Auction Academy’s inaugural class is preparing for its second training Session, set for July 16-18 in Spokane, Washington.  It will be held in conjunction with this year’s Rock & Roll Sale at DAA Northwest. This Class Group, dubbed the “Sons & Daughters” Group by Auction Academy COO Randall McCathren, the class will participate in extensive hands-on work at DAA Northwest in preparation for the auction’s two-day Rock & Roll Sale, the largest special promotion held at any auction in the country.

Randall McCathren,
COO Auction AcademyMcCathren reports that in addition to the field work at the auction site, the Session will also include a rigorous classroom curriculum, with topics on Leadership Assessments, Institutional Accounts (including the sale of Marine, RV and Specialty Vehicles), Succession planning, Condition Reports/ Vehicle Reconditioning, Dealer Funding/Floorplanning, and Technology with a presentation by management of the new Auction Edge initiative.

“The Sons and Daughters Class was launched this Spring in Nashville with a dynamic First Session, and we’re anticipating the Second Session in Spokane to be even more vibrant,” says McCathren.  “Held on a quarterly basis, each Session is planned to build on a set of skills that are critical for working successfully in today’s auto auction remarketing and business environments.”

Added Bob McConkey, whose auction, DAA Northwest, is host for this upcoming Summer 2012  Session and whose two sons are part of the “Sons and Daughters” Class Group: “We are very pleased to host this session of Auction Academy, which makes it possible for the class members to witness the effect that strong promotional sales bring to the marketplace.”

“While auto auctions can have many similar practices, students of Auction Academy are able to see the many nuances of the business at different geographic locations encompassing varying market areas” McConkey added.  “I know that my two sons have found value already in seeing first-hand the business practices of other high performance auto auction operations.”

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

Auction Academy’s Inaugural Class met in Nashville, Tennessee the first weekend in May. They travel to Spokane, Washington in July for their second class session, which will be held in conjunction with DAA Northwest’s Rock & Roll Sale.In planning and development for the better part of a year, Auction Academy was conceived with the urging and support of a number of industry leaders who saw the need for a formal program to train auction operators of the future.  Exclusive level Program sponsors include Black Book, Design Works-AMG and most recently OVE.  Also sponsoring the inaugural Class are Used Car News, Direct Reconditioning, and Capital Automotive Reconditioning, as well as Henry & Patty Stanley of Carolina and Indiana Auto Auctions who sponsored the First Session in Nashville.  “We sincerely appreciate the commitment of our sponsors who share our vision for training the Next Generation of auto auction leaders” added McCathren.

McCathren also announced that enrollment is now open for Auction Academy’s Second Class Group.  He notes that while the first group was specifically geared toward the sons and daughters of independent auto auctions and related companies, the next Class Group will be open to all independent auction personnel.  In addition, Auction Academy will simultaneously open enrollment to independent auto auction operators and financial executives who have interest in participating in an Auction Performance Group (APG) (20 Group-Style) program, with a focus on financial and operations metric benchmarking. Said McCathren, “APG is about enhancing the performance of the auction business by using both industry and peer group benchmarking techniques and operational best practices”.

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.

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.