Louisiana’s 1st Choice Auto Auction (LFCAA) has earned the inaugural 2016 Southern Auction of the Year Award from the National Auto Auction Association, which is celebrating National Auto Auction Week through Friday.
Hammond, La.-based LFCAA is one of four auctions from each of NAAA’s membership regions to win the award, which offers excellence in community service. Each regional chapter award winner receives $5,000, to be donated at the auction’s discretion.
The NAAA’s National Auction of the Year Award will go to one of these four regional award winners. The auction that earns the national honor will receive an additional $10,000 to be donated to the charity or charities of its choice. In addition, NAAA’s On the Block magazine will feature a January 2017 cover story about the auction and its charitable efforts.
The auction will also be on the cover of the 2017 NAAA Member Directory. The National Auction of the Year winner will be announced Nov. 17 during the Presidential Gala at the NAAA Convention/National Remarketing Conference.
NAAA Southern Chapter president Laura Taylor said LFCAA’s community efforts are well-known, and she said it is her pleasure to announce them as the award winner during National Auto Auction Week.
“There were so many auctions in our region that do so much for the communities in which they reside, so it’s truly an honor for Louisiana’s 1st Choice Auto Auction to have been selected for this inaugural award,” said Taylor, Charleston Auto Auction general manager. “Everyone from the chapter wishes them well, and are very pleased they will represent the Southern Chapter for the first Southern Auction of the Year Award.”
“We want to congratulate Louisiana’s 1st Choice Auto Auction and thank those involved at the auction who consistently give unselfishly of their time, effort, and money to so many wonderful community service organizations,” said NAAA president Mike Browning, who added that he is pleased to be president during the creation of this award.
LFCAA’s numerous charitable efforts include Little Angels Foundation; fundraising bake sales in support for free breast cancer screenings; sharing dog food coupons for LFCAA team members; sponsoring another team for a Rotary Club charity race; collecting soda can pop tops to donate to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital; and donating Christmas gift baskets to Samaritan’s Purse.
LFCAA estimates more than $400,000 has been raised for these and many other charities and service organizations in the region over the 14 years that the auction has been in operation.
NAAA chief executive officer Frank Hackett said this award is designed to not only honor the efforts of NAAA members, but to boost awareness of the many worthy causes that auctions around the country support.
“I’m continually pleased to see the efforts our member auctions take to support their local community’s charities and service organizations,” Hackett said. “If we can play a small role in helping them help others, it’s a very good result.”
West Michigan Auto Auction has earned the inaugural 2016 Midwest Auction of the Year Award from the National Auto Auction Association, which is celebrating National Auto Auction Week from Monday through Friday.
The Wayland, Mich.-based auction is one of four auctions from each of NAAA’s membership regions to win the award. Each regional chapter award winner receives $5,000, to be donated at the auction’s discretion.
The NAAA’s National Auction of the Year Award will go to one of those four regional award winners. The auction that earns the national honor will receive an additional $10,000 for its philanthropic efforts. In addition, NAAA’s On the Block magazine will feature a January 2017 cover story about the auction and its charitable efforts.
The auction will also be on the cover of the 2017 NAAA Member Directory. The National Auction of the Year winner will be announced on Nov. 17, during the Presidential Gala at the NAAA Convention/National Remarketing Conference.
NAAA Midwest Chapter President Jason Cotton said West Michigan Auto Auction’s efforts have helped so many people and have been an inspiration to many. He said he felt honored to be able to announce them as the award winner during National Auto Auction Week.
“West Michigan Auto Auction stands out for their efforts, and we are pleased they will represent the Midwest Chapter for the inaugural Midwest Auction of the Year Award,” said Cotton, Dyer Auto Auction Vice President of Business Development. “Everyone from the Midwest Chapter wishes them well.”
“We want to congratulate West Michigan Auto Auction and thank those involved at the auction who consistently give unselfishly of their time, effort, and money to so many wonderful community service organizations,” said NAAA President Mike Browning, who added that he is pleased to be president during the creation of this new award.
