John Hammer has served as president of ADESA since February 2018. In this role, he directs the development and implementation of ADESA’s overall strategy and growth objectives and oversees the company’s operations in the United States. Carvana acquired ADESA US from KAR Auction Services in May 2022.

Hammer is an automotive industry veteran with more than 25 years of experience in a variety of wholesale, retail, and financing environments, as well as solid relationships throughout the industry.

Prior to being named president of ADESA, Hammer served as CEO of U.S. Auto Sales, Inc. He had previously spent seven years in senior leadership at Automotive Finance Corporation (AFC), another business unit of KAR Auction Services, as CEO, president and chief operating officer. Before joining AFC, Hammer spent 17 years in roles of increasing responsibility at several automotive and finance companies, including Ally Financial, AutoNation and Mercedes-Benz Financial.

Hammer holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a major in finance from Tennessee Technological University in Cookeville, Tennessee.

Jay Bahel is ADESA’s Senior Vice President of Business Transformation. In this role, he works with all aspects of the ADESA business — including operations, product, technology, sales, and marketing — to help drive the business.

Bahel joined KAR Auction Services as VP of Strategic Initiatives at AFC in 2011 and next served as VP of Strategic Initiatives for KAR in 2015 before being named VP of Business Transformation at ADESA in 2019. Prior to joining KAR, Bahel was CIO for a division of Brunswick Corporation, a consulting group leader with Project Leadership Associates (PLA), and led his own technology management consultancy.

Bahel holds an MBA from Lake Forest Graduate School of Management and a Bachelor of Science in Operations Management from Northern Illinois University.

Mike Caggiano has served as ADESA’s executive vice president of U.S. operations, since March 2013. In this position, he is responsible for leading the strategic development and primary business operations for the region.

Caggiano’s entry into the remarketing industry came in 1985 with a Massachusetts-based leasing company, where he eventually served as their general sales manager.

Caggiano joined ADESA Boston in 1996 as sales manager, where he was in charge of the auction’s dealer consignment sale. In 2000, he opened ADESA Concord, a greenfield site in Acton, Massachusetts, and served as the auction’s general manager. In 2007, he was promoted to regional vice president of ADESA’s Eastern region.

Caggiano is an active participant in the NAAA Membership Committee. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Franklin Pierce University in Rindge, New Hampshire.

As vice president of commercial customer solutions, John Combs oversees commercial clients throughout the United States. With a diverse skill set of auction operations, including sales and management, he brings both strong leadership and significant insight to the ADESA sales team.

A long-time remarketing professional, Combs has 25 years of industry experience. His remarketing career began in 1991 as the reconditioning manager for ADESA Memphis; he was later promoted to fleet lease manager and arbitration manager. Since then, he has held several management positions such as fleet lease manager and general sales manager for Dealers Auction of Dallas, remarketing manager for Sunstar Acceptance Corp. and national auction remarketing manager for Bank One Credit Company. In 2000 he opened a greenfield site, ABC Indianapolis, as general manager. He returned to ADESA in 2006 to serve in key roles, including executive sales director and general manager of ADESA San Diego, before assuming his current position as vice president of commercial customer solutions.

Combs holds a bachelor’s degree from Indiana University in Bloomington.

Mehul Ghantiwala serves ADESA as Vice President of Finance. He has devoted his career to ADESA, joining ADESA Los Angeles in 2006 as a staff accountant and working his way up the ladder with promotions to positions of increasing responsibility. He relocated to Indianapolis to join the corporate office in 2018 as Director of Finance and was promoted to Senior Director and then VP in 2021.

Ghantiwala holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with an emphasis on Accounting from the University of California-Riverside and is a CPA.

Laura Gretencord is Vice President of Legal for ADESA. Gretencord has more than 25 years of experience in corporate law, starting her career as an associate for Bingham Summers Welsh & Spilman. After moving to Marsh Supermarkets, she rose to General Counsel and Assistant Secretary. Gretencord joined ADESA in 2016.

Gretencord earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Business from Indiana University-Bloomington and her J.D. from IU’s Robert H. McKinney School of Law.

Shawn Humphries is ADESA’s Vice President of Information Technology. In this role, he leads IT operations and develops strategies to leverage emerging technologies to promote organizational growth.

Humphries came to ADESA in 2017 as Director of Engineering after more than 15 years with Baker Hill, a leading FinTech company in the Midwest. He helped Baker Hill through two major sales and transitions, first with Experian and later with private equity. Humphries had first explored the auto remarketing industry as VP of Software Development for fast-paced startup DriveCentric. At ADESA, he was promoted to VP of Product Development for physical auctions in 2020 and moved into his current role in 2022.

Humphries graduated from the Indiana University Kelley School of Business.

Tom Kontos is Chief Economist for ADESA and leads ADESA Analytical Services. In this position, Kontos interfaces with key clients and dealers, Wall Street and automotive analysts, and members of the media to provide information and insight on economic trends in the vehicle remarketing industry. His monthly “Kontos Kommentary” is a popular must-read for tracking used vehicle market trends. ADESA’s Analytical Services team is considered a value-added resource for ADESA customers, producing actionable annual, bi-annual, quarterly and ad hoc customized studies for dealer and commercial clients.

Kontos was honored with the Ed Bobit Icon of the Automotive Industry Award by the International Automotive Remarketers Alliance and the National Auto Auction Association in 2016. He has more than 25 years of experience in market research, financial analysis and strategic planning.

Kontos holds both bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Pennsylvania State University. He has taught at Birmingham-Southern College and Trevecca University and participated in the Master of Liberal Arts and Science Program at Vanderbilt University.

As Vice President of Reconditioning Services for ADESA, Scott Meyer directs all aspects of finance, accounting, budgeting and financial planning and analysis.

Meyer began his career with ADESA in 2003 as assistant controller for ADESA IMPACT. In 2004 he moved to the company’s corporate finance group, and then returned to ADESA in 2006 as controller. Meyer was promoted to vice president of finance in 2013.

Prior to joining ADESA, Meyer worked as an accountant and senior accountant at Deloitte & Touche from 1999 to 2003.

Meyer holds a bachelor’s degree from Purdue University.

Geoff Parker is an auto remarketing industry veteran with more than 25 years of experience. Currently serving as the Vice President of National Accounts Enterprise Solutions – Dealer for ADESA, Parker started his career with the company in 2003 at ADESA Dallas, rising through the ranks to the role of assistant general manager. After moving back home to serve as ADESA Cincinnati/Dayton GM for eight years, Parker became a regional VP for ADESA in 2016 and was subsequently promoted to his current role in 2021.

Parker was named one of the Power 300 for the Auto Remarketing industry in 2015 and has served on the membership committee for the NAAA since 2015.

Parker graduated from Hillsdale College in 1991.