Automotive Remarketing Alliance

What Automotive Remarketing Alliance does

The Automotive Remarketing Alliance (ARA), also known as the International Automotive Remarketers Alliance, is a 501(c)(6) non-profit trade association founded in 2001 and headquartered in Portland, Oregon, serving the automotive remarketing industry across the U.S. and Canada. The organization serves 275+ member organizations and 1,250+ individual professionals spanning auto auctions, fleet and lease management companies, OEM captive finance firms, banks, credit unions, subprime lenders, dealers, and remarketing service providers. Consignor members collectively manage disposition of approximately 2.5 million vehicles per year, anchoring ARA's relevance to a substantial share of the North American wholesale vehicle market.

ARA's core offerings center on two certification programs: the Certified Automotive Remarketer (CAR) credential, a 20-module program with online proctored testing covering remarketing channels, pre-sale/sale/post-sale activities, and legal/ethics; and the Audit & Compliance Training (ACT) program with separate management and employee tracks covering information security, business continuity, and ethics. These are supplemented by an entry-level partnership with Northwood University, the ARA Canada regional chapter, the Hand Up mentorship program, the GROW women's initiative, and an EV Readiness whitepaper. Technology infrastructure runs on MemberLeap, a membership management platform that delivers course content, event registration, member directories, and committee participation, paired with online proctoring for certification testing.

ARA operates a community-led, event-driven business model funded through three primary streams: recurring membership dues from 275+ organizations, transaction-based event registration (Summer Roundtable late-reg pricing of $1,399 for members and $1,599 for non-members, with a parallel Spring Remarketing Exchange), and one-time certification course fees (CAR at $60-$120/course, ACT at $49-$198, Northwood at $149-$547). Distribution runs through the MemberLeap portal, direct membership enrollment, and an Ambassador Program, with the Summer Roundtable and Spring Remarketing Exchange serving as primary demand-generation and member-acquisition channels. The organization is governed by a volunteer Executive Board and Board of Directors, with day-to-day operations led by Executive Director Mark Coleman and Director of Growth & Operations Lauren Baker; board representation includes executives from SRS, Byrider, and Holman.

Name

Automotive Remarketing Alliance

Legal name

Automotive Remarketing Alliance

Website

https://IARA.BIZ

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

ARA is a non-profit trade association serving 275+ member organizations across the U.S. and Canada in the automotive remarketing industry, delivering CAR and ACT professional certifications, compliance training, and annual conferences (Summer Roundtable, Spring Remarketing Exchange) for auctions, fleet/lease firms, finance institutions, dealers, and service providers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Knoxville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership fees from over 275 member organizations including auctions, service providers, and consignors across U.S. and Canada.
2. Event Registration: Revenue from annual conferences including Summer Roundtable (SRT) and Spring Remarketing Exchange. Late registration priced at $1,399 for members and $1,599 for non-members.
3. Certification and Training Courses: Revenue from CAR certification courses ($60/course for members, $120 for non-members), ACT compliance training ($49-$99 for members), and Northwood University courses ($149-$397 for members).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

ARA is a non-profit trade association serving the automotive remarketing industry. It delivers professional certification programs (CAR and ACT), compliance and entry-level training courses, annual industry conferences (Summer Roundtable and Spring Remarketing Exchange), and member networking through committees, a regional Canadian chapter, and a mentorship program.

Product overview

The Automotive Remarketing Alliance (ARA) is a non-profit professional association serving the automotive remarketing industry. Rather than a single product, ARA offers a portfolio of professional development services centered around its two primary certification programs: CAR (Certified Automotive Remarketer) and ACT (Audit & Compliance Training). These are supplemented by the Northwood University partnership for entry-level training, ARA Canada for regional representation, the Hand Up mentorship program, and recurring events including the Summer Roundtable and Spring Remarketing Exchange. ARA members access these services through a membership portal, with additional content provided via podcasts (Hearing Voices, Special Focus), video series (Journeys), and industry articles. GROW supports women in the industry, and the EV Readiness whitepaper addresses emerging technology concerns.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ARA Canada: ARA Canada is a community of Canadian Remarketing Professionals committed to advancing the Canadian Vehicle Remarketing Industry.
• Certified Automotive Remarketer (CAR)
• Audit & Compliance Training (ACT)
• GROW - Global Remarketing Opportunities for Women
• Hand Up Program

Products and services

• Certified Automotive Remarketer (CAR) Certification Industry-standard certification for automotive remarketing professionals, comprising 20 online learning modules and accompanying tests across 5 units covering remarketing channels, pre-sale activities, sale activities, post-sale activities, and legal/ethics/terminology. Leads to the CAR designation recognized throughout the remarketing industry.
• Audit & Compliance Training (ACT) Professional compliance certification program with two tracks (Management and Employee) covering compliance requirements, physical/environmental security, information security, business continuity, HR/business operations, regulation, and ethics in the wholesale automotive remarketing industry.
• ARA Northwood University Online Remarketing Education Program Entry-level remarketing training partnership with Northwood University, consisting of four units covering terminology, remarketing basics, VINs, inspections, transportation, ethics, guidebooks, resale channels, technology, titling, and vehicle value factors. Available as individual units or as a complete four-unit bundle, with completion certificates issued by the university.
• ARA Summer Roundtable (SRT) Conference Annual flagship industry conference providing networking, educational content, panel discussions, speaker sessions, and the CAR certification ceremony for automotive remarketing professionals. Late registration priced at $1,399 for members and $1,599 for non-members.
• ARA Spring Remarketing Exchange Annual spring industry conference focused on remarketing industry trends, networking, and education, hosted in conjunction with NAAA.
• Hand Up Mentorship Program Six-month mentorship program pairing early-career and late-career professionals in the remarketing industry through monthly individual rotation meetings, cohort discussions, and virtual sessions.
• ARA Membership Annual membership program for organizations across the automotive remarketing ecosystem, including auctions, service providers, and consignors. Provides access to training and certification discounts, events, committees, the member directory, and resources.
• ARA Canada Program Canadian chapter of ARA focused on advancing the Canadian vehicle remarketing industry through networking, educational resources, industry insights, and local sub-committee activities covering CPO, Education, Legislation/Compliance, Membership, and Technology topics.

