customers, and guests. The Active Threat Preparedness Plan will assist auction members with a training guide to educate staff in preparing for potential risks in the workplace.

“Active Threat training is to provide staff education and planning for:

• The events leading up to and during an active threat (what to look for)

• How to react during an active threat/shooting

• Communication of any suspicious or unusual activity

“The goal is to Be Alert, Not Alarmed.”

And in May, NAAA made a pair of resources available to help members as they navigate the challenges of orchestrating sales and serving their consignor and dealership clients while the coronavirus pandemic continues.

Along with an informational video, NAAA distributed an 18-page document titled, “Playbook: Auction Start-up, Response to COVID-19.”

In addition to safety resources, NAAA has also educated its members about financial relief measures they can utilize. It conducted a webinar with the South Carolina director of the U.S. Small Business Administration to explain the steps auctions need to take for PPP loans and other relief packages, Taylor said.

Staying in touch 

Usually, the NAAA leadership would spend much of the year visiting various auctions around the country, keeping abreast of industry issues and keeping in touch with its membership.

In lieu of in-person visits, Taylor and Picard have found other ways of staying in contact with NAAA members.

“Some of the things that I’ve done are actually make phone calls to the members. a lot of them are my dear friends, so of course we checked up to make sure that families were doing good,” Taylor said. “A lot of them had questions, so they would call and ask what we were doing.”

Taylor has also turned to avenues like podcast appearances, webinars, eblasts and even handwritten cards.

And of course, lots of Zoom calls.

Though she acknowledges that “it’s not the same” as in-person visits, Taylor says she has been impressed with the “phenomenal” way the industry has handled a challenging year.

“There may be a shortage in inventory, but the conversion rates have been through the roof,” she said. “Everybody’s really busy trying to stay safe, get everything together that they need. So, we’ve not wanted to overwhelm them with a lot of information.

“But we’ve tried to get as much out there as possible, what we deem necessary for them to be able to look at and follow,” Taylor said. “Hats off to them, though; they’ve really handled this year quite well.”

Picard, NAAA’s president-elect, said that while it has been “disappointing” to not visit as many auctions as she would have liked to in 2020, “but like all of us making our way through this COVID-19 epidemic, we’ve had to rely more on the phone calls, the (Microsoft) Teams meetings, Zoom to keep the lines of communication going. Until which time we’re able to travel to auction locations and attend in-person conferences, I intend to continue to communicate with our members virtually.”

Picard added: “I am currently creating a virtual meeting list with myself and soon-to-be president-elect Charles Nichols and we’ll host weekly meetings with the NAAA members, clients and various industry partners. And we’ll also continue to communicate important industry information through NAAA emails and On the Block.”

Leadership transition

Oct. 8 is NAAA’s official “Presidential Transition Day.” As she takes on the mantle of NAAA leadership, Picard said her top priority will be diversity and inclusion, particularly, but not limited to, bringing more women into the industry.

“It’s definitely an area that, I think, continues to need a lot of focus. First in getting more women and others interested in our business is extremely important,” Picard said. “We need to focus on the recruitment, development and retention of the women, improved opportunities for women and the like. And greater recognition.

“I think this industry, as Laura (Taylor) knows, is an amazing career for women, whichever path you take — operations, finance, reconditioning. You see auto techs out there now that are females,” she said. “And I just think there needs to be a continued focus in that area to continue to get great women, strong women that love the industry the way that Laura and I do and are passionate about the success of being in the industry long-term at every level of the organization.

“Not just the top, not just in miscellaneous functions (or) entry-level (positions), but actually throughout the entire organization,” she said. “And to see continued career paths for women and truthfully, people of color — all diversity is included in this.

“Just sprinkle our industry with great talent,” she said. “That’s going to mean that we have to show up a little bit differently.”

For example, interviewer panels. You might have a diversity in the candidate pool, but if the same people are on the interview committees over and over, “you’re never going to end up with anything different,” she said.

Picard said that there is “a lot of work to do here, but I’m excited about it. And truthfully, I think most people in the industry are excited about the opportunity that we have in these areas.”

Speaking of jobs and bringing new people into the auction industry, NAAA launched AutoAuctionJobs.com last year, with the aim of connecting job seekers with NAAA member auctions with positions to fill.

“As we learn more what post-COVID auto auctions need to be, I think it will be an opportunity for us to expand this website to also cover any additional auto auction opportunities that are out there,” Picard said.

As far as changing skill sets in the auction industry, Picard said; “Like most businesses these days, it’s very important to employ individuals, truthfully, that are comfortable with constant change. Because our industry continues to change by the minute. And as we become more digitized, it allows easier centralization of many of these auction functions, which will allow us to provide a better, more consistent experience for our clients. But this changes the look of auto auctions, as Laura mentioned, how we once knew them.

“As we continue to invest in technology and in our reconditioning facilities in order to better serve new and, truthfully, existing clients, the need for automotive technicians, it doubled,” she said. “And reconditioning roles will continue to be a large focus for all of us as we move forward, because there’s a lot of opportunity on the recon side of the business with the emergence of more fleets, etc.”

Also on Picard’s agenda is continuing NAAA’s safety efforts and continuing to make improvements in auction safety. She also emphasized innovation in the digital and vehicle information spaces as well as creating more efficiencies throughout the industry.

For more with Picard and Taylor, see the below episode of the Auto Remarketing Podcast, recorded this summer.