WMAA engages in numerous charitable and community service activities, a highlight of which was an employee who befriended a dealer client and later donated a kidney to the man.
Other efforts include raising $42,000 for the family of a Michigan auction worker who died in a car accident and each year holding a memorial ride for his family’s continued support. WMAA raised $12,000 for a dealer client whose wife contracted terminal cancer, and the amount raised was matched by the auction. Numerous vehicle repairs for financially challenged individuals in the community also have been made. Other efforts include charity golf sponsorships, food pantry collections, and raising $3,000 for a nonprofit that donates water filtration systems to countries where people don’t have access to clean water.
For the past eight years, WMAA has donated $100 for each vehicle sold in a special lane for "Rights for Kids," a service organization that provides underprivileged children with a safe environment and opportunities to develop for future success.
NAAA chief executive officer Frank Hackett said this award is designed to not only honor the efforts of NAAA members, but to boost awareness of the many worthy causes that auctions around the country support.
“I’m continually pleased to see the efforts our member auctions take to support their local community’s charities and service organizations,” Hackett said. “If we can play a small role in helping them help others, it’s a very good result.”
ADESA Winnipeg has earned the inaugural 2016 Eastern Auction of the Year Award from the National Auto Auction Association, which is celebrating National Auto Auction Week from Monday through Friday.
ADESA Winnipeg — located in Winnipeg, Manitoba — is one of four auctions from each of NAAA’s membership regions to win the award, which honors excellence in community service. Each regional chapter award winner will receive $5,000 to be donated to the charity or charities of its choice.
The NAAA’s National Auction of the Year Award will go to one of these four regional award winners. The national honoree will receive an additional $10,000 to be donated at the auction's discretion. In addition, NAAA’s On the Block magazine will feature a January 2017 cover story about the auction and its charitable efforts.
The auction will also be on the cover of the 2017 NAAA Member Directory. The National Auction of the Year winner will be announced on Nov. 17, during the Presidential Gala at the NAAA Convention/National Remarketing Conference.
NAAA Eastern Chapter president Charles Nichols said the award for ADESA Winnipeg is truly an honor, as it came by way of a vote from the auction’s peers. He said it was his pleasure to announce the award during National Auto Auction Week.
“ADESA Winnipeg displayed the kind of dedication and support to the community and its employees that make us proud to be members of this industry and this outstanding association,” said Nichols, president of the BSCAmerica Auction Group.
“We want to congratulate ADESA Winnipeg and thank those involved at the auction who consistently give unselfishly of their time, effort and money to so many wonderful community service organizations,” said NAAA president Mike Browning, who added he was pleased to be president during the creation of this award.
ADESA Winnipeg engages in myriad community service and charitable activities, on all levels. In 2011 for instance, ADESA Winnipeg’s 24th annual Golden Gavel Golf Classic and Charity Auction raised $250,000 for Variety, the Children’s Charity of Manitoba, the most money raised in a single day — worldwide — in the charity’s history. The auction also sponsors Variety’s Bids for Kids Charity Auctions, where donated vehicles are auctioned off and the proceeds help improve the lives of Manitoba’s children.
ADESA Winnipeg employees have donated their time and raised more than $3 million in the past year for such organizations as Ducks Unlimited, the Dream Factory, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, the Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (Lou Gehrig’s Disease) Association, the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America and United Way, as well as local charitable organizations.
From January through June, the auction supported 31 charity events for causes such as a health science center, a clinic, Ronald McDonald houses, the local symphony, cancer care, the local ballet, Special Olympics, the Make-A-Wish foundation, freshwater fisheries, a veterans’ organization and a children’s hospital.
NAAA chief executive officer Frank Hackett said this award is designed to not only honor the efforts of NAAA members, but to boost awareness of the many worthy causes that auctions around the country support.
“I’m continually pleased to see the efforts our member auctions take to support their local community’s charities and service organizations,” Hackett said. “If we can play a small role in helping them help others, it’s a very good result.”
