TPC Management Company - Partner Profiles

Pierre Pons

Pierre Pons is President of TPC Management Company. Pons’ 30 plus year automotive industry career includes:

Vehicle remarketing assignments with commercial lessors, US Fleet Leasing and Wheels, Inc.
Sales Executive management and remarketing administration with ADT Automotive
Executive management positions with Greater Auction Group and BSCAmerica Automotive Services.
CEO ServNet Auctions

In 1996, Pons founded TPC Management which serves various automotive industry segments including: auctions, automotive finance, insurance, investment firms, vehicle manufacturers, corporate fleets, commercial lessors, third-party servicers, and IT/e-commerce providers. Areas of specialization include:

Executive search for management positions across the spectrum of automotive industry segments
Project based consulting related to wholesale vehicle portfolio remarketing strategies
Advisory roles in acquisitions/divestitures

In addition to his consulting work, Pons is also an active presenter at automotive industry events and is active in a variety of trade associations such as the National Auto Auction Association (NAAA). Pons served as a board member for the International Automotive Remarketers Alliance (IARA) for several terms and chaired the group's Ethics Committee.

Pons is also the Founder/CEO of Auction Academy, the premiere continuing education program for auto auction industry professionals.

Pons has a Bachelor of Science in Finance from the University of Florida and an MBA from the Owen School of Management at Vanderbilt University. He is based at TPC’s Nashville, TN headquarters.

Pauline Astrum Pons

papons@tpcmgt.com | (615) 567-6657

Pauline Pons is Vice President and Co-founder of TPC Management Company and the Auction Academy. Pons’ 30 plus year automotive industry career includes:

Auto Dealership accounting with the Hecker Automotive Enterprises, a Minneapolis, MN based automotive conglomerate
Executive administration with Walden Leasing, a Minneapolis, MN based auto leasing company
Senior Executive Assistant to the CEO of the Greater Auction Group, an Orlando, FL based national auto auction group
Executive Management positions with BSC America Automotive Services
Corporate Services for ServNet Auctions

In 1996 Pons co-founded TPC Management which serves various automotive industry segments providing Management Consulting, Corporate Administration, Mergers/Acquisitions Advisory and Executive Recruiting services in both project-based and long term engagements. Pons also co-founded the Auction Academy, a continuing education program for professionals in the commercial auto auction industry.

Prior and after founding TPC, Pons held positions in Medical Office Management, and started a large Floral Design Boutique serving the Nashville, TN market.

Pons graduated from South St. Paul High School and has degrees in both Accounting and Medical Office Management. She also attended both O’More College of Design in Franklin, TN and Belmont University in Nashville, TN studying fashion design, fine art and photography.

Pons resides in Franklin, TN a suburb of Nashville with her husband, Pierre Pons.

Jiles Wanna

jwanna@tpcmgt.com | (615) 591-7861

Jiles Wanna is Vice President of Client Services with TPC Management Company having joined the company in 2004. His focus is on Business Development assignments both, for the firm and specifically in the Auction Services Division on behalf of Independent Auto Auction clients. He is also a primary contributor to TPC’s Jumprope/CRM (Customer Relations Management) product.

Previous to TPC, Wanna had over 10 years’ experience in National Account Sales with Goodyear Tire. He is CAR Certified, completing the Vehicle Remarketing Industry Certification through the IARA/ Northwood University program as well as completing Manheim’s Condition Report Writer Certification. Wanna has over 11 years of experience in the automotive industry. He holds an Associates of Applied Science Degree in Business from Columbia State College.

Wanna is based at TPC’s headquarters offices in Franklin, TN. Wanna also serves as Senior Administrator for Auction Academy, the industry’s top training and development program.

Penny Wanna

pwanna@tpcmgt.com | (615) 591-4544

Penny Wanna is Vice President of Administration at TPC Management Company. Her responsibilities at the company range from accounting and project management to conference and event planning for its many clients and associated companies, including ServNet Auctions, Auction Academy and Interstate Automotive Services.

Prior to her association with TPC Management, Wanna spent ten years with Comcast in Minneapolis, MN as a reports analyst for the company’s resource management department. She holds an Associates of Applied Science Degree from Columbia State College., where she graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa.

Born and raised in St. Paul, Minnesota, Penny joined the staff at TPC Management in 2004 as an Executive Assistant and Office Manager. She and her husband Jiles have three children. They are based in Franklin, Tennessee. Penny also serves as President for Auction Academy, the industry’s top training and development program.

Charlie Vogelheim

cvogelheim@tpcmgt.com | (949) 929-0716

30 years of automotive industry experience

Executive editor Kelley Blue Book - 20 years
VP J.D. Power and Associates - recruited by Dave Power
Executive editor InteliChoice - helped found and redeploy the company
Education consultant and program development for NAAA and others
Producer and Host Motor Trend Audio – Award winning podcast celebrating cars

Auto Industry Analyst and Editor - initiated several changes and updates to the Kelley Blue Book publications and data creating relevant values and digital distribution.
Remarketing Proficient - decades of observation and participation in varied remarketing aspects including, used cars, rental, fleet, auctions, repossessions, and including the development of residual values and Certified Pre-owned Vehicle programs.
Internet Pioneer - developed kbb.com and Chairman of the Automotive Internet Standards Committee and contributor to the development and implementation of the automotive sites at Microsoft, AOL, Yahoo, Google and e-Bay
Observation and Commentary - a regular media correspondent and automotive industry commentator for business and consumer news. Conference Host, MC and Moderator…created and produced the J.D. Power Internet Roundtable and the DrivingSales Executive summit. MC for CAR Conference.
Thought Leadership - continued development of best practices in remarketing and information transparency.

He will contribute to the continued success of TPC including current services, business development, industry and client relations. Faculty & Adminstrator for Auction Academy

Mike Langhorne

mlanghorne@tpcmgt.com | (404) 435-8095

Director – Mergers & Acquisitions

Until joining TPC in 2015, Mike Langhorne spent his entire working career in various financial management roles with Manheim Auctions and Cox Automotive. Mike draws on more than three decades of experience in accounting, business development and international operations to offer mergers and acquisitions consulting services for TPC clients. Langhorne spent 31 years with Manheim Auctions, applying his expertise in analytics, budgeting, forecasting and modeling. In his role as Senior VP – Operational Excellence, he worked with a team that handled numerous auction acquisitions, overseeing all aspects of the process.

Langhorne joined Manheim as a senior accountant in 1984, and also held roles as Controller and Vice President of Financial Services. He graduated from the University of Georgia with a BBA and holds an MBA from Georgia State University. Mike is a member of the American Institute of CPAs and the Georgia Society of CPAs, and bases in Atlanta, Georgia.