This auction news roundup includes details about United Auto Credit's 2022 Auction of the Year Award recipient as well as the recent, robust successes of Auction Academy’s Class Group 7.
To recognize “exceptional performance and dedication of the team,” United Auto Credit gave its 2022 Auction of the Year Award to DAA Las Vegas.
“We are honored to receive this recognition from United Auto Credit,” DAA Las Vegas general manager Joe LeMonds said in a news release.
“Our team is dedicated to providing the highest level of service and support to our customers, and it is gratifying to see that hard work and dedication recognized in this way. We look forward to continuing our partnership with United Auto Credit, building on our success in the years to come,” added LeMonds, who runs the operation that’s part of the McConkey Auction Group.
“DAA Las Vegas has consistently exceeded our expectations and has been a valuable partner in our remarketing efforts,” United Auto Credit director of asset remarketing Scott Mousaw said in the news release.
“Their commitment to excellence and customer service is evident in the results they have achieved, and we are thrilled to recognize them with this award,” Mousaw said.
Auction Academy students receive industry promotions
Auction Academy is like other institutions of higher education, cheering how students graduates are progressing up the ranks of their professional careers.
Auction Academy president Penny Wanna recently highlighted Class Group 7 is making its mark on the remarketing industry, as four of its members have recently been promoted to significant management positions. That quartet includes:
—Houston Gordon as assistant general manager at Greensboro Auto Auction
—Danny McNelis as director auction relationships at NextGear Capital
—Stacy Brown as vice president of digital sales at Dealers Auto Auction Group
—Chris Karwoski as assistant vice president of reconditioning operations at Manheim/Cox Automotive
“It is exciting to see Auction Academy students and graduates progress in their careers as they pursue intensive industry training with Auction Academy,” said Wanna, who oversees the continuing education program developed by TPC Management Co. (TPC). “We congratulate these four members of Class Group 7 on their promotions and know they’ll contribute a high level of skill and professionalism to their respective companies.”
Wanna mentioned that these promotions follow three others that were announced earlier in the Class Group 7 term, including:
—Becky Anderson as president CARS Recon
—Whitney Gerkin as associate vice president of operational excellence at Manheim/Cox Automotive
—Andrew Schaefer as general manager at Indiana Auto Auction.
Class Group 7 has posted more advancements while in session than any previous group, according to Auction Academy.
“From the beginning we have been impressed with the skill and devotion exhibited by the those who have pursued industry training through Auction Academy,” Auction Academy co-founder and CEO Pierre Pons said.
“It’s a great pleasure for all of us involved to work with them, to watch their progress at the companies they work for, and to observe the impact they are making on the remarketing industry,” Pons went on to say.
Auction Academy is for professionals in the auto auction industry. Its two-year program provides a training and development experience for auto 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, technical certifications and work with industry experts in all areas of auto auction operations.
For additional information about Auction Academy, contact Wanna by telephone at (615) 591-4544 or by email at [email protected]. Or visit the website at www.auctionacademy.net.
This week, the remarketing division at Westlake Financial announced its 2022 Auction of the Year Awards, recognizing a nationwide honoree as well as five regional accolade recipients.
In recognition of the “incredible” performances this past year, Westlake gave its 2022 Nationwide Auction of the Year Award to Rawls Auto Auction.
“Rawls Auto Auction is proud to be named Westlake Financial’s Sale of the Year for 2022,” Rawls Auto Auction general manager and owner Julianne Rawls said in a news release from Westlake. “Rawls has been privileged to be in partnership with Westlake for over a decade and has won multiple awards from them during this time.
“Our team’s work ethic, dedication, and commitment to excellence and customer service are unmatched. We look forward to many more years of success with Westlake Financial,” Rawls continued.
