Hoffman Estates auto auction facility celebrates opening

Adesa Chicago marked the grand opening of its 65-acre wholesale auto auction facility in western Hoffman Estates Friday with a public demonstration of its operations.

Hoffman Estates Mayor William McLeod, Adesa Chicago General Manager Troy Peterson and Adesa President and CEO Stéphane St-Hilaire were on hand for the event, which featured guest sellers, prizes and giveaways.

Adesa is a Carmel, Indiana-based subsidiary of KAR Auction Services, which handles the sale of used vehicles among institutional sellers and registered car dealers.

The new facility at Beverly Road and Prairie Stone Parkway features eight lanes for simultaneous auctions and four buildings totaling about 167,000 square feet.

While about 15,000 transactions per year are expected during the facility's first two years of operation, company officials said a higher goal of 75,000 per year could be reached sometime after that.

Hoffman Estates officials approved the facility in 2015 with the knowledge two later phases could be sought, potentially expanding the site to 134 acres.

At the time of its approval, officials said the facility would employ about 150 full-time and 100 part-time workers.

Though vehicles will arrive and depart from the facility daily, the on-site auctions will be held once a week.