The Global Remarketing Opportunities for Women (GROW) group raised enough funds since the Aug. 20 launch of its silent auction to award scholarships to 18 industry remarketing professionals to participate in training programs held by the Automotive Remarketing Alliance ARA, GROW reported Sept. 26.

The winners, who include women and men, will enroll in ARA’s Audit & Compliance Training (ACT) program or the Certified Automotive Remarketer (CAR) credential. ACT and CAR are the alliance’s two premier professional education and development programs, providing certified status to members of the automotive remarketing industry.

Overall, the silent auction offered 40 items to bid on, drew 80 participants, and raised more than $15,000. The auction opened during the welcome reception for the ARA’s Summer Roundtable conference near Dallas, held Aug. 20-22. The submission deadline was Sept. 13, and GROW announced scholarship recipients this week.

The item most bid on was the Josh Allen signed jersey, and the most expensive item was the trip to St. Martin, a tropical vacation island in the northeast Caribbean about 190 miles east of Puerto Rico.

Auction donors included: ACV, Adesa, Oklahoma Auto Exchange, Summs Skip Collateral and Recovery, Eblock, Manheim Texas Hobby, Auction Edge, South Bay Remarketing, Empty Nest Bake Shop, Fort Worth TALK, and GROW leaders/supporters Tammy Swofford, Jane Morgan, Keely Smith, Shelly Frank, and Kerri Rotunda.

The financial sponsors were Transportation Perspectives, Greater Rockford Auto Auction, Mountain State Auto Auction, Capital City Auto Auction, and Big Valley Auto Auction.

GROW officially launched at the 2023 Summer Roundtable last August in Chicago as a group affiliated with the Automotive Remarketing Alliance. Since then, GROW has provided webinars, educational sessions, networking events, and professional resources for members.