Donlen has announced the winners of its Top Auction Awards, which the company gives annually to recognize its top auction partners that help maintain the company’s level of service in its remarketing program.
“The partnership we form with auction partners is a vital component of our remarketing program and its success,” said Dan Powers, the company’s director of vehicle remarketing. “By consistently meeting, and in many cases exceeding our performance goals, this year’s auction partners have demonstrated their commitment to our customers and to Donlen’s world-class remarketing program.”
The 2014 award winners are as follows:
- Auction of the Year: Carolina Auto Auction
- Central/Northeast Region: Manheim Milwaukee
- South/Southeast Region: Orlando Longwood Auto Auction
- West Region: ADESA Golden Gate
- Best Days to Condition Report: ABC Bowling Green
- Best Days to Sell: ADESA Colorado Springs
- Best Expense Control: Brashers Portland Auto Auction
- Best Retention Dollars: Carolina Auto Auction
More information about Donlen can be found on the company’s website.
The National Independent Automobile Dealers Association announced Thursday that ReCARnation and its owner, Marc Powell, have been recognized for business excellence with the Jack and Donna Rust Award for Excellence in Ethical Business Practice.
The Albuquerque, N.M.-based dealer, who was also recognized as the NIADA National Dealer of the Year, was presented the award at a banquet attended by more than 600 at the Hotel Albuquerque at the end of April.
ReCARnation and Powell were among five recipients out of 26 nominees selected by the University of New Mexico’s Anderson School of Management. The teams of students scrutinizes the employees, vendors, clients and corporate decision-making process as part of a semester-long course in business ethics. An independent volunteer committee consisting of state and community leaders made final decisions.
Tom Antram, the committee’s chairman, said that those who received the award demonstrated a consistent commitment to making tough choices, facing dilemmas and gray areas that might not present a clear-cut alternative between right and wrong but could affect the quality and integrity of how business is conducted on a daily basis.
“To me, that’s the core of the thrust of what ethical practice has to be — not a one-time instance but repeated practice, over and over again,” Antram said.
Powell said that “creating success for clients is core to ReCARnation’s value system and business model.”
“We want our clients to have safe, reliable and beautiful transportation without outrageous interest rate charges and the ever-present risk of repossession,” Powell concluded.
More information about Powell’s company can be found here.
InformationWeek has announced the honorees of its annual InformationWeek Elite 100, showcasing companies it sees as the most innovative users of business technology.
Six companies in the automotive sector were honored this year, including the following:
50. General Motors
61. Donlen Group
62. Toyota Motor Corp. USA Inc.
63. ARI
79. Penske Truck Leasing Co. LP
81. PACCAR Inc.
InformationWeek follows the IT practices of organizations year round, evaluating them in the areas of operations including technology deployment, IT budgets, business-technology infrastructure and IT strategies.
“You get the breakthrough ideas by mixing really painful business problems with a practical understanding of what’s possible with today’s emerging tech,” said Chris Murphy, the publication’s editor.
“We hear how every company is a technology company today, but it’s not really true. Too many still keep IT in its corner. The 2015 InformationWeek Elite 100 shows companies making tech a part of all they do, and doing so across a huge range of industries,” Murphy added.
To view the complete list of honorees, click here.
The Costco Auto Program announced Tuesday its Driving Member Satisfaction event, which will award $2,000 to a winning authorized contact and general manager team each month to thank its participating dealers and to help improve the dealers’ customer service index scores.
The first award recipient is Carol Gonzalez at Honda of Bowie in Bowie, Md., along with her general manager, Jeffrey Berlant. Honda of Bowie has been a part of the Costco Auto Program since 2008 while Berlant has been involved with the program for the last 10 years.
“For the customer who understands the value of the service, the Costco Auto Program makes it a very pleasant experience,” Berlant said. “This is something we strive for here. Next to buying house, an automobile is the second most expensive thing we buy. Over the years, it has become a very stressful process.”
The $2,000 that will be rewarded monthly will be split equally between the winning contact and their general manager. Dealers will earn one entry for every “excellent shopping experience” they receive from Costco member satisfaction surveys. Winners are selected at random from the pool of all entries at the end of each month.
More information about the Costco Auto Program can be found here.
Fiserv announced its auction award winners on Monday, and the top-performing accolade went to the same location for the second year in a row.
Taking the 2014 honor from Fiserv was Carolina Auto Auction for its continued outstanding customer service and strong sales results. Carolina AA, based in Anderson, S.C., also received this award for 2013.
Fiserv began ranking auto auctions in 2001 as a way to aid finance companies seeking the greatest potential return on their outsourcing investment. Fiserv scores auctions in order to identify qualified partners.
The National Quality Control Program scoring that Fiserv uses is based on overall sales effectiveness, operational excellence, sales preparation and marketing.
“Carolina Auto Auction is a trusted partner that works to deliver outstanding results every day,” said Jarrod Nawojski, auction sales and performance manager, Remarketing Strategies, Lending Solutions, Fiserv. “They have been a top performer in our ranking every year since 2002.”
