CARY, N.C. -

As part of Auto Remarketing's 2020 Best Auto Auctions to Work For program, we are featuring Q&As with leaders from some of the honorees. 

Next up is Matt Alombro, auction manager at Louisiana's 1st Choice Auto Auction, which has been an honoree in each of the program's five years. 

That Q&A, available to CMG Premium subscribers, can be found below.

Auto Remarketing: Louisiana's 1st Choice Auto Auction is the only auction that has made the list of Best Auto Auctions to Work For in each of the award program's first five years. What makes LAFCAA stand out from the pack, and what gives you such a strong workplace culture?

Matt Alombro: Culture, exactly that. We have been open since 2002, 18 years, and our management team has been here for an average of 12-14 years. We stay true to our values and do everything we can to hire people that align with our culture and cherish the same core beliefs. This also attributes to our extremely low turnover rate and allows everyone to work so well together year after year.

AR: Workplace safety has been a big topic in the auto auction industry, particularly for the traditional brick-and-mortar auctions where cars are running through the lanes. How has the COVID-19 pandemic impacted your safety strategy?

MA: Safety is more important now than ever before with the advent of government mandates and stricter health and safety guidelines. Our most valuable asset has always been our team members. COVID brought new challenges to the table with health and safety restrictions that we put in place. We canceled our large all-employee meetings, which has led us to conduct smaller team meetings more frequently. We have several meetings per week, and safety is always the main topic. Safe T. Sam is excellent for our new hires as an introduction, and we always supplement it with the years of experience we have run a safe workplace.

AR: Training and development are key in any organization, but I imagine it’s especially challenging this year. What have been some effective approaches you have taken when it comes to training and developing employees?

MA: The smaller and more frequent team meetings have allowed supervisors and managers a more hands-on approach, increasing communication across all departments. Smaller meetings led to better training and a wealth of new ideas to shorten processes and increase efficiency. 

AR: This year’s program had some particularly strong scores with supervisor relationship and overall employee engagement. What are some ways your organization foster positive professional relationships between supervisors and employees?  Likewise, what are some ways your organization engages employees?

MA: The last nine months have been more than a challenge to all. Like many others we had to announce employee furloughs for an unknown length of time. Through the first 5-6 weeks, every manager was on the lot moving cars, taking pictures, detailing cars and anything else that needed to be done to continue having a weekly auction. Everything was completed by only about 15 people. This was truly a humbling experience. When our team started to come back 6-8 weeks later, we were still out there with them and getting the job done.

For months we remained with a limited team, and through that time, many close friendships formed. It was a new level of respect for the team tasked with completion, as well as the supervisors and managers who were willing to do whatever it takes to make it happen. That bond made for great ideas and open communication to only further improve the fantastic team we have here at Louisiana’s 1st Choice Auto Auction.