Marketing products and services provider Haystak Digital Marketing announced on Tuesday that Google named the company as the winner of a North America Premier SMB Partner Award in the highest customer satisfaction category, marking the third consecutive year that Haystak has achieved this designation.
Officials highlighted the accolade was based on the feedback of Haystak's small business customers across the U.S. and Canada.
“The Google AdWords Premier SMB Partner Program was created to help small- and medium-sized businesses who don’t have the time or resources to manage their advertising campaigns,” said Ben Wood, head of Google’s Americas channel sales partnerships.
“Our PSP partners like Haystak Digital Marketing offer expertise, experience and end-to-end customer service so business owners can focus on running their businesses,” Wood continued.
Entries were judged by Google through the use of AdWords performance data or advertiser survey data in accordance with the official rules. The prizes were awarded to entrants whose aggregate performance was evaluated as having the highest score in the judging criteria.
"We are honored to be selected again this year for the Google AdWords Premier SMB Partner Award for highest customer satisfaction,” said Duncan Scarry, founder and general manager of Haystak Digital Marketing.
“This ‘three-peat’ is really a testament to the hard work, dedication and talent of our Haystak team members and the innovative, industry-leading dealers that we work with every day,” Scarry continued. “Haystak was founded on keeping our customers at the forefront of search engine marketing and customer service, and we celebrate this award with them.”
ADESA announced this morning that its subsidiary, PAR North America, is the recipient of TD Auto Finance’s Repossession Vendor of the Year.
TD Auto Finance chose PAR based on its outstanding ratings for compliance, performance and communication. According to the announcement, the company was the segment leader in key areas, such as repossession rate, time to repossession from placement, accuracy and resolution rate.
PAR presented the award at the TD Auto Finance annual vendor conference on Oct. 27 at the Cosmopolitan Hotel in Las Vegas.
“We are honored to be chosen for this award as a leader in the industry,” said Jerry Kroshus, PAR North America’s president. “This achievement reflects the dedication of our employees and management team working together. Receiving this award from TD Auto Finance means so much because TD Auto Finance is an excellent business partner and is so well respected in the industry for their ethics and high standards.”
Dealer review website DealerRater announced the current leaders in its annual Dealer of the Year Awards Program for North America. The program awards U.S. and Canadian dealerships for distinction in outstanding customer service based on consumer reviews on the DealerRater website.
The final five dealers for each make, for those manufacturers that had more than five dealers nominated, have been selected for each country, with the final winners to be announced at the 2015 NADA Convention and Exposition in San Francisco, Jan. 22 through 25.
DealerRater will also introduce an expanded annual recognition program for top dealerships in North America in January, which will complement the Dealer of the Year awards.
“We are sharing the preliminary results for the 2015 Dealer of the Year awards to motivate dealers to prioritize customer service through the end of the year,” Gary Tucker, DealerRater’s chief executive officer, said. “We hope that this increase in customer engagement will encourage online reviews and sales. The frontrunners for our Dealer of the Year Awards Program lead by example through using online reviews to build trusting relationships with car shoppers and differentiate themselves from their competition.”
The complete listing of dealers currently left in the running for the Dealer of the Year Awards in the U.S. can be found here.
Ernst & Young LLP announced this week the recipients of the EY Entrepreneur of the Year awards. Amongst them is Jim Hallett, the chief executive officer and director of KAR Auction Services Inc., who earned the EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2014 National Services Award.
According to Ernst & Young, the award is a “leading business award for entrepreneurs which encourages entrepreneurial activity and recognizes leaders and visionaries who demonstrate innovation, financial success and personal commitment as they create and build world-class businesses.”
Hallett was recognized for “transforming a traditional auction company that uses technology into a technology company that runs auctions, while nearly tripling its market cap,” according to the company’s release.