John Kett, president and chief executive officer of Insurance Auto Auctions Inc., received the Pat Dalton Outstanding Achievement Award during the 52nd. annual SkillsUSA National Leqadership and Skills Conference in June.
The award was presented before a crowd of 12,000 during the opening ceremony of the conference, which was held in Louisville, Ky.
The award, which is named after a highly respected volunteer leader for SkillsUSA, honors members of the Youth Development Foundation Committee who exhibit a high level of personal and professional commitment to SkillsUSA.
"John and IAA have been among SkillsUSA’s most passionate corporate champions," said Tim Lawrence, executive director of SkillsUSA. “John has played a vital role not only in forming the relationship, but also helping it flourish."
"I am honored to receive this recognition from such an outstanding organization," Kett said. "My involvement with the mission and work of SkillsUSA is tremendously satisfying. There is no better reward than seeing combined efforts yield benefits for young people as they acquire the technical skills they need to succeed and progress in their careers."
Kett became CEO of IAA in 2014 after filling a variety of executive roles for more than 12 years. He serves on committees for SkillsUSA, CEO Connection and is a member of the Economic Club of Chicago. Kett has also held senior financial roles at Central Steel and Wire Co., Safelite Glass Corp., Newark Electronics and Deloitte LLP.
He holds a master’s degree from Northwestern University and a bachelor's degree from Northern Illinois University, and also is a member of the SkillsUSA Foundation.
Following a study conducted by the Best Companies Group, Auto Remarketing has announced the honorees in the inaugural Best Auto Auctions to Work For.
Auto Remarketing, teaming with Best Companies Group (BCG) in Pennsylvania, underwrote the workplace study.
BCG staff administered all of the surveys, then analyzed the data from the group of auctions choosing to participate and developed metrics and standards based on that data to determine which auctions would be named to the list of Best Auto Auctions to Work For.
It’s either pass or fail, and ONLY those auctions that passed were included in the results, which are unranked.
For an auction to have been considered, the general manager/leader of the auction had to opt in.
Manheim and ADESA supported and participated in the Best Auctions study by including a sample group of their auto auction locations from across the country.
“Congratulations to everyone earning Best Auto Auctions to Work For. It’s a great accomplishment and something you should take pride in,” said Auto Remarketing publisher Bill Zadeits. “We would also like to thank all the auctions who participated and the Best Companies Group. This is a great list of leading auto auctions and we hope we can build on it for years to come.”
The 2016 Best Auto Auctions to Work For honorees are listed below, alphabetically:
Lori Wittman, senior vice president of sales and finance and insurance solutions for Cox Automotive, was recognized as one of 2016’s Women Who Mean Business by the Kansas City Business Journal.
The company highlighted this exclusive list honors female entrepreneurs and executives for their outstanding professional accomplishments and for their contributions to the Kansas City community. Wittman is one of 25 women selected from a competitive field of more than 140 applicants.
Wittman was selected for her professional accomplishments as a Cox Automotive executive, as well as for her commitment to volunteerism. She joined VinSolutions in 2013 as vice president of operations with 20 years of cross-industry technology and business operations experience. Today, Wittman is responsible for the strategic direction and financial success of the dealer-facing portions of Cox Automotive’s F&I holdings, as well as VinSolutions.
In her three years at VinSolutions, she has encouraged a culture of service, from the company's annual participation in the St. Jude Walk/Run to End Childhood Cancer, to its “No Excuses” volunteerism program during the month of March. She is also a past board member at The Children’s Place, a child advocacy service center.
“We’re extremely proud of Lori for this well-deserved recognition,” said Keith Jezek, president of retail solutions at Cox Automotive. “Her leadership has enabled Cox Automotive to deliver innovative new solutions to our customers, and she has been instrumental in achieving VinSolutions' continued year-over-year growth. I anticipate more outstanding achievements from Lori in the years to come.”
Wittman also was among the 2015 Women in Remarketing honorees, who are highlighted during a special ceremony at Used Car Week. The 2016 contingment will be coming to this year’s Used Car Week, which is set for Nov. 14-18 at the Red Rock Resort and Casino in Las Vegas.