Quantifiable outcome

• 2.5M vehicles annually managed by consignor members
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.

• Northwood UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerARA partners with Northwood University to deliver the ARA Northwood University Online Remarketing Education Program, an introductory training program for entry-level remarketing professionals. Students receive certificates of completion from the university after completing four units covering terminology, remarketing basics, VINs, inspections, ethics, guidebooks, resale channels, technology, titling, and vehicle value factors.
• Auction AcademycoreGTM or Marketing PartnerAuction Academy partners with ARA for CAR certification program endorsement. Auction Academy refers students to ARA's certification programs and ARA recognition contributes to Auction Academy's credibility in the remarketing education space.
• GROW (Global Remarketing Opportunities for Women)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerGROW is an initiative supporting professional development and networking opportunities for women in the automotive remarketing industry. ARA hosts information about GROW on its website and collaborates on initiatives to advance women in the remarketing profession.
• National Auto Auction Association (NAAA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerARA's CAR certification program incorporates NAAA General Arbitration Policies and NAAA Structural Damage Policy as industry standards. The organizations collaborate on establishing and promoting industry best practices for auction operations.
• NAAA (National Auto Auction Association)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerARA works with NAAA on standards development including arbitration policies and seller disclosure requirements. Information from ARA conferences is shared with NAAA and peripheral service providers to support industry-wide process improvements.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• National Independent Automobile Dealers Association (NIADA): U.S. trade association representing independent auto dealers, many of whom are also ARA consignor or auction members. Comparable in mission (education, certification, advocacy) and operating model (membership dues, annual convention, code of ethics), serving an adjacent slice of the same wholesale automotive channel.
• Society of Corporate Compliance & Ethics (SCCE): Professional association offering compliance and ethics certifications and training across industries. A close functional parallel to ARA's ACT program in terms of certification-driven revenue model, though operating in a horizontal compliance market rather than ARA's vertical automotive-remarketing niche.
• Automotive Fleet & Leasing Association (AFLA): Association serving corporate fleet and leasing professionals, a primary consignor segment for ARA members (Holman, ARI, Element Fleet are referenced in ARA's leadership). Comparable operating model - non-profit, member-driven, education-and-events focus - and overlapping buyer base on the fleet-side of remarketing.
• NAFA Fleet Management Association: Long-established non-profit professional association for fleet managers, addressing a constituency that overlaps heavily with ARA's consignor base. Comparable business model (certification, conferences, advocacy) and audience, but positioned further upstream in the vehicle lifecycle than ARA.
• National Auto Auction Association (NAAA): National trade association for the auto auction industry and a core strategic partner of ARA. Highly comparable as a non-profit membership body that sets standards and hosts conferences for the same remarketing ecosystem ARA serves, with overlapping members and shared policy work.
• American Financial Services Association (AFSA): Trade association for the consumer finance industry, including auto finance and captive lenders that are core ARA member categories. Comparable operating model (membership dues, conferences, compliance education, advocacy) and overlapping membership with ARA's bank/credit-union/captive-finance segments.

Broad incumbents

• American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA): Large professional association offering certifications and continuing education, including in audit and compliance topics adjacent to ARA's ACT curriculum. Operates as a much larger and broader incumbent offering self-study, online, and live training programs that compete for the same compliance-training wallet ARA targets.
• National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA): The largest U.S. trade association for franchised new-car dealers and a far broader incumbent that addresses adjacent parts of the automotive value chain. Comparable as a non-profit education-and-advocacy body, but with much larger scale, broader scope (franchised dealers, OEMs, fixed ops), and a wider resource base than ARA's remarketing focus.

Others

• Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA): An international non-profit association of motor vehicle safety regulators and enforcement officials, adjacent to automotive operations but not a direct remarketing competitor. Comparable as an association running certification and standard-setting programs, useful for benchmarking ARA's committee and standards-development model.

Regional players

• Canadian Automobile Dealers Association (CADA): The primary Canadian auto dealer trade association, operating in the same North American geography as ARA Canada. Comparable membership-association model and audience, focused on franchised dealers in Canada rather than the remarketing/wholesale channel ARA Canada serves.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/araremarketing?s=21&t=3gsYiqg6RtSriG3R0Qcvzw
• Facebookfacebook.com/AutomotiveRemarketingAlliance
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/iara---the-international-automotive-remarketers-alliance

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Automotive Remarketing Alliance