“KAR Auction Services flourished pre-IPO as ADESA under Jim Hallett’s leadership, so it should be no surprise that it thrived even more, growing in profit and size, when he returned to the new company,” said Mike Kacsmar, EY Entrepreneur of the Year Americas Program Director. “His tenacity, entrepreneurial spirit and compassion toward those he works with has propelled Jim to incredible success and truly differentiates him from others.”
The KAR CEO received the award, ahead of more than 250 potential recipients, at the Entrepreneur of the Year Awards gala in Palm Springs, Calif. on Sat., Nov. 15.
“This award is truly an honor, and it is humbling to have been chosen from so many talented and accomplished leaders who I personally find to be so inspiring,” Hallett said. “I would like to thank our 12,000 employees across the United States, Canada and Mexico for the work they do every day to make KAR successful. It is their talent and dedication that make this recognition possible.”
Janet Barnard, who is the executive vice president and chief operating officer of Manheim North America, has earned a 2014 Woman of the Year in Technology Award from Women in Technology.
Barnard was presented with the honor last week during an annual awards gala and dinner at the Georgia Aquarium. The awards spotlight the accomplishments of Georgia’s top women leaders, and Barnard was chosen as the overall winner in the Enterprise/Large Business category.
“Janet is a valued member of the Cox Automotive leadership team, and we congratulate her on this well-earned achievement, said Sandy Schwartz, president of Cox Automotive. “She is a passionate advocate for our industry, her customers and her community.
“Janet has been instrumental in developing innovative business solutions, delivering a great experience for our customers and serving as a role model to women,” Schwartz continued. “We are extremely proud of her and the contributions she is making at Manheim and within the communities we serve.”
As for the awards themselves, WIT honors the state’s top women leaders in science, technology, engineering and math for their accomplishments and for how they have improved their respective communities.
There is just one winner per category (small/emerging business, medium/midsize business and large/enterprise business).
In addition to her roles as COO — which include leading 18,000 employees and heading up strategic business functions like operations, sales, customer experience and product development — Barnard’s impact extends far beyond the remarketing business.
She is a member of the Metro Atlanta Clean Tech Leadership Council, an organization that aims to grow the clean tech economy as well as clean tech jobs, all while helping to position metro Atlanta as a sustainability leader.
Barnard was named a 2010 Betsy Magness Leadership Institute Fellow, a program spotlighting the most successful female leaders in the cable and telecommunications industry.
Barnard supports and participates in the Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across America program that raises funds and awareness for Victory Junction and other charities supporting children who have chronic illnesses.
She has also served as a board member and mentor for All Our Kids, an organization that serves at-risk youth through mentoring and merit-based college scholarships.
“I am truly inspired and honored to have been selected by Women in Technology as the winner of this leadership award,” said Barnard. “This award not only recognizes the important business strides we are making through innovative technologies, but also puts a spotlight on the positive and meaningful differences that women are making in their businesses and communities.”
ALG released the results of its 15th Annual Residual Value Awards (RVAs) this morning, and Land Rover and Toyota took the top honors for premium brand and mainstream brand, respectively.
Toyota also lead the pack in segment awards, taking home eight RVAs.
Honda and Subaru also performed well with three wins apiece.
“Residual value is important for automakers and consumers because it’s a complete indicator of the vehicle’s future value, accounting for quality, durability and brand desirability among other factors,” said Larry Dominique, president of ALG and executive vice president of TrueCar. “The award recipients demonstrate strong forecasted returns on investments for their owners.”
This is the first overall win for Land Rover, and ALG analysts say it comes as a result of its new products that have garnered high demand.
“With some models like the Range Rover Sport, we’re seeing vehicles on the dealer lot for just 13 days on average — far below the industry’s 65-day average,” said Dominique. “Some Land Rover models are in such high demand that they’re selling above MSRP — a remarkable achievement that’s only possible with manufacturer restraint and a tightly controlled supply chain.”
ALG’s Residual Value Awards — which recognize vehicles in 26 segments — rank vehicles that are forecast to retain the highest percentage of their MSRP after a three-year period.
