Life at OPENLANE: Q&A with Aris Vinsant, Group Product Manager, OPENLANE US Marketplace
Aris Vinsant, Group Product Manager at OPENLANE enjoys helping to build more products. Learn more about the skills he’s acquired and his achievements at OPENLANE.
What has your journey at OPENLANE looked like?
I first joined OPENLANE in 2020 as a Summer intern with the BacklotCars product team. Since it was the beginning of the pandemic, I was not certain what to expect. However, I quickly realized the shift to digital auction formats was happening fast. I was drawn to being part of a dynamic marketplace business in an industry that’s always appealed to me: automotive.
After graduating from the University of Kansas (Rock Chalk!), I returned to OPENLANE as a product manager focused on inspection technology. Since then, I’ve had the opportunity to help release several industry-leading innovations, including Visual Boost AI and Code Boost IQ. It’s been very fulfilling to create technology solutions supporting our hard-working and focused operations teams. Looking ahead, I am very excited about OPENLANE’s growth trajectory and the opportunity to help shape the future of automotive remarketing.
What is something you are most proud of during your time with OPENLANE?
I am most proud of the mutual respect and strong partnership we’ve built between the technology and operations teams. I have total confidence in our operations teams to deliver exceptional service for our customers. They “bring it” in the field every single day. Simultaneously, they count on us to equip them with effective technology solutions. We’ve been able to develop great inspection tools, but I am most proud of how our team counts on and pushes each other.
What do you like the most about working at OPENLANE?
My favorite part about working at OPENLANE is the data-driven culture I experience when building new products. I’m constantly surrounded by people who seek to understand the deeper meaning behind why something is necessary before we go and build. This allows us to check our assumptions at the door and rely on a combination of qualitative and quantitative data to show us the right solutions. At OPENLANE, the best ideas win, as long as they are supported by data.
What’s a piece of advice for newcomers to the company?
My advice for newcomers at OPENLANE is: don’t be afraid to make suggestions or take smart risks that end up failing. When it comes to learning, there is no substitute for taking action and accumulating scar tissue from the experiments that don’t work. The people at OPENLANE highly value the opportunity to try new things, and they don’t dwell on defeat. They will encourage you to learn, grow and move forward.
Which one of your skills assisted you the most with your success?
The skill that’s contributed most to my success is data storytelling. It’s not always straightforward to understand how our work directly impacts our customers and internal teams. Being able to distill conclusions from raw sales data and communicate those insights across the organization has driven smarter product decisions and a better customer experience. Data storytelling helps me bridge the gap between information and execution.
