ServNet Auctions Receive Top Awards from 
General Motors

Flint Auto Auction has been recognized as General Motors’ #1 auction in the country, receiving the 2007 GM Auction of the Year Award.  State Line Auto Auction, a consistent performer for General Motors in the Northeast, won the GM Award for Operational Excellence 2007.  A third ServNet Auction, Brasher’s Idaho Auto Auction, finished 2007 as the #1 auction for General Motors in the Western Region.

“ServNet auctions continue to rank among the top-performing auctions for General Motors, the nation’s largest institutional seller of vehicles in the wholesale market,” said Pierre Pons, ServNet’s Chief Executive Officer. “This is a tremendous tribute to the individual auctions, their owners, management teams and staffs.”

Pons noted that General Motors remarkets factory vehicles at 40 GM Sponsored Auctions sites across the country.  Of those 40 facilities, only six are independent auctions, and four of those are ServNet auctions (Flint Auto Auction, State Line Auto Auction, Brasher’s Idaho Auction and Dealers Auto Auction of Oklahoma City).  This is the third time in five years that a ServNet auction has received General Motors’ Auction of the Year Award. Receiving the award in 2003 was Tri-State Auto Auction-Fargo, a ServNet auction until its recent sale to ADESA; Idaho Auto Auction received the award in 2005.

At a special presentation in Flint, Michigan, on February 18, Mark Mathews, Director, GM Used Vehicle Activities, presented the 2007 General Motors Award for Overall Achievement Flint Auto Auction owners John Luce and Bill Williams, Jr.

“I’m pleased to present this award to John, Bill and the entire Flint Auto Auction staff,” said Mathews. “The GM Auction of the Year Award recognizes outstanding overall achievement in reconditioning, repairs and presentation of GM used vehicles to our dealers. Flint Auto Auction has shown the effort, determination and teamwork to provide consistently outstanding services and great products for GM."

Gathering for General Motors' Auction of the Year Award presentation were 
(l to r) Bill Williams, Jr. and John Luce (co-owners of Flint Auto Auction), 
Angie Kvasnica (Flint's GM Department Manager), Mark Mathews and
Dan Kennedy (GM Remarketing) and Steve Kapusta (GMAC Remarketing).

Flint Auto Auction sold more than 10,000 used vehicles at GM Sponsored Auctions and GMAC open auctions in 2007.  The auction has proved itself to be a consistent performer for General Motors, earning GM’s monthly award for Overall Achievement an unprecedented five times in 2007.  The auction began selling for General Motors in April of 2001, and was honored last fall to host a landmark General Motors closed factory auction that marked the sale of the 12 millionth GM vehicle sold at auction.   

The award presentation was made during a celebratory evening in the Buick Hall of the Alfred P. Sloan Museum complex in Flint.  The auction’s management team and factory department gathered for a gala dinner and awards ceremony with executives from General Motors, GMAC and ServNet.

“We find ourselves in a unique position tonight,” said John Luce in accepting the award. “We are here in a museum dedicated to General Motors’ founder; in the city of Flint, GM’s birthplace; surrounded by these vintage General Motors vehicles; and accept this award as the first Michigan auction ever to be named the #1 auction for General Motors. It’s a distinct honor for all of us at Flint Auto Auction. We appreciate our relationship with General Motors and are honored to continue the ServNet tradition as GM’s top performer.”

“I speak on behalf of the entire staff at Flint Auto Auction when I say this is a great honor and a significant day for us,” said Williams. “I am proud to accept this award on behalf of every employee who has had a role in this achievement. All of us at Flint Auto Auction work hard to provide top-notch customer service, and are committed to delivering value for both buyers and sellers at the auction every day.”

Luce and Williams were joined by Jeff Barber from State Line Auto Auction, another long-time ServNet auction, which led the nation for GM in Operational Excellence in 2007, and emerged as the top performer for GM in the Northeast Region for the third year in a row. State Line Auto Auction has been hosting a General Motors sale for 16 years at its Waverly, New York facility; State Line also sells for GMAC in an open sale environment and posts GM vehicles to Smart Auction.

About Flint Auto Auction
Flint Auto Auction holds a GM Sponsored Auctions closed factory auction every other week on Wednesday, offering an average of 400 vehicles per sale and welcoming 250 GM dealers, who buy both in the lane and online, utilizing Pipeline Simulcast. In addition to its biweekly GM Sponsored Auctions, Flint Auto Auction holds its weekly consignment sale Wednesday. A member of the ServNet Auction group, Flint Auto Auction is a participating member of AuctionPipeline.com, a Web initiative that provides auction customers with sales and market information as well as live, online bidding.

About GM Sponsored Auctions
General Motors has been a major participant in the growth of the auction industry over the last two decades. In 1983, GM used 10 auctions with sales of nearly 20,000 used vehicles. Today GM redistributes used company, off-lease and off-rent vehicles through GM dealers with the help of 40 GM Sponsored Auctions across the U.S. This provides value not only for GM, but also provides a source that makes available high-quality used vehicles for GM dealers.

About General Motors
General Motors Corp. (NYSE: GM), the world's largest automaker, has been the annual global industry sales leader for 77 years. Founded in 1908, GM today employs about 274,000 people around the world. With global headquarters in Detroit, GM manufactures its cars and trucks in 35 countries. In 2007, nearly 9.37 million GM cars and trucks were sold globally under the following brands: Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, GM Daewoo, Holden, HUMMER, Opel, Pontiac, Saab, Saturn, Vauxhall and Wuling. GM's OnStar subsidiary is the industry leader in vehicle safety, security and information services. More information on GM can be found at www.gm.com.

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