CARY, N.C. -

In 2008, the outset of arguably the worst economic crises since the Great Depression, Jack Cooper Holdings Corp. had 100 employees, says executive chairman Sarah Amico.

Six years later, it had around 4,000.

But perhaps the more inspiring find is what Amico learned while spending week after week interviewing top managers, executive and board members, all part of a quest to outline the core values of the now 87-year-old company.

“What I found was remarkable: In interview after interview, members of the Jack Cooper team told the same stories, even used the same words, to describe the values that made doing business at Jack Cooper special,” said Amico, one of the Remarketing and Used-Car Industry's 40 Under 40.  “It wasn't so much what we were doing differently from other companies, but how we were doing it that helped our company grow even in the leanest times the industry had seen in decades. Our values mattered. A lot.”

So, in November, the five Core Values of Jack Cooper were formally announced, those being: integrity, excellence, innovation, imagination, responsibility, and longevity.

“These were not values simply chosen by a board of directors, envisioned by a CEO, or selected to better market services to customers. These were values carefully distilled from nine decades of excellence in operations, an intentional insistence on innovation, and a passion for building teams that outpace every competitor in the key performance indicator that matters most: character,” Amico said. “These values aren't just words on a page, they are an authentic answer to what makes our team excited to be a part of the Jack Cooper family, and what enables us to best serve our customers.”

In fact, the steps Amico and her team have taken to instill these values into the everyday operations of the company is the part of her job in which she takes the most pride.

And, again, while the words behind these values are important — Amico says the core values are on every business card, at every terminal and brought up at every board meeting — actions are paramount. Amico said she has “worked to identify ways to reinforce our values to thousands of our employees, customers and partner firms.”

Amico shared many examples.

“This fall we will launch an annual initiative to collect winter coats for kids in need,” she said. “Next year, we will unveil our inaugural 'Big Idea' contest, awarding scholarships to business and engineering students who identify innovative solutions to help take our service to the next level at Jack Cooper.”

There's also the Jack Cooper Volunteer Day that Amico created in 2014 that is devoted specifically to the “responsibility” value. With two Volunteer Days in the books, Jack Cooper's 50 corporate office employees and many more volunteers have lent a helping hand in the following ways, as listed by Amico below:

• Made lunches for 2,200 kids at risk of hunger during the summer months

• Renovated a local foster home and provided the resident kids with gift cards to purchase meals, school supplies and back to school clothing

• Packed 100 “Project Night Night” bags with books, toys, blankets and personal care items for homeless children (most of the volunteers — including my two daughters — were children ages 1-6 in our Jack Cooper Child Care Center, our in-office daycare)

• Moved over 4,800 pounds of supplies in three hours to help the Atlanta Food Bank's “Kids in Need” program serving teachers in low income school districts; we also gifted new chairs to 4 teachers!

• Provided backpacks of school supplies to kids in need

• Performed much-needed renovations and generous donations to a local no-kill animal shelter, as well as socialized with hundreds of animals looking for forever families

• Prepared a home-cooked meal for 50 families staying at a local Ronald McDonald House

• Provided career coaching, resume critiques and interview preparation for two dozen job seekers at Goodwill Industries; even our CEO took time to personally review resumes for those seeking jobs.

• Created a BINGO tournament for local heroes at a VA hospital

“All of this was done with just 1.25 percent of our total Jack Cooper workforce — in two days,” she said. “Next year, we plan to expand this incredible event to several additional offices, and I can't wait to see the results.

“It is my hope that these values will form the foundation of our family’s business for years to come, enabling us to best serve our remarketing and automotive manufacturing clients for generations,” she concluded.

Editor's Note: This is one of several spotlight features included in Auto Remarketing's inaugural 40 Under 40. Stay tuned for more.