The awards will be presented to automakers this week at the Los Angeles Auto Show.
Toyota took home five mainstream brand segment awards. Highlights for the automaker include the Toyota Prius v wagon overtaking last year’s winner, the Prius c subcompact car, in the alternative-fuel category; the Toyota Tacoma pickup truck winning a 14th straight RVA; and the Toyota Tundra winning its fourth consecutive RVA, ALG pointed out.
Toyota was also recognized for its premium products, as well, taking home three RVAs for the Lexus IS, Lexus GX and Toyota Land Cruiser.
“Even in a robust automotive industry, where competition is fierce, we’ve seen automakers keep incentive spending down, which helps maintain high residual values,” said Dominique. “That benefits consumers and businesses, helping their vehicles retain strong values and leading to lower overall costs of ownership.”
Perhaps a sign of this is this year's long list of first-time RVA winners.
Eight vehicles earned RVAs for the first time, including:
- Dodge Charger (Full-size Car)
- Subaru WRX (Sports Car)
- Toyota Prius v (Alt-Fuel Vehicle)
- Chevrolet Tahoe (Full-size Utility Vehicle)
- Ford Transit Connect (Mid-size Commercial Van)
- Hyundai Genesis (Premium Full-size Car)
- Audi TT (Premium Sports Car)
- Porsche Macan (Premium Compact Utility Vehicle)
“It is great to see such a diverse mix of brands winning this year,” Dominique noted. “It shows the industry as a whole continues to improve residual values, benefitting consumers and automakers alike.”
As election results came in last week, the polls showed one West Virginia auto dealer caused quite an upset.
Mark Maynard, who owns a small towing business and car lot in Genoa, W. Va., overcame 32-year incumbent Truman Chafin in the 6th District of West Virginia’s Senate race.
Chafin has held the position from 1998 to 2010, and was the longest-serving current member of the Senate and was Majority leader from 1998 to 2010, according to a report from WSAZ.
But that experience wasn't enough at the polls, as voters have entrusted the Senate seat to a newcomer.
Maynard, on the other hand, has a limited amount of political experience — but that didn’t hold him back at the polls last week.
Maynard has worked as chairman of the Wayne County Republican Executive Committee, the ballot commissioner of Wayne County and on the 3rd Congressional District Executive Committee.
According to the WSAZ report, Maynard was surprised at the win and will focus his work in the Senate on helping small businesses — a cause dear to most auto dealers’ hearts.
"I want to help small businesses because I know for a fact how hard it is to conform to regulation," Maynard said in the WSAZ report. "I’m not about dropping regulation all together, but I'm about being reasonable to promote small business because it’s hard to make it on your own.”
He also plans to focus on the completion of the Interstate 73-74 corridor that runs through his district.
Veteran’s Day is a fine occasion to give thanks where thanks is due — to those who sacrifice to serve and protect our nation. There are also those in our industry who go the extra mile to help give back to veterans, year-round, who are looking for work. One such company, in particular, announced today that they have been recognized for just that.
Penske Truck Leasing and Penske Logistics were listed on the 2015 Top 100 Military-Friendly Employer list for the fourth consecutive year by Victory Media, the company that publishes G.I. Jobs and Military Spouse magazines.
“Penske proudly hires and employs veterans and active National Guard and Reserve members to work in our operations,” Jennifer Sockel, Penske’s senior vice president of human resources, said. “We appreciate their service to our country and the values, work ethic and skills they bring to our teams. It is an honor to be recognized by Victory Media for placement on this list.”
Estimated figures show 13 percent of Penske’s new hires for this year were veterans, with the largest number of hires being in the areas of truck maintenance technicians and supervisors, truck drivers, and logistics operations roles.
More information on career opportunities with Penske for veterans can be found here.
The Worcester Polytechnic Institute announced this month that it will honor Dealertrack’s Mark O’Neil, class of 1980, with the university’s fourth-annual WPI Innovator of the Year Award.
