Both Spireon and AUL Corp. added to their award collections this week.

Spireon was named Internet of Things (IoT) Innovator in auto dealer management by Compass Intelligence for 2018. And AUL was named winner of both a Gold and Bronze Stevie Award in the Employer of the Year category at the third annual Stevie Awards for Great Employers competition.

Spireon highlighted the technology company was chosen for its leadership in providing new insights to dealers via automotive analytics to enhance dealer operations, customer engagement and profitability with its Kahu offering — the connected vehicle solution specifically designed for dealerships. The awards comprise 20 IoT innovation categories and are voted on by a team of over 30 independent analysts, editors, consultants and advisers.

Spireon’s Kahu solution can connect any vehicle to Spireon’s cloud-based NSpire IoT platform, empowering dealers nationwide with vehicle visibility and actionable data analytics to manage inventory, enrich the consumer purchasing experience and increase customer loyalty.

Standard features like geofencing, speed alerts, battery management and stolen vehicle recovery mitigate risk for dealers and make Kahu a profitable add-on when sold through to consumers. Dealers can also utilize mileage data from customer vehicles post-sale to realize new revenue streams, as they’re able to identify and target them for servicing, lease renewals and trade-ins.

“We are honored to receive this recognition from Compass Intelligence as an innovator in delivering new insights and analytics to improve dealer management with Kahu,” said Jason Penkethman, chief product and strategy officer of Spireon.

“The rapid growth of Kahu across the country, specifically with the largest dealer groups, is a true testament to Spireon’s commitment to advancing the automotive IoT industry with powerful and practical vehicle intelligence solutions,” Penkethman continued.

This award, given on behalf of Compass Intelligence, adds to Spireon’s corporate accolades in 2018, which include: IoT Vehicle Telematics Company of the Year in the 2018 Compass Intelligence Awards, a Silver award in the 2018 Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service and a Silver for New Product or Service of the Year in the 2018 American Business Awards, awarded to Spireon’s NSpire IoT platform.

Workforce honor for AUL

Meanwhile, AUL president and chief executive officer Jimmy Atkinson announced the warranty provider was named winner of both a Gold and Bronze Stevie Award in the Employer of the Year category at the third annual Stevie Awards for Great Employers competition Corp. The Stevie Awards for Great Employers recognize the world’s best who help to create and drive great places to work.

Named the Stevies for the Greek word meaning “crowned,” the competition received more than 550 nominations this year from organizations in 21 nations for consideration in a range of human resources-related categories. AUL was nominated in the Employer of the Year category for Other Industries, for which it won Gold, and in the Insurance Industry, winning Bronze.

“Since AUL’s founding in 1990, we have dedicated ourselves to establishing a culture of excellence, teamwork and integrity,” Atkinson said. “To be honored by the Stevie Awards, with two wins no less, is a tremendous validation of our hard work and the quality of our people.”

AUL HR manager Helen Van Deren added, “The reason AUL is the premier vehicle service contract in the United States is simple. AUL fosters a culture where our people come first — a culture of caring. From providing leading benefits packages, to encouraging personal time off, and enriching professional and educational development, AUL truly believes that thriving employees go above and beyond to ensure a thriving business.

“These awards are further validation of our core convictions,” Van Deren went on to say.