And Westlake’s 2022 top regional auction performers included:
Midwest Region: ADESA Lexington
South Central Region: 166 Auto Auction
Northeast Region: Southern Auto Auction
Southwest Region: Dealers Auto Auction Southwest
Pacific Region: ADESA Golden Gate
“Congratulations to Rawls Auto Auction and our five top Regional Auction performers,” Westlake Financial vice president of remarketing William Walters said. “We at Westlake Financial are pleased to recognize the incredible value created by our auction partners and the outstanding efforts made by the Rawls Auto Auction team in 2022.”
These awards recognize the top-performing auctions based on various sale and service metrics throughout 2022.
“Westlake is proud to be working with some of the leading auto auctions in the nation. I am happy to see our fantastic partners’ continued success and growth this year and look forward to seeing what we can achieve together in 2023,” Westlake Financial chief financial officer Paul Kerwin said.
Westlake Financial remarketing partners with auctions nationwide to sell thousands of used vehicles to auto dealers.
To learn more about Westlake Remarketing, visit: https://www.westlakefinancial.com/additional-services/Remarketing/.
McConkey Auction Group said Tuesday it has promoted Aaron McConkey, who has been the group’s vice president of strategic technology since 2021, to the role of assistant general manager of its DAA Seattle location.
In his VP role at MAG, he has worked out of the DAA Seattle location in Auburn, Wash., the past two years, after eight years at Auction Edge.
In the new role, McConkey will work alongside DAA Seattle GM Dave Blake on the auction’s leadership team.
David Pendergraft, MAG chief operating officer, said in a news release: “Aaron grew up in this industry and he understands the challenges and opportunities technology presents to our customers and team members. He possesses the knowledge, experience, and relationship skills that are instrumental in helping DAA Seattle maximize the impact of its recent growth.”
McConkey added: “I am super excited to join DAA Seattle’s management team. It’s been fun to watch this auction and team see such incredible growth this last year, and I'm honored to now be a part of it.
“I hope that my background in running software teams brings a fresh perspective to our auction organization, and I can’t wait to see what's in store for DAA Seattle and MAG Auctions in general,” he said.
Manheim announced a new general manager for its Manheim Lakeland location on Monday, as well as a new assistant vice president of reconditioning operations for the East and Southeast.
Promoted to the Lakeland GM role was Catherine Woodall, who previously held the aforementioned recon AVP role.
Chris Karwoski, who was most recently assistant GM at Manheim Statesville, has taken on the AVP of reconditioning operations for the East and Southeast.
Woodall has been with Cox Enterprises for 22 years, while Karwoski has been with Cox Automotive for nearly a decade.
“With 2023 expected to be another unpredictable year for the industry and wholesale space, clients and team members will continue to look to strong leaders like Catherine and Chris to help navigate their businesses and the opportunities that lie ahead,” said Patrick Brennan, senior vice president of the company’s marketplace unit, in a news release.
America’s Group and two of its auctions have taken home a few awards this year in the annual auction awards program at C&F Finance Company and C&F Remarketing.
The overall group was named C&F Finance Company’s National Auction of the Year, while America’s Auto Auction Virginia Beach earned C&F Remarketing’s Auction of the Year honors and America’s Auto Auction Savannah earned recognition as C&F Remarketing’s Southeast Auction of the Year.
“Congratulations to America’s Auto Auction for receiving C&F Finance Company’s National Auction of the Year award. They have been our top auction group for the last four years,” said Mike Wilson, who is executive vice president and chief operating officer at C&F Finance Company and C&F Remarketing.
“In addition, America’s Auto Auction Virginia Beach was C&F Remarketing’s Auction of the Year,” Wilson added. “ America’s Auto Auction Savannah received the Southeast Auction of the Year award from C&F Remarketing for the threepeat! We are thankful for the great partnership and friendship that we have with our America’s Auto Auction partners across the country and look forward to another award-winning year in 2023.”
Jennifer Leocardi, the auction group’s vice president of institutional sales, added, “Our Virginia Beach and Savannah teams are truly honored to receive the Auction of the Year and Southeast Auction of the Year awards from C&F Remarketing. Our auction teams take pride in providing our clients with exceptional customer service and helping them achieve their remarketing goals.
