Auction Broadcasting Company (ABC) has announced executive management promotions that include the following: Trent Knox, former chief operating officer, has been named president of ABC; industry icon John Fuller has joined ABC as chief operating office; and Mike Hockett, formerly chief executive officer and president, remains chief executive officer.
“We at ABC are excited about these organizational changes because they will make ABC a more efficient and profitable company and, in the end, will enable us to serve our customers better,” explained Bob Rauschenberg, founding partner and vice-president of Marketing and Sales at ABC. “ABC has always looked to Mike Hockett for strategic direction, and he will increase that role. Trent Knox has done an outstanding job for ABC as our COO, and now he takes the helm as president. And John Fuller has such an extensive background in the industry, we consider ourselves very fortunate to be able to have his talents working for ABC.”
Mike Hockett, along with the other founding partners, established ABC in Jan 2000. With more than 35 years in the wholesale auction business, Hockett is a pioneer in the industry. He was the founder and CEO of ADESA Corporation and also served as president of Auto Dealers Exchange throughout the Midwest and the Southeast U.S.
With the current restructuring at ABC, Hockett plans on focusing his efforts on strategic direction for the company. “ABC has been on the leading edge in new services, such as A2T2 Auto Auction Technology, Recon Ramp and Internet sales,” comments Hockett. “The changes we’ve made in executive management will add huge value to our company and our partners. The changes will also allow me to spend more time with our customers and hopefully create additional value to them in an industry that has become intricately involved in all aspects of distribution. I feel blessed to have Trent Knox and John Fuller accept these additional responsibilities. They will be extremely effective in their new roles.”
Knox, now president of ABC, has established himself as a results-oriented leader in the auto and truck auction business, according to the company. He began his career 14 years ago as a lot employee in Fort Wayne, Ind. With experience in many aspects of the auto auction industry, Knox went on to become assistant general manager at the Arena Auto Auction in Chicago, Ill., followed by general manager positions for ADT in Fort Wayne, Ind., and then under the ADESA umbrella in Austin, Texas and Manville, N.J. Knox’s strengths lie in his ability to take under-performing facilities or greenfield operations and turn them into viable profit centers.
“Trent has tremendous knowledge of the auction industry,” commented Hockett. “He is an outstanding young entrepreneur with a passion for the auction business and business partners. I consider Trent to be an all-star in this industry, and I can think of no one who has a greater future, vision or passion for it. He is the younger face of a younger, more exciting business.”
“ABC has been established for three and a half years now,” said Knox. “My role has been to get the facilities up and running and to ensure that our seven business units are well grounded and growing.”
During Knox's tenure as COO, the seven ABC auto auctions have experienced significant growth. He has established greenfield sites and transformed under-performing acquisitions. As president, Knox hopes to shift his efforts. “With Mike focusing on strategic initiatives, I plan to work more closely in business development with the sites, giving them more opportunities for growth at the localized level. I want to work with the individual auctions to make them more productive, help accommodate our customers’ marketing strategies, and assimilate them into our own.
“We’re very fortunate at ABC to have such a wealth of knowledge and experience in upper management. No one in this industry is better equipped than Mike Hockett to position a company for continued success and growth,” Knox said. “And the addition of John Fuller is a huge, huge advantage for ABC. He has so much business savvy, and our company is going to be the beneficiary of all that knowledge and wisdom.”
“John Fuller’s name is synonymous with success,” agreed Hockett. “He founded Automotive Finance Company (AFC) in 1987, and, as its CEO, developed it into the largest wholesale floor planning company in North America. John made AFC what it is today¾an incredibly successful and prosperous venture. John believes in our company, our people and our mission and has embraced the responsibilities of helping our company be all that our partners and customers want it to be. John is a leader of leaders and a gifted teacher. ABC is thrilled to have him aboard.”
Fuller’s resume reads like an encyclopedia of success in the industry. In addition to founding and growing AFC into a multi-million dollar company, Fuller has experience in every aspect of the business, from acquisitions, operations and management to training, financing, computer systems and retail alliance programs.
“My goal at ABC will be to make our auctions the best of the best¾taking them to a new level,” Fuller said. “I have a very entrepreneurial spirit, and I am so excited to be at ABC. This company is in an ideal position for rapid, exponential growth. I want to be a part of that growth -- focusing on building a tremendously successful company -- one brick at a time.”
“I’m impressed by ABC’s commitment to its people,” Fuller said. “I’ve been in the corporate world for many years, where the philosophy is to worry about the shareholders, then the customers and lastly, the employees. ABC is just the opposite. They focus on the employee. Then, the employee takes care of the customers and, together, they take care of your shareholders. And that’s how it should be.”
About Auction Broadcasting Company
Auction Broadcasting Co. (ABC) operates auctions in Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Florida, Virginia, Tennessee and Minnesota.
ABC says it provides advanced facilities that offer value-added services to dealer consignment, factory, financial institution, fleet/lease and captive finance customers.
ABC maintains its headquarters at 1919 S. Post Road in Indianapolis, Ind. For more information about ABC, call (317) 862-7325 or visit www.auctionbroadcasting.com.