Indiana Auto Auction in Fort Wayne, Ind., was ranked second, placing it in the top three auto auctions in each of its first three years of eligibility. Rawls Auto Auction in Leesville, S.C. ranked third overall for 2014, the first year the auction has been eligible for the Fiserv ranking since 2005.
To be eligible for the top performance designation, an auction must be a member of the National Auto Auction Association, have sold vehicles with Fiserv for the last 12 months or more, have a minimum of eight represented sale audits in the calendar year and sold more than 500 vehicles in the calendar year.
Fiserv also recognized two auctions that had the strongest performance in customer service and excellence in timeliness in 2014:
— Manheim Orlando based in Ocoee, Fla.
— Manheim Tampa based in Tampa, Fla.
Fiserv provides end-to-end solutions to the automotive market that minimize risk, expedite vehicle sales, maintain compliance and lead to higher levels of borrower satisfaction. These solutions are used by captive finance companies, banks, specialty lenders and credit unions for loan and lease origination, account servicing, loss and risk mitigation, lease maturity management and vehicle remarketing.
As part of its outsourcing model for auto finance companies, Fiserv partners with auction groups to remarket off-lease and repossessed vehicles. Fiserv managed the remarketing of more than 72,000 vehicles in 2014.
Texoma Hyundai of Sherman, Texas, ranked No. 1 in service customer satisfaction in the U.S. for 2014, marking the second year in a row the dealership was the national champion for the Hyundai brand.
The store bested more than 820 Hyundai dealerships to notch the title.
"We are proud of the service department at Texoma and its longstanding commitment to their customers. Accomplishing back-to-back wins is a rare feat," said Frank Ferrara, executive vice president of customer satisfaction, Hyundai Motor America. "Service customer satisfaction is very important to Hyundai, and we cannot build our reputation without the support of our local dealers. Receiving first-rate treatment throughout the life of their Hyundai vehicle is what our customers expect."
Hyundai’s recognition for customer satisfaction is given to the dealership that performs the best in the Hyundai Service Index (HSI) study.
The HSI study is derived from surveys of customers who had their Hyundai vehicle services in 2014.
The study also allows dealerships to identify trends, run reports and analyze cumulative customer satisfaction scores across its business and among individual employees, the company explained.
Out of 1,000 points Texoma Hyundai scored:
- Overall Hyundai Service Index – 980
- Service Initiation – 984
- Service Adviser – 989
- Service Facility – 971
- Vehicle Pickup – 983
- Service Quality – 974
Hyundai Dealers and Dealerships Honored for 2014:
- No. 1 Dealer in the Nation – Texoma Hyundai of Texas
- No. 1 Dealer in Hyundai's Central Region – Ray Skillman Southside Hyundai of Indiana
- No. 1 Dealer in Hyundai's Eastern Region – Lancaster Hyundai of Pennsylvania
- No. 1 Dealer in Hyundai's South Central Region – James Wood Hyundai of Texas
- No. 1 Dealer in Hyundai's Southern Region – Bob Mayberry Hyundai of North Carolina
- No. 1 Dealer in Hyundai's Western Region – Winn Hyundai of Santa Maria, California
Four ADESA locations have been recognized by the auction company as top annual performers for either dealer sales or online sales in their respective regions, and another location has taken home honors as Dealer Services Auction of the Year.
A post to the company’s Overdrive blog written by Keith Crerar notes that Dean Shelton and ADESA Phoenix have earned the ADESA Dealer Services Auction of the Year Award. The post also lists the following Dealer Sales MVP and Online Sales MVP awards as well:
ADESA Dealer Sales MVP West: ADESA Dallas, Alden Ireland
ADESA Dealer Sales MVP East: ADESA Jacksonville, Chris Epley
ADESA Online Sales MVP West: ADESA Little Rock, Sara Denny
ADESA Online Sales MVP East: ADESA Buffalo, Joanne Kwarciany
The complete blog entry on the award winners can be found here.
When I attended my first Used Car Week convention in November 2012, one of the most enlightening sessions I covered for Auto Remarketing was the Women in Remarketing ceremony that took place the Thursday of that week.
Looking back at the story I filed from Scottsdale, Ariz., there was one sage bit of advice from that year’s group of honorees that stands out.
Jennifer Costabile, of General Motors — a 2011 honoree — moderated the Women in Remarketing panel discussion that day, and she asked recipients to share the best piece of wisdom they had received through the years.
Honoree Andrea Riley, of Ally Financial — who has moderated the panel discussion the past two years — said she learned this from her grandmother: “Leave this world better than you found it.”
That’s exactly what the Women in Remarketing are all about, and year after year, the recipients embody that spirit of making the world a better place.
Whether that “world” is their respective businesses, families, communities or industries, the 2015 Women in Remarketing seek to enrich it and the lives of others.
And the cool part about it is, they’re not alone — these women continue a long line of outstanding folks who share these exceptional qualities of leadership and service.
Now in its seventh year, 90 women have been recognized as Women in Remarketing so far.
That’s 90 people who are making a difference and fostering progress in the auto industry and their communities. And they represent just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to people doing good work and leading by example in the remarketing business.
I’m excited to head back to Scottsdale this fall for my fourth Used Car Week and learn more from yet another outstanding group of leaders. And I hope you will join me.
