TheBuzz
TheBuzz
The world's largest vehicle auction group has quietly entered the Hawaii market with the grandiose buyout of a competitor. Auto auctions’ big dog
comes to HawaiiStrictly a B-2-B operator, Georgia-based Manheim Auctions purchased the Tennessee-based parent company of Aloha Auto Auction in Kapalama last October. ADT Automotive Services Inc. owned 28 auction sites including the local operation, which will keep its name. Terms were not disclosed.
According to its Web site, Manheim "offers for sale 7 million vehicles per year with the value of the vehicles sold being $40 billion," and has 99 auction centers around the world.
Manheim is a subsidiary of the privately held and gargantuan Cox Enterprises Inc., which is also the parent company of the publicly traded Cox Communications Inc. and Cox Radio Inc. The latter owns and or operates seven radio stations on Oahu.
Bob Gartin, Manheim Auctions senior vice president for administration, said the operation had to move shortly after the purchase. They were told the state was taking the land back, "so we had to find a new place," Gartin said.
Aloha Auto Auction now leases about seven and three-quarters acres from the Damon Estate at 1001 Ahua Street in Mapunapuna, the former MidPac Lumber site.
"We tore down one building, the old showroom," Gartin said, and plan to remodel the open warehouse. The contractor for the estimated $500,000 in remodeling, parking lot and landscaping work is U.S. Pacific Construction Inc.
She's baaaack!
... or will be in mid-September.
Former "Good Morning Hawaii" co-anchor Kathy Muneno will return to KITV, TheBuzz has learned, as the new weather anchor/reporter for the 5, 6 and 10 p.m. news.
Living in Cleveland for nearly two years, Muneno was most recently a writer and producer for Fox-affiliate WEWS TV.
KITV President and General Manager Mike Rosenberg said, "We did this whole nationwide search and decided the best candidate was a long-time family member." Ben Gutierrez will resume his normal weekend weather anchoring and reporting upon Muneno's return, Rosenberg said.
Erika Engle is a reporter with the Star-Bulletin.
Call 529-4302, fax 529-4750 or write to Erika Engle,
Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., No. 7-210,
Honolulu, HI 96813. She can also be reached
at: eengle@starbulletin.com