The Conference of Automotive Remarketing (CAR) kicked off its 2026 event with its annual Fleet Remarketing Awards ceremony, held the evening of April 15 at the Huntington Convention Center in Cleveland, Ohio.

The awards reception was timed to follow the close of the NAFA Fleet Management Association's Institute & Expo, which concluded earlier that afternoon. Three awards were presented at the event, including one making its debut this year.

Opening the evening, Colin Sutherland, CEO of Bobit Business Media, reflected on how far the industry gathering has come. CAR traces its roots to informal lunches in Southern California, then a small meeting of roughly a dozen people at the Renaissance Hotel near Atlanta's Hartsfield airport in 1995.

Propelled by Bobit’s founder Ed Bobit and former Bobit President Sherb Brown, the meeting produced a formal association — the Automotive Remarketing Association — before evolving into CAR, which drew about 50 attendees at its inaugural event.

CAR’s New Direction

Sutherland also reflected on what makes the fleet remarketing world distinct, which aligns with the evolving direction of the conference.

Fleet vehicles, he noted, are driven by professional drivers under strict behavioral monitoring (through telematics) and are often upfitted with specialized equipment. Yet when they reach auction, that upfitting isn’t properly valued when it rolls through a 66-second ready line.

"That just doesn't seem fair," he said. "We need to make sure we're protecting the value of vehicles that, quite frankly, have investment put into them."

CAR’s new direction is designed to bring fleet managers and remarketing professionals into closer conversation — and to take a hard look at data, technology, and the role of people in an increasingly automated industry.

Before the awards were presented, Sutherland paused to remember Mike Antich, a longtime figure in automotive remarketing and a driving force behind CAR from its earliest days. Antich passed away just before Christmas. He asked attendees to raise a glass in tribute.

"Mike was really present at the very beginning of CAR," Sutherland said. "At the very beginning of automotive remarketing."

Three awards followed, including one making its debut this year.

Remarketer of the Year: Eric Autenrieth, Carolina Auto Auction

Eric Autenrieth, CEO of Carolina Auto Auction in Anderson, S.C., was named Remarketer of the Year — an honor that carries special resonance, as his father, the late Henry Stanley, received the same award years earlier.

Autenrieth grew up in the auction industry, working at the family's Ohio Auto Auction before it was sold to GE Capital in the 1990s. After pursuing other ventures, including insurance and fleet management, he returned to the business when his family acquired Carolina Auto Auction.

Autenrieth later managed Indiana Auto Auction in Fort Wayne for nearly a decade before returning to Carolina, where he now leads the operation following his father's passing earlier this year.

Beyond running the family business, Autenrieth has been deeply involved in industry leadership, having served as president of ServNet, as a regional chapter president of the National Auto Auction Association (NAAA), and ultimately as president of the NAAA itself — following in the footsteps of both his mother, Patty Stanley, and his father. Both Henry and Patty Stanley are members of the NAAA Hall of Fame.

The award was presented by Pierre Pons, president of TPC Management.

"The recipient tonight is going to cast a shadow of his own," Pons said in his introduction.

In accepting the award, Autenrieth was characteristically modest. "I'm the face of the organization, but it's the team that really wins this award," he said, adding that Carolina Auto Auction would be making room in its trophy case for the honor.

Consignor of the Year: Larry Knapp, Wheels

Larry Knapp, who retired a week after the ceremony as director of vehicle remarketing at Wheels, received the Consignor of the Year award in recognition of a career spanning multiple decades and including some of the most prominent names in the automotive finance and remarketing space.

Knapp's career has included roles at the Hertz Corporation (two separate stints), Fair Financial Corporation and Fair.com, Black Book, BMW Group (also twice), Auto Vin, Mercedes-Benz Financial, UB Leasing, and HSBC's Marine Midland Bank — before joining Wheels, one of the largest fleet management companies in North America. He also served in the military prior to his career in automotive.

Also introduced by Pierre Pons, Knapp kept his remarks brief and gracious, thanking the 2,000-strong Wheels team, as well as fleet management customers, consigners, auction partners, and logistics providers.

Inaugural Fleet Value Champion: James McKinley, City Rent a Truck

A new award debuted at this year's CAR. The Fleet Value Champion Award, introduced to recognize fleet operators who take a disciplined, innovative approach to vehicle remarketing, was presented to James McKinley, VP of Operations at City Rent a Truck, based in Kansas City.

CAR conference chair and Automotive Fleet associate publisher Chris Brown introduced the award, describing it as recognition for those who "preserve value in their vehicles" and who "enhance vehicle value throughout the full life cycle."

McKinley, who started in the business 12 years ago working in a wash bay, credited senior management at City Rent a Truck, Jeff and Shaefer Schuetz, for giving him the trust and latitude to build the operation. He described City Rent a Truck's approach as one that begins at vehicle specification and continues through acquisition, deployment, maintenance, and eventual disposal.

"Fleet value really isn't a single moment in a vehicle's life," McKinley said. "Every one of those decisions either creates value or destroys it."

He noted that the company has leaned heavily into artificial intelligence and data-driven decision-making across utilization management, fleet operations, and asset disposal — resulting in what he described as better timing, smarter pricing, and a more disciplined overall fleet management process.

A Note of Remembrance

The ceremony opened with a tribute to Mike Antich, a longtime figure in automotive remarketing and a driving force behind the CAR conference, who passed away just before Christmas. Colin Sutherland, CEO of Bobit Business Media — which has co-produced CAR for 30 years — asked attendees to raise a glass in his memory.

"Mike was really present at the very beginning of CAR," Sutherland said. "At the very beginning of modern remarketing."