Serving as Dealertrack’s chairman of the board, president and chief executive officer, O’Neil made a public address on Thursday at WPI’s Alden Memorial. The award recognizes graduates or friends of WPI who have demonstrated exemplary accomplishments as innovators and showcases individuals who have excelled in driving innovation in any field. The Innovator of the Year Award recognizes role models for students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends.
Mark P. Rice, WPI’s vice provost for innovation and entrepreneurship, recognized O’Neil for exemplifying these traits.
“Through his resolute commitment to technological advancement in a novel market, Mark O’Neil embodies our focus on accelerating the discovery, development and commercialization of breakthrough innovation, as well as economic development and job creation,” Rice said. “We are proud to honor and recognize his achievements with this award.”
O’Neil began his career with Intel Corporation and McKinsey & Co. before serving as president of Ertley MotorWorld, a Pennsylvania auto group. He also co-founded and led CarMax, Inc. as well as leading Greenlight.com as president and chief operating officer. O’Neil took over as Dealertrack’s president and CEO in Feb. 2001 and joined its board of directors in August of that same year.
“I’m honored to receive this distinction,” O’Neil said. “I think WPI is enormously committed to innovation and entrepreneurship, and I think the university has made huge strides in promoting and executing both of those concepts. This recognition will encourage and invigorate our efforts at Dealertrack, where our passion is to create innovation in automotive retailing. We are striving to take an enormously complex process and make it simple for the customer.”
In 28 years with Ally Financial, Robert Stahl has done a little bit of everything.
He has worked a repo lot, had multiple leadership tenures in remarketing, ventured into subprime finance and was involved in helping the SmartAuction online platform get off the ground.
But one lesson that has stuck with Stahl since his first job at Ally in the repo and collections arena is this: it’s the car and the customer that matter.
That mindset, plus many others, has led to a successful three-decade career in the auto business and high respect from his peers in the business. And Auto Remarketing and Used Car Week are recognizing Stahl as the 2014 National Remarketing Executive of the Year, presented by ServNet.
“The main thing that I have to keep telling myself is that it’s all about the car. That’s a slogan that we’ve used a lot around here, and we mention it a number of times when we start looking at new technologies or new innovation or consider pursuing this direction or that direction … it’s all about your relationship with the dealers and vendors,” said Stahl, who is executive vice president of remarketing at Ally Financial.
“For the most part, over the years, I’ve learned that dealers are going to go where the cars are at,” he continued. “And I think that’s what made SmartAuction a success; we had cars that they wanted — off-lease cars, repossessions and GM cars. And regardless of where they’re at, as long as you’ve got a good supply, dealers are going to show up and buy them.”
Stahl is being honored with the award on Nov. 12 during the National Remarketing Conference at Used Car Week in Las Vegas.
“The National Remarketing Executive of the Year, presented by ServNet, is highly respected within the remarketing industry. Auto Remarketing and the National Remarketing Conference are very proud to be a part of this tradition and proud of this year’s recipient, Robert Stahl,” said Bill Zadeits, publisher of Auto Remarketing and Used Car Week conference chair.
Patty Stanley, who is the owner of Carolina & Indiana Auto Auctions and the president of ServNet, had this to say about Stahl.
“ServNet congratulates Robert Stahl as National Remarketing Executive of the Year,” she said. “Robert has been a partner and friend of our industry for many years, and we applaud his tireless efforts to maximize remarketing opportunities.”
R. Charles Nichols, owner of BSCAmerica Auctions and chairman of the board at ServNet, added: “In the auto finance sector for most if not all of his career, Robert has quietly and unselfishly pushed the remarketing industry in new and creative channels, all while serving his company, investors and the dealers they serve.”
For our complete feature on Stahl, stay tuned to the digital and print editions of the Nov. 1 Used Car Week Special Conference Issue of Auto Remarketing.
