New Manheim Auction Fits Mobile Strategy

Manheim has partnered with TR Group to establish 4 Star Auto Auction in Valley, Alabama.

Built from the ground up, the new location sits on nearly 22 acres and will operate two auction lanes with the ability to expand to three lanes, as needed.

The $4.2 million facility leverages Manheim’s technology, expertise, and staffing, along with the services dealers rely on such as financing, condition reports, and assurance solutions. The first sale was held on May 29 and attracted 189 dealers in-lane and online. Of the 85 vehicles offered, nearly half were sold.

Manheim’s mobile strategy was first developed to offer independent and small franchise dealers more convenient ways to buy and sell vehicles. The Valley auction joins Manheim Birmingham to give the wholesale auto auction company two operating locations in Alabama. 

“Since we began offering mobile auctions in 2014, we have learned a lot,” said Doug Kramer, Market Center leader for Manheim’s southeast region, in a news release. “In addition to bringing convenient and needed inventory to dealers where they live and work, mobile auctions provide quality inventory and services, along with historically solid conversion rates, to help our dealers grow their business.”  

4 Star Auto Auction is planning a grand opening sale event on July 24. Weekly sales will take place on Wednesdays at 10 a.m.

Servnet Gains Family-Owned Auctions in Texas and Oklahoma

Two auctions commanding key locations in the Southwest have joined the group of Servnet independent auctions: Big Valley Auto Auction in Donna, Texas; and Oklahoma Auto Exchange in Oklahoma City.

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  Big Valley Auto Auction is owned by the father/daughter team of Bernard Watson and Lisa Franz, who founded the facility in 2008 to serve Texas’s Rio Grande Valley. The operation has grown to include new and used car dealers from throughout the region, along with fleet/lease and repo accounts. In 2023, the auction was named Exeter’s Auction of Excellence. Situated on 30 acres, Big Valley Auto Auction runs over 500 vehicles on four lanes every Thursday at 9:30 am, with both in-lane and online selling.  The facility includes detail and reconditioning facilities, and full transportation services.Both these auctions have established themselves as key forces in their market areas, offering top-quality auction services in outstanding auction facilities,” said Ryan Clark, President of ServNet, in a June 5 news release. “We have long admired both of these family-owned and operated businesses for their dedication to the industry and their culture of customer service.”

• Joining Big Valley Auto Auction as ServNet’s newest members is Oklahoma Auto Exchange, a multi-generational family business owned by Mike Clopton and his son, Kyle Clopton. Established in 2004, Oklahoma Auto Exchange offers over 650 vehicles from new and used car dealers and commercial accounts every Wednesday on four auction lanes. The facility is unique to the region in that it is completely enclosed to protect vehicles and customers from Oklahoma’s unpredictable weather. The physical footprint includes 125,000 square feet of indoor storage and auction space, situated on 18 acres of land. The auction has a six-bay detail and reconditioning shop, offers light mechanical services and in-house transportation, and includes a 2,500-square-foot dealers’ lounge.

“Both these auctions have established themselves as key forces in their market areas, offering top-quality auction services in outstanding auction facilities,” said Ryan Clark, President of ServNet, in a June 5 news release. “We have long admired both of these family-owned and operated businesses for their dedication to the industry and their culture of customer service.”

AMS Adds New Auction Partner in Alabama

Auction Management Solutions (AMS) recently partnered with Auto Auction of Montgomery (AAM) in Alabama for business development consulting.

Auto Auction of Montgomery operates on more than 22 acres offering 400 units weekly across four auction lanes. It provides full detail services, transportation, AutoIMS, and multilist.

AMS provides consulting services to the automotive industry that include independent auto auctions. One of the key areas AMS focuses on is providing business development services by contacting national consignors to solicit using auction partners for the liquidation of their assets.

“The goal for AMS is to empower our auction partners to grow and increase effectiveness in our industry,” said Tom Stewart, president and founder of AMS in a June 4 news release. “Not only do we help independent auctions increase the volume of cars they sell every week, but we also emphasize ensuring they provide the best service in the business while maintaining profits.”

Added Taylor Bragan, owner of Auto Auction of Montgomery: “I purchased the auction from the Ingram family about five years ago, and put a large focus on growing the dealer business. Now that we have an established dealer base and some great commercial partners, such as Credit Acceptance Corporation, we believe partnering with AMS will give our auction the competitive advantage in our market to grow the commercial side of our business.”