In reacting to this latest accolade, Wittman added, “I’m honored to be listed among such inspiring women making a difference in Kansas City.
“The best innovations come from diversity of thought, and the women on this list are bringing that diversity and innovation to the business world,” she went on to say.
A full profile of this year's Women Who Mean Business will appear in the Aug. 26 edition of the Kansas City Business Journal, both in print and online. Honorees will be recognized at a luncheon at the Overland Park Convention Center at 11 a.m. CDT that same day.
The 100 Best Workplaces for Millennials listing released by Fortune and the Great Place to Work Institute this week included a half dozen companies with connections to the used-vehicle industry.
Officials explained that rankings for the 100 Best Workplaces for Millennials are based entirely upon employee feedback. The automotive contingent included:
—Navy Federal Credit Union at No. 13
—Credit Acceptance at No. 20
—Mercedes-Benz Financial Services at No. 36
—CarMax at No. 41
—JM Family Enterprises at No. 45
—ARI at No. 70
To determine the list, Fortune asked Great Place to Work to survey more than 88,000 millennials (born in 1981 or later), who were asked to rate their organizations on 58 workplace quality questions. Employees considered the sincerity of managers' support for people's personal and professional lives, how transparent communication is, people's ability to be themselves at work and to invest in their lives outside work, and the meaning they get from their jobs, among many other factors.
The anonymous responses resulted in a total score for each company, which was compared to the benchmark for organizations of that size. Companies needed to employ at least 50 millennials and achieve a 95 percent confidence level and margin of error of 5 percent or less in order to be eligible.
“There are more similarities than differences when it comes to what different generations want in a great workplace,” said Michael Bush, chief executive officer of the Great Place to Work Institute.
“Our research shows that company pride, a sense of community and competent, ethical leadership can bring Millennials, Gen Xers and Baby Boomers together for a great, high-performing workplace,” Bush continued.
For both Credit Acceptance and ARI, it’s the second year in a row they’ve been honored for their catering to millennial employees.
“We are very proud to be recognized as a workplace where millennials feel they can develop, learn and grow professionally,” ARI president Chris Conroy said. “Our leadership is aware of the value and perspective that millennials bring to the workforce, and we proactively work to develop a culture where they are given opportunities to contribute and collaborate.
“We also continuously seek out ways to engage and acknowledge them, so they know that the work they do from day to day has meaning and an impact on the overall health of the company,” Conroy went on to say.
To see the entire list of the 100 Best Workplaces for Millennials, go to this website.
Ally Financial and TIME hosted a celebration last week to honor 2016 TIME Dealer of the Year winner Mary Catherine “Kitty” Van Bortel.
The TIME Dealer of the Year Award honors franchised new-vehicle dealers for exceptional performance in their dealerships and distinguished community service.
Van Bortel was selected from a group of 50 nominees across the country; her selection was announced at the National Automobile Dealers Association Convention in Las Vegas on April 1.
During the celebration event, which was held at Van Bortel Ford in East Rochester, N.Y., Van Bortel was recognized for the success of her dealership, which she started on her own with only a small investment, and for the outstanding contributions she has made to the Rochester community in supporting numerous nonprofit organizations.
“On behalf of the entire team at Ally, we are delighted to recognize Kitty Van Bortel and her efforts to make a difference in her community,” Tom Kolski, regional vice president of sales at Ally, said in a news release. “The TIME Dealer of the Year program was created to highlight dealers across the country that give back to their communities, and Kitty is a wonderful example of a business and community leader who cares deeply and gives generously.”
Van Bortel, who received a bachelor’s degree from Wells College in Aurora, N.Y., founded her first used-car dealership in the front yard of her home in Victor, N.Y., in 1985 with a $500 investment. She moved it to a 3-acre lot in 1990 and quickly gained momentum. In 1991 she was able to build a 6,000-square-foot facility in Victor to house Van Bortel Subaru, and later opened Van Bortel Ford and Van Bortel Chevrolet.
