Members of Auction Academy’s inaugural class, the Next Generation/ Sons and Daughters Group, convened in Dallas in August for its summer training session.  Held in cooperation and conjunction with the IARA which had just concluded its Summer Round Table, the session included facility tours, classroom discussions and hands-on training for the Sons and Daughters Group.  Over the course of three days, the class toured America’s Auto Auction and the headquarters of Santander Consumer USA.  The group also spent classroom time with industry experts who offered presentations covering asset management, vehicle certification, auctioneering and auction practices, sales strategy and economics.

“This session of Auction Academy was a tremendous opportunity for the Sons and Daughters Group,” said Richard Curtis, President of Auction Academy. “In addition to an in-depth look behind the scenes at a high volume/ small footprint dealer consignment auction -- thanks to America’s Auto Auction -- the students spent invaluable time with experts who shared their insights into a number of different facets of the remarketing industry.”

The classroom sessions included discussions with Brent Huisman from Santander Consumer USA, Tom Kontos from ADESA, Ricky Beggs from Black Book, John Poteet from Louisiana’s 1^st Choice Auto Auction, Rick Pomeroy from OVE, Mike Jones from Texas Auction Academy, Tom Toups from Honda Financial Services, and Scott Antinelli from Liquid Motors. 

The next meeting (and final Session of the year) of the Auction Academy will be held in Detroit in early October, when both the Sons and Daughters Group and the Senior Managers Group will meet in joint session.  Flint Auto Auction will sponsor this last session of the year, which will also include a dinner at the Ford Rouge Plant hosted by United Road Services, and a technology class led by Keith Whann of Whann Technology Group.“The IARA’s participation in this class session was also a particular highlight for the Sons and Daughters Group,” said Curtis.  “We appreciate Steven Houston and Rob Wagner providing a snap shot of the IARA’s car certification program, and the students particularly enjoyed the IARA Testing on the CAR modules proctored by Dave Sutton.  It was a brilliant combination of instruction and hands-on training.”

Curtis also notes that Auction Academy looks forward to the Spring of 2014, when the Senior Managers Group meets in Birmingham hosted by Auction Insurance Agency, and its first graduating class, the Sons and Daughters Group, meets and graduates at the CAR/IARA/NAAA conference in Las Vegas. Lastly the Academy will soon be opening registration for its next (third overall) Class Group which will kick off its first Session Nashville, TN in mid April of 2014.

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.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 and is designed to enhance essential skill sets, promote best practices, and yield better auction performance.