Cox Enterprises and Manheim Reduce Water Usage in Georgia

ATLANTA, Oct. 3, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- At a local event held today, Cox Enterprises and its Manheim Georgia auction operation celebrated the fifth anniversary of its Water Conservation Center. The event was attended by company leadership, local officials and representatives from environmental nonprofits.

The Water Conservation Center opened in 2008 during the region's historic drought. The Center continues to reduce the location's daily water demand by reusing 60 percent of the treated water and returning the remaining 40 percent to the county.

As part of Cox Enterprises, Manheim participates in Cox Conserves, the company's national sustainability program that focuses on reducing waste and energy consumption, as well as conserving water.

Manheim Georgia's Water Conservation Center saves approximately two million gallons of water each year. Nationwide, Cox Enterprises' companies save 32 million gallons of water annually, and through a partnership with American Rivers, Cox employees have removed more than 16 tons of trash at river cleanups in Ga., N.C., Ohio and Pa. Locally, the company partners with Chattahoochee Riverkeeper and is receiving the organization's River Guardian award on Oct. 9 for conserving water through operations, employee volunteerism and media coverage.

"Water is a limited resource that we need to guard for tomorrow," said Cox Enterprises' Chief Operating Officer John Dyer. "At Cox, we pride ourselves on being prepared for the future. We should always be thinking about conservation and how we can make a positive impact on the environment."

In addition to the Center, Manheim Georgia features eco-friendly fixtures that save one million gallons of water annually, as well as a solar thermal installation that prevents 25 tons of carbon from entering the environment each year. The location also moved from solvent to water-based paint to reduce carbon emissions.

"I believe that the best businesses will also be the best caretakers of the resources given to them," said Janet Barnard, Manheim's executive vice president and chief operating officer.  "Our conservation efforts at Manheim Georgia are examples of how our company is taking action to preserve our natural resources today and in the future."

The Water Conservation Center features a four-step process:

1. Run-off water from vehicle washing flows into floor drains leading to a series of underground tanks where water is collected and equalized.
2. Water proceeds to the bioreactor tank where substances are separated and broken down to prepare for treatment.
3. Ultra-filtration separates the remaining solids not fully broken down.
4. Reverse osmosis membranes remove dissolved solids that remain, improving water quality to better than its original state.

About Manheim
Manheim is the leading global provider of vehicle remarketing services, connecting buyers and sellers of used vehicles to the largest wholesale used-vehicle marketplace.   The company helps dealer and commercial customers achieve results by providing physical and digital auction channels, data analysis, financing, transportation and mobile products and solutions.

Manheim pioneered in-lane vehicle auctions and has been an innovator in both digital and mobile auction platforms.  Manheim registers nearly 8 million used vehicles annually, facilitating transactions representing more than $50 billion in value.  Manheim's research and consulting arm, Manheim Consulting, provides industry-leading market intelligence and publishes the widely recognized annual Used Car Market Report.  The company offers dealer financing though NextGear Capital, Inc., and transportation services through Ready Auto Transport.

Headquartered in Atlanta, Manheim has more than 20,000 employees in 106 worldwide sites and generates annual revenues of more than $2.5 billion.  A subsidiary of Cox Enterprises, Manheim participates in "Go Green with Manheim," the company's sustainability program.

About Cox Enterprises
Cox Enterprises is a leading communications, media and automotive services company. With revenues of more than $15 billion and more than 50,000 employees, the company's major operating subsidiaries include Cox Communications, Inc. (cable television distribution, telephone, high-speed Internet access, commercial telecommunications and advertising solutions); Manheim, Inc. (vehicle auctions, repair and certification services and web-based technology products); AutoTrader.com (online automotive advertising and Kelley Blue Book, vAuto, HomeNet Automotive and Vin Solutions subsidiaries); and Cox Media Group, Inc. (television and radio stations, digital media, newspapers, advertising sales rep firms, Valpak and Cox Digital Solutions). Additionally, Cox operates Kudzu.com.

SOURCE Cox Enterprises