Van Bortel is passionate about giving back to the community. As an advocate of early screening and detection of breast cancer, she has supported the Breast Cancer Coalition of Rochester, speaking at numerous events and making financial contributions. In honor of her efforts, Ally presented an $11,000 grant to the Breast Cancer Coalition of Rochester.
“We are overjoyed that Kitty Van Bortel has been chosen for this prodigious recognition, and honored that she has dedicated this grant to our organization,” said Holly Anderson, executive director of the Breast Cancer Coalition of Rochester. “Kitty is a remarkable leader and an inspiration to so many people living in the aftermath of a diagnosis of breast cancer. We are tremendously grateful to her for her efforts in helping us provide quality programming and services to the thousands of survivors in our region. She is truly our hero.”
Other organizations Van Bortel supports include the National Susan B. Anthony Museum & House in Rochester; The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children; American Diabetes Association Tour de Cure (fundraising cycling event ); Warrior Salute (assists veterans as they transition back to civilian life); Victor/Farmington Food Cupboard (Thanksgiving baskets); IAC Kids: It’s About Caring for Kids (help families in the Greater Rochester region going through financial hardships due to their child’s severe illness); House of Mercy in Rochester (homeless shelter and advocacy group); Open Door Mission in Rochester (homeless shelter); Catholic Charities USA and many other local organizations.
Van Bortel has received several awards for her community service and business leadership, including the 2009 Herbert W. Vanden Brul Entrepreneurial Award from the Saunders School of Business at Rochester Institute of Technology; the 2011 Athena Award from the Women’s Council of the Rochester Business Alliance; and the 2009 Rochester Women’s Network “W” Award.
CU Recovery and The Loan Service Center — a collections resource for credit unions to minimize losses on their delinquent active loan portfolios and maximize recoveries on charged-off loans — recently announced the eight recipients of scholarships to its fall 2016 Collection Academy.
The company chose the honorees based on their submissions about the goals of their collection department and how their professional development would help achieve those objectives. The eight credit union recipients were:
—GerieLin Carpenter from Lander, Wyo., Atlantic City Federal Credit Union
—Joshua Hansen from Jonesville, Fla., Campus USA Credit Union
—Jennifer Herniak from Marion, Ind., Via Credit Union
—John Huddle from Cherryville, N.C., Carolina Federal Credit Union
—Becky Ives from Yreka, Calif., Suskiyou Central Credit Union
—Josh Nelson from Bynum, Ala., AOD Federal Credit Union
—Penny Spradley from Cherryville, N.C., Pelican State Credit Union
—Chris Wagner from Independence, Mo., City Credit Union
Recipients will receive Collection Academy tuition, lodging at the host hotel, and will be recognized during the two-and-a-half-day conference. The CU Recovery Collection Academy is held in October of each year and is a resource for continuing education to assure the success of credit union collection departments in meeting their member service and delinquency reduction goals.
“With humble gratitude and honor, from the bottom of my heart, I am truly grateful. Thank you very much for such a wonderful opportunity,” Spradley said.
CU Recovery vice president of sales and service Wendy Elieff described the process of choosing the winners who received a total of $7,200 in scholarship funds.
“The quality of the submissions was so exceptional this year that it was difficult to choose. Each of the winners demonstrated a commitment to professional development as a way to better serve their credit union members resolve debt,” Elieff said.
KAR Auction Services and Toyota Motor North America have been named to the CIO 100 list for 2016.
KAR said in a news release last week about its inclusion that the list spotlights 100 companies that are “driving business value through IT innovation.”
The winners will be recognized at the CIO 100 Symposium in August.
“Developing and implementing technology to better serve our clients, as well as our organization, plays a critical role in the business decisions and company innovation throughout our entire group of companies. KAR has worked tirelessly to build and support a multifaceted team of top tech talent to accomplish this,” Gary Watkins, KAR’s CIO of IT Shared Services, said in the release.
“We are honored to receive this prestigious technology award that further signifies the tremendous progress our team has made in creating business value through technology innovation,” he added.
