Carlton Blackmon Is Still Living His Childhood Dream at Cox Automotive

As someone who loves cars, Carlton Blackmon has been living his childhood dream since joining Cox Automotive in 2005. Here’s how his role has evolved over the past 19 years.  

Carlton Blackmon has always appreciated the “cool factor” of cars; he recalls riding in the backseat as a kid, pointing and exclaiming, “That’s my car,” at vehicles that drove past. 

As a senior manager of retail service operations at Manheim (a Cox Automotive company) Carlton said he gets to feel like that wide-eyed kid every day.  

“The Lamborghinis, the Ferraris, the Bentleys, the Rolls-Royces. They’re all amazing cars,” he said. 

Since he joined Cox almost 20 years ago, not only is Carlton surrounded by these gorgeous luxury models, but he also gets to drive them almost every week.  

“Who would have ever thought that?” he said. 

From trainee to supervisor — and many roles in between 

Carlton joined Cox in 2005 through the company’s manager trainee program. He spent his first nine months training at the Nashville office, then another 18 months learning the auction program. That’s where he found his calling. 

“When I got to the auction, I knew that’s what I wanted to do the rest of my life,” he said. “Once you get bit by that auction bug, it’s just in you.” 

For Carlton, the auction provides an excitement he hasn’t found anywhere else. And that excitement has transformed into a passion that pushes him to do a great job for both the auction and the customer.  

Carlton also loves the thrill of the process, including having to meet huge, hard deadlines every week. 

“It takes so much to do what we do. The idea that we can move 2,000 cars in a day as a team, get them all to the right locations and do it in a certain amount of time — there’s no greater feeling,” he said. “When you’ve got a great team, that sense of success once you’re done is extremely gratifying.”  

With his love for the auction, Carlton concluded his training program knowing he wanted to work auctions, not in the main office. However, this would normally mean having to move to a different location.  

Instead, Cox decided to create an assistant supervisor role in Nashville just for him.  

“They invested in me, they cared and they wanted to keep me here,” he said. “So, they gave me a position and I stayed salaried. Have you ever heard of such a thing?”  

This new role allowed Carlton to gain experience in multiple outside departments, including the commercial department, dealer services, lab management and several others. 

Today, he works at Manheim Atlanta as the senior manager of retail operations, where his team reconditions cars for sale.  

“I’m not a mechanic. I’ve never been a body man. I’ve never worked in detail. But the company has given me an opportunity and the skillsets to manage and run these things,” Carlton said. 

Through his Cox journey, Carlton has learned the importance of letting his leaders know his wants and needs. Once he learned to speak up, the company intentionally placed him on the right path to get him where he wanted to be.  

“I chose my path within this company, but there are so many paths that you can take,” he said. “Cox provides limitless opportunities — That’s another reason I never want to leave.” 

Looking for a new job? Explore our recent openings and sign up for the Cox Talent Community today!