ATLANTA – Manheim has announced that Berta Phelps will retire as vice president of Strategic Operations at the end of the year. Her career has spanned 38 years serving Manheim and the remarketing industry.

In 1970, Phelps joined Manheim as office manager at Atlanta Auto Auction and later was promoted to assistant general manager. She moved to Manheim’s home office in 1991 to serve as vice president of Business Operations and advanced to the position of regional vice president of Operations in 1997. In 2001, she was promoted to vice president of Best Practices, and six years later was named to her current role as vice president of Strategic Operations

“Berta has been a driving force at Manheim and within the remarketing industry for almost four decades,” said Dean Eisner, Manheim president and CEO. “Her knowledge of Manheim and her commitment to the industry are unparalleled and have been key drivers of our company’s success through the years.”

Phelps is active in several industry organizations, including the National Auto Auction Association, the International Association of Auto Theft Investigators, and the National Odometer and Title Fraud Enforcement Association.

“Berta’s people skills, her willingness to mentor others and her operational expertise have set a very high example for others to follow,” said Mike Broe, Manheim executive vice president of Operations. “She was instrumental in helping Manheim maintain its leadership position within the remarketing industry and worked tirelessly to shape the industry itself. We are immeasurably grateful for her service and wish her much happiness in her richly deserved retirement.”

Phelps was inducted into the National Auto Auction Association Hall of Fame in 2004 and was named among the 100 Leading Women in the North American Auto Industry by Automotive News in 2005. Phelps has been directly responsible for improving industry standards and defeating proposed laws detrimental to the remarketing industry in several states.

Phelps is a member of the Industry Advisory Board to the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators, member of the National Motor Vehicle Boards and Commissions and serves as chairwoman for Automobile Dealers Industry Advisory Board to the Florida Legislature and the Legislative Committee for NAAA. In addition, Phelps has served on the Federal Trade Commission’s Lemon Law Committee and the Ad Hoc Committee for the governor of Georgia to write Georgia salvage laws.