Manheim Detroit Makes Donation to Lake Erie Waterkeeper

Wholesale Auto Auction’s Employees Give Back, Help Drive Local Green Efforts

To reinforce its commitment to being good stewards of the environment, Manheim Detroit announced a $12,500 donation to Lake Erie Waterkeeper, an organization that serves Lake Erie’s waters and its tributaries through education, advocacy, outreach and collaboration. As a part of Cox Enterprises, Manheim Detroit participates in the Cox Conserves Chairman’s Cup, an internal program that recognizes Cox field locations for implementing sustainable business practices.

One location is selected from each of Cox Enterprises’ major subsidiaries (Cox Communications, Cox Automotive and Cox Media Group). One of 78 Manheim locations in North America, Manheim Detroit was recognized for their proactive and innovative green efforts and awarded $12,500 to donate to a local environmental nonprofit and selected Lake Erie Waterkeeper.

“We’re excited to receive this contribution from Manheim Detroit and Cox Enterprises,” said Sandy Bihn, executive director of Lake Erie Waterkeeper. “This donation will be instrumental in our efforts to keep Lake Erie clean and protect this great lake’s waterways. Lake Erie has 872 mile shoreline that stretches along the shores of five states, including Michigan, and is the source of drinking water for 11 million people. Lake Erie is being threatened by growing algae blooms, invasive fish like Asian Carp, water withdrawals and water level changes and climate change, so it’s our mission to keep the lake clean and protect our environment.”

Manheim Detroit was selected as the winner by demonstrating a variety of sustainability efforts:

• Developed a Conservation Committee last year that created a plan to implement both recycling and volunteer programs to help make the auction greener and increase community involvement.  The committee, chaired by Manheim Detroit controller Diana Ohanesian, meets quarterly to develop new ideas to make the location more environmentally friendly, discuss volunteer projects and provide updates to ongoing projects.
• Initiated a “Bring Your Cup to Work” campaign that helped to offset the 50,000 Styrofoam cups ordered annually.
• Launched a used pen and pencil collection drive which provided 6,000 pens and pencils to local schools. Employees collected the pens and pencils from vehicles being consigned at the auction, and the donations were spearheaded by employee Peter Hartner.
• Volunteered to clean up the grounds and areas around the Carleton, Mich., location and the facility’s separate Flat Rock operation in celebration of Arbor Day. More than 100 employees spent over three hours collecting 130 bags of trash and planting flowers to support local conservation efforts.
• Developed a partnership with neighboring Guardian Industries to reduce carbon footprint and help beautify the community.

“It is an amazing honor to have been selected for this award by our parent company,” said Mandy Savage, general manager of Manheim Detroit. “Our team here is truly humbled and appreciative of this award. We have partnered with Cox Enterprises on multiple projects this past year to help lessen our impact on the environment. These projects have also allowed our employees to give back to the community.”

About Manheim (www.manheim.com)

Manheim is the leading global provider of vehicle remarketing services, connecting buyers and sellers of used vehicles to the largest wholesale used-vehicle marketplace.   The company helps dealer and commercial customers achieve results by providing physical and digital auction channels, data analysis, financing, transportation and mobile products and solutions.

Manheim pioneered in-lane vehicle auctions and has been an innovator in both digital and mobile auction platforms.  Manheim registers nearly 7 million used vehicles annually, facilitating transactions representing nearly $46 billion in value.  Manheim’s research and consulting arm, Manheim Consulting, provides industry-leading market intelligence and publishes the widely recognized annual Used Car Market Report.  The company offers dealer financing through NextGear Capital, Inc., and transportation services through Ready Auto Transport.

Headquartered in Atlanta, Manheim has more than 20,000 employees in 121 worldwide sites and generates annual revenues of more than $2.5 billion.  A subsidiary of Cox Enterprises, Manheim participates in “Go Green with Manheim,” the company’s sustainability program.

About Cox Conserves (www.coxconserves.com)

Launched in 2007 by Chairman Jim Kennedy, Cox Conserves is Cox Enterprises' national sustainability program. Cox Conserves focuses on reducing waste and energy consumption, as well as conserving water. The program engages each of the company's major subsidiaries (Cox Communications, Cox Automotive and Cox Media Group) and encourages Cox Enterprises' 50,000 employees and their families to engage in eco-friendly practices.

About Lake Erie Waterkeeper (www.lakeeriewaterkeeper.org)

Lake Erie Waterkeeper is an organization, based in Toledo, Ohio, designed to preserve, protect, and improve the watersheds, waters, and fish of Lake Erie, the Great Lakes’ warmest, shallowest, most biologically productive lake, and to increase public awareness through collaboration, education and advocacy.

Photo Caption for Manheim Group Photo 1: From left, Manheim Detroit Controller Diana Ohanesian, Manheim Detroit Assistant General Manager Pam Sackey, Dave Spangler, Lake Erie Waterkeeper board president; Kim Valentine, Lake Erie Waterkeeper board member; Sandy Bihn, Lake Erie Waterkeeper executive director, and Paul Pacholski, Lake Erie Waterkeeper board member.

For further information: John Heid, john.heid@manheim.com