CARY, N.C. -

When it comes to managing his team, safety is paramount at ADESA Cincinnati/Dayton, says general manager Mike Long.

“Safety is, and always will be, our top priority. With as many moving parts as we have around our facility on both sale days and non-sale days, we must do everything possible to ensure the safety of everyone who steps foot onto the property,” Long said.

“We are constantly reminding our team how important safety is with daily departmental meetings and monthly safety team meetings, and we all love our Safe T. Sam videos each month as well,” he said. “Priority No. 1 is that everyone comes to work, feels safe and goes home unharmed each and every day.”

Another area on which the auction puts a great deal of emphasis is promoting from within.  And that starts by having a positive workplace.

“Recruiting and training new employees negatively impacts the bottom line. We want to maintain a consistency within our workforce by keeping the team we have in place,” Long said.

“Promotion from within has been a common occurrence here at ADESA Cincinnati/Dayton and that helps us keep the momentum going. Our efforts to keep good people has allowed us to add more and more bench strength and to continuously deliver a consistent service level that we believe is hard to match,” he said.

Part of keeping those employees, of course, is having strong morale. Long works to keep morale high by getting to know his employees and really being present.

“I believe the best way to boost morale as a manager is to know your people. We all have a lot going on each day that keeps us in our offices behind our desks, but knowing the people you’re working with is so important. How could employees feel appreciated if management doesn’t know their name?” he said.

“I want to meet every new hire we have at the auction and I want to walk around and say hi as often as I can. Being present among your team is critical to morale,” he said. “Employee fun days, cookouts and surprising the team with donuts or ice cream on a hot day are all great things we do here, but above all, I believe that being seen as much as possible is a must in maintaining morale in any organization.”

Lastly, Long shares what be he believes makes ADESA Cincinnati/Dayton stand out as a great place to work.

“ADESA Cincinnati/Dayton tries to maintain a fun and productive work environment.  We believe in surrounding ourselves with people who care about their work. Our team works well together to achieve a common goal of servicing our buyers and sellers,” he said.

“We promote and recognize innovation within the group, considering every idea,” Long said. “We have fun in the workplace while still meeting our weekly sale objectives. In addition, our corporate office gives us much support in terms of great benefits and encouraging a work-life balance.” 

View the complete list of honorees here.