“Our group is ecstatic to be named National Auction of the Year,” she added. “We value the partnership we have C&F Finance Company and appreciate the recognition.”
Auto Remarketing has learned and parent company Carvana has confirmed that ADESA president John Hammer is leaving the company Friday.
Hammer has been named the CEO of Spectrum Automotive Holdings Corp., according to a news release from Spectrum, and will start Feb. 6.
“John’s dedication to his team and customers has been instrumental in building ADESA into an industry leader,” Carvana founder and CEO Ernie Garcia said in a statement. “He has made a significant contribution to Carvana and I thank him for his friendship and advice during the integration of our two companies.”
Mike Caggiano of ADESA U.S operations and Jay Bahel of ADESA strategy and analytics will co-lead the ADESA business unit.
Hammer succeeds Jim Polley at Spectrum Automotive Holdings. Polley will remain on the Spectrum board.
“We are excited to welcome John Hammer as CEO and expect him to have a tremendous impact on the continued progress we are making growing Spectrum's platform,” Polley said in a news release. “We expect this to be a smooth and successful transition.”
Hammer has been ADESA’s president since 2018, re-joining then-ADESA parent KAR Global after serving as CEO of U.S. Auto Sales from 2016-2018.
Hammer was president and chief operating officer of KAR’s Automotive Finance Corp. from 2009 to 2014, and was promoted to AFC CEO and president in 2014.
KAR sold its U.S. ADESA auctions to Carvana in 2022.
In this special episode of the Auto Remarketing Podcast, we feature a discussion at Used Car Week between Copart's Yoker Vidal and Dennis Weber about "The Future of Auction Remarketing."
Stay tuned for more podcasts from UCW panel discussions as they become available.
To listen to the conversation, click on the link available below.
Download and subscribe to the Auto Remarketing Podcast on iTunes.
America’s Group has named a chief operating officer. The company, which includes America’s Auto Auction and AXLE Funding, has hired Paul Evans for the COO role.
Evans’ background includes time as interim CEO and board director of Hill International, chief financial officer and treasurer at MYR Group, board director at GameStop, and CFO and board director for Seven Multi-Site Solutions.
“As we continue to grow, we are focused on building our capabilities and our team,” America’s Group CEO Chuck Tapp said in a news release. “We are thrilled that Paul is joining us and believe that with his experience and expertise, we will accelerate our push to redefine the used vehicle remarketing industry.”
Evans added: “I am honored to join America’s Group and am eager to forge new paths within this growing and evolving industry. I believe in AAA’s strategy and am confident that we can execute and continue providing differentiated services to our customers across the country.”
America’s Group announced in December that then-CEO Cam Hitchcock would be stepping down from his post and retiring from the company on Dec. 31.
Tapp, who had been executive vice president and chief revenue officer, succeeded Hitchcock as CEO.
In this special episode of the Auto Remarketing Podcast, we feature the High Performance Auto Auctions panel discussion from Used Car Week in November in San Diego.
Moderated by Cherokee Media Group's Bill Zadeits, this panel features Tommy Rogers of BSC America, David Andrews of Dealers Auto Auction Group, Matt Trapp of Manheim, John Hammer of ADESA and Sawyer Walker of America's Auto Auction Group.
Stay tuned for more podcasts from UCW panel discussions as they become available.
To listen to the conversation, click on the link available below, or visit the Auto Remarketing Podcast page.
Download and subscribe to the Auto Remarketing Podcast on iTunes or on Google Play.
As an added benefit for Cherokee Media Group Premium Members, we are offering special episodes of the Auto Remarketing Podcast featuring general sessions from Used Car Week in November.
Our next special episode features the "Auction Technology Part II: Auctions Executives on Tech’s Online and In-Lane Roles" panel discussion, which included Jaime Kruss of IAA, Kelly McAllister of America's Auto Auction, Ed Berkowitz of Cox Automotive, Jay Bahel of ADESA, Chris Angelicchio of ServNet and Scott Booker of Copart.
To listen to the podcast …
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