ServNet
Marks' 20th Anniversary
ServNet
celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2008, marking the occasion
by extolling the strength of its member auctions, noting its success in
providing superior service to the industry, and rolling out a new
organizational plan that will best serve both its membership and auction
customers nationwide.
ServNet
is the brainchild of several independent auction owners who, 20 years ago,
developed the idea for forming a cooperative marketing network while
participating in a Performance Group sponsored by the National Auto
Auction Association. They talked of forming an alliance to share ideas and
to promote their auctions on a national level.
“We
discussed the advantages of working together with other independent
auctions which shared the same philosophy and offered the same level of
service,” remembers Jeff Barber, owner of State Line Auto Auction in
Waverly, New York and one of ServNet’s founding members. “We talked
about pooling our resources and promoting ourselves collectively…and in
1988 ServNet was born.
ServNet’s Original Aim: Increase Visibility and
Stress Personal Service
At
its beginning in 1988, ServNet included eight auctions, all independent
members of the NAAA Performance Group where the discussions had started.
Two decades later, ServNet includes 18 auctions, and today carries its
message into the offices of virtually every manufacturer, fleet manager
and institutional consignor in the country.
“Our
initial aim was to increase the visibility of our independent auctions and
to stress the advantages of the personal service we offer,” explains
Barber. “We have come a long
way since then, as we have responded to the rapidly changing requirements
of our industry, and I can honestly say that the advantages of
participating in ServNet are more valuable now than ever before.”
Over
the course of two decades, ServNet has evolved in both scope and breadth,
establishing itself as a network of the nation’s top auctions, setting
standards for best practices, building effective partnerships with auction
customers, and facilitating a level of communication that benefits both
the member auctions and consignors from coast to coast.
“The
ServNet name is recognized by the remarketing community as representing
the best of the best among independent auctions,” remarks Bruce Beam,
General Manager of Dealers Auto Auction of Oklahoma City. “Our
participation in ServNet provides me with the opportunity to learn
processes and operational standards from the best operators in the
business, bar none!”
Kevin
Brown, General Manager of Missouri Auto Auction agrees. “Our affiliation
with ServNet allows our auction more exposure to the national accounts
because they know that our standards and expectations are so high,” says
Brown. “And as a young
auction owner, I derive an immeasurable benefit from being surrounded by
the best owners in the industry. It
is a special group that includes people like Bob McConkey, Henry and Patty
Stanley, Jeff Barber and the Brashers who have a passion for the work,
knowledge that’s unmatched, and a lifelong commitment to their
businesses and the industry.”
If
ServNet and “independent” seem inseparable, it is with good reason,
for all the ServNet auction owners are fiercely committed to their
businesses and are unwavering in their assertion that independent auctions
offer an unparalleled level of service.
“There
is nothing more effective than an owner’s vested interest in his
auction,” insists Barber. “When
you are talking to an independent auction owner, you are dealing with the
person who makes the policies. Having the ear of the owner makes a big
difference to our lease and fleet customers who require flexibility and
quick action.”
Cutting-Edge
Technology Marks ServNet’s Growth
At
the urging of those independent auction owners, ServNet has been on the
cutting edge of some of the industry’s most progressive technology.
ServNet’s initiatives fueled the development of AutoIMS (in partnership
with ADESA, ADT, Manheim and the independent auctions), pioneered internet-based auction
selling with OnLine Ringman (recently rebranded for ServNet as Pipeline Simulcast) and
developed AuctionPipeline, a powerful internet tool through which
auction customers are able to source inventory, collect real-time market
data and transact business online at any of the participating auctions.
“ServNet
Auctions represent some of the very best auto auctions serving the vehicle
remarketing industry today,” observes Keith Lelux, president of ServNet
and owner of the Charleston Auto Auction. “Over the course the past
twenty years, the ServNet auctions have shown a progressive spirit that
has put ServNet at the ‘front of the curve’ when it comes to
innovative ideas and practices. With locations from coast to coast and a
unified technology system in AuctionPipeline, ServNet Auctions provide
both auto dealers and institutional accounts with a complete remarketing
platform.”
ServNet
Launches Anniversary Year with TPC Management Company
This
year, ServNet’s board unveiled a new administrative management
structure, announcing a strategic alliance with TPC Management Company.
TPC Management will provide ServNet with a full-time executive and
administrative staff, headed by Pierre Pons serving as ServNet’s Chief
Executive Officer; Richard Curtis as Executive Vice President, Industry
Relations; Tom Stewart, as Executive Vice President, Business Development;
and Penny Wanna, as Office Manager.
Says
Pons, “Our first order of business was to work with ServNet’s
Strategic Committee to better define the group’s Mission Statement and
purpose. What evolved was this
statement: ServNet
is the industry’s premier network for independent auto auctions
cooperating together to strengthen and build business relationships.”
TPC
management has had a long relationship with ServNet, having served as
Management Recruiter for the group and providing consulting services to a
number of its member auctions. “Our
current roll seems a logical progression of both,” notes Pons.
Pons
also recalls the mood of the industry when ServNet was created in 1988.
“In 1988, I was working for one of the major corporate auction
chains: Anglo American Auto Auctions, later renamed ADT Automotive,”
Pons explains. “I clearly
remember independent auction owners voicing their concerns that the
corporate auction chains would take a commanding position with
institutional accounts by virtue of their ability to support national
sales and marketing campaigns. ServNet
provided the first viable response by the independent auction community to
fight the chains on their own turf. I
am delighted to be associated with ServNet now, especially on the
occasion of this 20th year anniversary.”
“I’ve
been a part of ServNet for twenty glorious years, and I’m looking
forward to the next twenty,” notes Barber. “With Pierre Pons and his
team at TPC Management working with us, we’ve taken the next step up,
setting increasingly higher business goals and being even better equipped
to meet the challenges we face in the market today.”
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