In the meantime, check out the latest digital edition of Auto Remarketing to read about the 2015 Women in Remarketing and their efforts to make a positive mark on the world.
In what we’re proud to call an annual tradition, Auto Remarketing dedicates a special section each year to recognize the leading women of the remarketing and used-car business. And we've got an outstanding class for 2015.
Each of the leaders honored in our Women in Remarketing program takes on different responsibilities within the industry, and the companies they represent encompass a diverse cross-section of the used-car market.
Each of the recipients has a unique story to tell beyond the business world, too. There is one thing, however, that they all have in common: leadership.
Whether it’s leading through their commitment to industry improvement, dedication to business excellence or contributing to the community, leadership is one quality shared between these honorees.
We would like to thank all our readers who sent in Women in Remarketing nominations. While there are many more leading ladies worthy of recognition, we could not spotlight all the nominees, as we are only able to recognize a select few each year.
But stay tuned to Auto Remarketing e-newsletters, as we will conduct another call for nominations for this honor early next year.
And now, without further ado, here are the 2015 Women in Remarketing honorees, listed in alphabetical order:
- Stephanie Baker, General Manager, Dealers Auto Auction of Murfreesboro
- Amy Bouck, Senior Director of Lease-End Servicing and Remarketing, Hyundai Capital America
- Gail Berger, Vice President of Auto Remarketing, Sirius XM
- Kimberly Farley, Senior Vice President of Workforce Solutions, Equifax
- Lori Grone, Vice President of Field Operations, Costco Auto Program
- Lesley Lovallo, Vice President of Corporate Development, Larry H. Miller Automotive Operations
- Linda McNeely, Director of Fleet Operations, Auction Broadcasting Co.
- Barbara Mousigian, Vice President of Product, Cars.com
- Cheryl Munce, Chief Executive Consultant, Alteso
- Michelle Nichols-Neff, Vice President & Partner, BSC America
- Michele Noblitt, Executive Vice President & General Manager, Dealers Auto Auction of the Rockies
- Kelly Olson, Manager of Dealership Online Services, Ally Financial
- Stacey Petras, Assistant Vice President of Asset Remarketing, Operations Support, GM Financial
- Becca Polak, Executive Vice President, General Counsel & Board Secretary, KAR Auction Services
- Pauline Pons, Co-Founder & Vice President, TPC Management Company
- Jana Rauschenberg, Fleet Lease Sales Manager, West Michigan Auto Auction
- Mandy Savage, General Manager, Manheim Detroit
- Janet Smail, Project & Transportation Manager for Fleet Services, Flexco
- Lori Wittman, Vice President & General Manager, VinSolutions
Check out the April 15 edition of Auto Remarketing to learn more about these outstanding industry leaders.
The 2015 Women in Remarketing class will be honored during the National Remarketing Conference, scheduled for Nov. 18-20. NRC is part of the Used Car Week conferences, which will be held Nov. 16-20 at The Phoenician in Scottsdale, Ariz.
The Clean Auto Alliance announced last week the first recipients ever of the Environment & Safety Elite Award.
The new award is designed to recognize automotive truck and equipment dealerships, and service companies that meet or exceed best practice benchmarks in key environmental, health and safety categories.
The non-profit bestowed the inaugural honors to more than 400 dealers. The Clean Auto Alliance has set up a website to help shoppers find the dealerships and service companies honored with the award across the country.
“The goal of the Environment & Safety Elite Award is to reward automotive businesses that go above and beyond simply complying with environmental, health and safety regulations,” said Eric Schmitz, board chairman of the Clean Auto Alliance. “Dealers and service centers can promote their award recognition and use it as a competitive advantage since more and more consumers prefer to do business with companies that value safe, environmental practices.”
Award recipients were chosen by there progress against six best practice benchmarks, outlined below by Clean Auto Alliance:
- Safety Systems – An ongoing commitment to upholding Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations, such as developing a written safety program and conducting facility inspections.
- Environmental Systems – An ongoing commitment to upholding Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations, such as the implementation of a spill prevention countermeasure and control plan.
- Hazard Communication – A demonstrated compliance with the Hazard Communication Standard mandated by OSHA, which includes maintaining a chemical inventory and safety data sheets.
- Loss Control – A process for investigating and correcting hazards within a reasonable amount of time.
- Emergency Response – A plan for responding to an emergency that employees are trained to execute.
- Facility-Specific Requirements – Miscellaneous requirements that are specific to the services provided in a facility, such as collision repair or hazardous waste disposal.
Marc Rienow, director of facilities of Gengras Motor Cars, one of the dealerships recognized for the award, said, “We pushed our team to meet the standards necessary to receive Environment & Safety Elite recognition, and it’s become ingrained in the everyday work of our employees.
“Ensuring that everyone on our team follows safe and environmentally sound practices helps ensure our workplace remains clean and safe for employees, while reducing impacts on the environment and our bottom line. It’s a win-win-win scenario,” he continued.
The Clean Auto Alliance also provides complimentary collateral to help Environment & Safety Elite recipients promote their award recognition, including award logos, a customizable press release and printable materials.
