FRANKLIN, TN - Members of Auction Academy’s inaugural class got an inside look at one of the premiere events of the auction world, as the group met for its second training Session on July 16-18 in Spokane, Wash.  Held in conjunction with this year’s Rock & Roll Sale at DAA Northwest, which also Hosted the Session, the class members participated in extensive hands-on work at the auction in preparation for the two-day Rock & Roll Sale  - now in its 16^th year and the largest promotional sale held at any auction in the country.  The two-day event featured a consignment of over 3,500 vehicles and the band Foreigner as the musical guest.

Auction Academy COO Randall McCathren reports that the class session included  field work at the auction site, along with a rigorous classroom curriculum, with topics on Leadership Assessments, Institutional Accounts, Succession planning, Condition Reports/ Vehicle Reconditioning, Dealer Funding/Floorplanning, and Technology with a presentation of the new Independent Auction’s Auction Edge initiative.

Course instructors for the Second Session included Len Roll and Greg Mahugh of DAA Northwest; Pierre Pons of TPC Management; David Wells, Scott Finkle and Dan Diedrich of AuctionEdge; Skip Thompson, Dale Ainsworth of Valley Vision; Stephen Houston; and Neill Waters and Joe Keadle of Automotive Finance Corp. – who also sponsored the Second Session.

In addition to his duties at the biggest Sale of the year for his auction, Bob McConkey also attended many of the sessions, worked with the group on sale day and hosted the class at a barbeque at his home on the first evening.

“This Class Group was privileged to learn from the best of the best at the Second Session in Spokane,” said McCathren.  “The course instructors are known throughout the auction industry for their leadership and expertise, and they shared information and insight with the class that the students would be hard-pressed to find in any one location anywhere else.  In addition, they received a rare, behind-the-scenes look at DAA Northwest’s Rock and Roll Sale event, as they job-shadowed with key auction managers leading up to and during the two-day event, and they spent considerable time with well-known auction owners from across the country, including Henry Stanley of Carolina & Indiana Auto Auctions, Charles Nichols of BSC America’s Bel Air and Tallahassee auctions, John and Georgianne Poteet of Louisiana’s First Choice Auto Auction, and Mike Hockett, CEO of Auction Broadcast Corp.  To top it all off, they enjoyed an extraordinary evening at the Rock & Roll sale concert, as Foreigner took center stage.”

The Auction Academy Class traveling to Spokane included 16 students representing 13 independent auto auctions and one vendor company.  This group moves together as a cohesive class over a two year curriculum, with Sessions held quarterly in different cities around the country. 

McCathren notes that the Fall Session will convene in East Windsor, Connecticut in October, hosted by Southern Auto Auction.

Major Industry Sponsors for Auction Academy include Black Book, OVE, Design Works-AMG and the latest Sponsor addition DSC (Dealer Services Corporation) which is now the exclusive Floor Plan Finance Industry Segment Sponsor of the Academy, having signed on to a multi-year Sponsorship. Also supporting the inaugural Class are Used Car News, Cherokee Publishing, Direct Reconditioning, AFC and Capital Automotive Reconditioning, as well as Henry & Patty Stanley of Carolina and Indiana Auto Auctions who sponsored the First Session in Nashville.

The Auction Academy is a continuing education program developed by TPC Management Company (TPC) for professionals in the auction industry.  Structured like an Executive MBA program, Auction Academy has tracks for the next generation of auction leaders as well as for current auction leadership, designed to enhance essential skill sets, promote best practices, and yield better auction performance.

The Academy has now opened enrollment for a second Class Group which will target current auction management personnel, and an Auction Performance Group (APG) which is geared to auction owners and auction finance executives and will focus on the review and benchmarking of key financial performance metrics.

For additional information about Auction Academy, contact Randall McCathren by email:  rmccathren@auctionacademy.net, or by telephone: (615) 383-1930; or visit the web site www.auctionacademy.net.