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  Public Information Release
This is another news release from the Port Authority.



HEATH-NEWARK-LICKING COUNTY PORT AUTHORITY
NEWS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 9, 2007

PORT AUTHORITY DOUBLES SALES USING ONLINE AUCTION SYSTEM
Port Authority Hits Four-Year Milestone on Move to Online Surplus Property Sales

HEATH – On July 14, 2003 the Heath-Newark-Licking County Port Authority sold its first asset online via online auction provider GovDeals.com. The 1992 Chevrolet pickup, equipment originally owned by the Newark Air Force Base, sold for over $4,300 and, according to Bill Wright with the Port Authority, “that was probably double what we had hoped for based on our previous sales.”

Four years and 588 items sold later, the Port Authority has its share of auction stories to tell.

“The old Base fire truck is now in Alabama with a volunteer fire department and the former Base childcare modular buildings have been refurbished and reinstalled for a church in Northern Ohio,” said Bill Wright who manages the system for the Port Authority. “We even sold 75 gallons of lime green paint to a guy in Kentucky and, recently, drywall stilts to a small contractor in New Jersey.”

One of the duties of the Port Authority, as property manager of the Base Campus of the Central Ohio Aerospace and Technology Center, includes disposing of surplus Air Force Base property now owned by the Port Authority but no longer needed by Base tenants. The Port Authority transitioned to online sales of excess property in July 2003. The move was intended as a way to increase revenue and improve efficiency, and it’s worked.

In the four years since moving to online auction sales, the Port Authority has more than doubled the revenue from auction sales having grossed over $173,000 from four years of online auction sales (a $43,250 average) compared to $65,000 total for the previous four years using an annual on-site auction method (a $16,250 annual average).

Most of the Port Authority sales have been for used industrial, lab, and office equipment. Often tools and heavy equipment are on the block. An electric fork lift is among the items currently listed for sale.

“We are constantly looking for ways to increase revenue through innovation and productivity,” said Rick Platt, Executive Director. “It’s an interesting twist. The sales have been so successful and so efficient that we don’t need a forklift to move surplus property around anymore. So, we’re selling the lift.”

The move online has benefited the Port Authority beyond sales revenue. It’s opened space for leasing and reduced manpower dedicated to property sales. A small business is now located in space that used to be used for storage of excess property waiting for the annual on-site auction.

The Port Authority was a pioneer, being among the first governments in Ohio to use online auctions at GovDeals.com. Today, according to GovDeals.com, there are now 124 local governments in Ohio using the site.

"Governments and agencies in Ohio were among some of the earliest adopters of the GovDeals Onlines Surplus Sales Solution,” said Terry Bazzoon, Director of Marketing for GovDeals. GovDeals is extremely pleased to be part of the success of agencies like Heath-Newark-Licking County Port Authority in maximizing their return from surplus property and assets."

Potential bidders can subscribe to an auction e-mail alert and be directed to the GovDeals.com listing of Port Authority items for sale starting at hnlcpa.com/auction.

GovDeals provides state-of-the art online auction services to governmental entities throughout the United States. Founded in 1999, GovDeals is a division of Informs, Inc. which has provided custom purchasing and procurement software solutions to government for over 27 years.

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  Phone: (740) 788-5500