1989
Entered the industry.
I began building the practical auction and operations experience that would shape my founder path: people, process, vehicles, urgency, and execution under pressure.
01
The builder behind the next paradigm shift.
Changing Industries Isn't an Accident. It's What I Do.
For more than thirty years, I have built companies, transformed auction operations, trained leaders, and created technology that helped redefine how vehicles, labor, and workflows move through the auto auction industry. AuctionTrac proved what was possible. Auction AI is proving what is next.
Michael Ray Newman
Documented source strip
Industry proof behind the founder story.
By the numbers
A founder story measured in decades, systems, and adoption.
30+
Years building businesses
1M+
Vehicle searches surpassed by AuctionTrac in 2011
10–15%
Reported lot labor savings at implemented sites
27
ADESA auctions using AuctionTrac by early 2012
North America
Auction operations footprint
The Founder Film
Creating the Next Paradigm Shift
“It was never about me. It was about building the people around me to a standard, that we would walk these paths together and we would build first, refine later.”
The Why
“Before there were companies, there was a belief.”
“I learned early that success was not guaranteed. It had to be built. Not someday. Today. Not with excuses. With whatever it takes. That belief became the foundation for how I build companies, develop people, and create systems that solve real operational problems.”
“Whatever it takes.
With integrity.
To advance the betterment of humankind.”
Builder's journey
The Builder's Journey
The path from auction labor to AuctionTrac to Auction AI is not a pivot - it is a progression.
2002
Founded LBD.
I founded LBD to support the labor and execution layer of auction operations, learning the physical workflow from the ground up and building around dependable on-site performance.
022008
Founded AuctionTrac.
I founded AuctionTrac to bring stronger vehicle-location visibility, workflow accountability, and labor-management data into auction operations.
032011
AuctionTrac acquired by KAR / ADESA.
KAR / ADESA acquires AuctionTrac, validating a practical operating system for vehicle tracking and auction visibility across a North American auction context.
042012
Mobile and labor optimization.
AuctionTrac expands into mobile, GPS-enabled, and paperless labor-management workflows, with ADESA-KAR releases reporting measurable labor savings and broader rollout across ADESA locations.
05Today
Founder of Auction AI.
I am building Auction AI for independent auto auctions: shared operational records, cleaner handoffs, better visibility, and AI-supported auction intelligence without overcomplicating the floor.
06The Next Chapter
The future is being built.
The next chapter is cinematic, operational, and founder-led: converting decades of auction know-how into tools that help teams see the work, move faster, and serve customers with more confidence.
07The paradigm shifts
One Industry. Two Paradigm Shifts.
First shift
AuctionTrac
AuctionTrac moved auction teams from physical searching and fragmented updates into a more visible operating rhythm.
- Paper and radio callsShared operational records
- Searching the lotVehicle-location visibility
- Labor as a mystery costMeasured workforce control
Next shift
Auction AI
Auction AI extends the operating system into shared records, cleaner decisions, and intelligence that fits the actual auction flow.
- Disconnected sale-day decisionsCleaner status, light, and workflow intelligence
- Software sitting outside the operationAI that fits the actual auction flow
Innovation is not something I talk about. It is something I build.
What I Build
People, systems, and the future of the work.
People
Great companies are built by extraordinary people.
Tools that respect the physical workflow: check-in, inspection, movement, sale-day status, post-sale handoffs, labor, communication, and client confidence.
Systems
People scale. Systems sustain.
My work centers on making execution easier to see, measure, and manage without removing the human judgment that strong operators bring to the floor.
The Future
The best builders do not follow industries. They reshape them.
The standard is not a louder claim. It is a better workflow, validated by teams who can locate vehicles faster, coordinate labor better, and operate with fewer blind spots.
The future
The Connected Auction
For decades, auctions have operated through disconnected systems, disconnected vendors, and disconnected workflows.
The next generation of auction operations will be built on visibility, accountability, automation, and one shared record.
I am helping lead that transformation through Auction AI.
The auction portfolio
Three connected layers of auction infrastructure.
Built from the auction floor up, the work connects physical execution and digital systems without losing sight of the teams doing the work.
Labor and execution layer
LBD Auction Services
Auction operations still depend on people who can move quickly, communicate clearly, and execute with consistency. LBD Auction Services supports the physical side of auction operations through dependable labor, vehicle movement, lane support, and managed on-site execution.
- Auction labor support
- Vehicle movement
- Lane and sale-day support
- On-site operational reliability
Sale-day clarity layer
Light Right
Sale-day performance depends on clear vehicle information at the exact moment decisions are being made. Light Right is built around reducing confusion, improving vehicle status visibility, and helping auction teams avoid costly light and announcement errors.
- Sale-light clarity
- Vehicle status visibility
- Better communication during live operations
- Reduced assignment and announcement errors
Workflow intelligence layer
Auction AI
Auction AI connects the vehicle journey from check-in to check-out through a shared operational record. It gives teams better visibility, improves workflow management, and helps auctions create more capacity without simply adding more manual work.
- Connected vehicle records
- Workflow visibility
- AI-supported auction operations
- Faster cycle times
The problems he builds around
Auction-native friction, not generic business theory.
Vehicles getting lost in process
Wrong sale-light assignments
Labor gaps
Poor lane visibility
Manual communication
Delayed handoffs
Consignor and client frustration
Disconnected tools
What I build
Founder-led systems for real-world teams.
Operating systems for real-world auction teams
Tools that respect the physical workflow: check-in, inspection, movement, sale-day status, post-sale handoffs, labor, communication, and client confidence.
Companies that connect people, process, and visibility
My work centers on making execution easier to see, measure, and manage without removing the human judgment that strong operators bring to the floor.
Founder-led products with practical proof
The standard is not a louder claim. It is a better workflow, validated by teams who can locate vehicles faster, coordinate labor better, and operate with fewer blind spots.
Speaking / media / contact
Conversations on leadership, operations, and the future of auctions.
Book MichaelLeadership
Building Your Bench
Culture
Sales
Entrepreneurship
Human Performance
Auto Auction Innovation
The Future of Auction Operations
Final CTA
If you're building something that matters...
Whether you're developing leaders, transforming an organization, building technology, or rethinking the next paradigm shift, let's build it together.
Start the Conversation