the bid caller - South Carolina Auctioneers Association

The Bid Caller
February, 2014
2014 ISSUE NO. 1
South Carolina auctioneers Association
A Message From The President
SCAA President Rafe Dixon, CAI, AARE, CES
This Issue’s Issues:
President’s Message
1
Jobs & Resource Board 2
Bid Calling
Championship
2
About The Bid Caller
3
Thank you for the honor of being
selected as President for this year! Many
of our Past Presidents have been my advisors and mentors (and they still are!), so
this is a special and humbling honor for
me.
We have several goals for this
year, and we need the entire membership’s
assistance in meeting them. Among our
goals are:

’14 Board Of Directors 3
Notable Dates
3
News & Notes
3
Steve Proffitt
4
Reciprocal States
5
Advertising Contest
Results
6
Past President’s
Message
6
Continuing Education
7
Annual Boosters
8
The Bid Caller is the official
newsletter of the South Carolina Auctioneers Association.
This newsletter is published
by the SCAA as a service to
its members and supporters in
the auction industry. Suggestions are welcome for articles
in future editions.


Look for more information on
these activities in future newsletters and
emails.
Thank you to Darron Meares, our
immediate Past President. Under his leadership our SOP was updated, and the current officers and board have a good “road
map” for our operations.
You have elected a great Board of
Directors for 2014. I’m looking forward to
working with all of them, and all of the
Advancing membership-I hope all of
members this year. Please don’t hesitate to
you will be a recruiter! Please encour- call me if I can be of any assistance to you.
age your fellow auctioneers to join us,
as we are representing them.
Get ‘em on!
Legislative Day-we hope to have this
Rafe Dixon
in mid-April, around the time of National Auctioneers Day. Planning is
underway now.
Promoting and educating our SC Auctioneers!
Bid Calling Championship
The SCAA held the Annual State
Bid Calling Championship at the 2014,
40th SCAA Anniversary Convention in
Columbia SC. We had 6 Auctioneers compete for the title. The competitors had to
sell 3 items and answered 3 questions
associated with the Auction industry. After the scores were totalled Chris Pracht
was named the 2014 S.C. Bid Calling
Grand Champion, Bryan Hope was Reserved champion and Rafe Dixon finished
in 3rd place.
Now Chris will represent the
SCAA at the National Auctioneer Association Convention as he competes in the
International Auctioneer Championship
(IAC) in Louisville, Kentucky.
As a result of Press Releases we
sent out, the SCAA received media coverage from 3 different TV stations in the
Columbia area and The State newspaper.
Also President Darron Meares
was on a local talk show in the Greenville
Spartanburg area and also the Greenville
Magazine to talk about the 40th SCAA
Convention and the Auction industry.
Thanks to all of our competitors
and winners.
By David Taylor
2014 ISSUE NO. 1, FEBRUARY
STATEMENT OF PUBLISHER
THE BID CALLER is the official
publication of the South Carolina
Auctioneers Association. Readers are
invited to submit manuscripts, which
preferably would be limited to 2,000
words or fewer in length. THE BID
CALLER’S advertising policy attempts
to conform its advertising to business
endeavors. Products or services
advertised in THE BID CALLER are not
directly or impliedly endorsed by the
SCAA. The views and opinions implied
or expressed herein by authors and
advertisers are not necessarily those of
SCAA, the editor or the publisher, and
no responsibility for such views will be
assumed. This newsletter is provided
with the understanding that opinions,
instructions and advice provided by
contributing authors and editors are
those of such authors and editors and
not of this publication. Neither the
publisher nor the editor is engaged in
providing professional opinions of any
nature. If technical or professional
advice is required in any aspect of your
business, we encourage our readers to
seek professional services. THE BID
CALLER publication may refuse to
accept any and all advertising or articles it believes to be false, fictitious or
misleading.
AD COPY AND ARTICLES
MAY BE SUBMITTED TO:
THE BID CALLER
Elaine Christian, Publisher
PO Box 41368
Raleigh, NC 27629
919-876-0687
Fax: 919-878-7413
Email: elaine@execman.net
RATES OF ADVERTISEMENT
Annual Booster
$30 per year (four issues)
Annual Sponsor
$100 per year (four issues)
Business Card Ad
$25 per issue/$100 per year
Quarter-page Ad
$50 per issue/$200 per year
Half-page Ad
$100 per issue/$375 per year
Full-page Ad
$150 per issue/$550 per year
PUBLICATION DATES
Article and ad deadlines:
FEBRUARY 1
MAY 1
AUGUST 1
NOVEMBER 1
Any and all SCAA members are
encouraged to send information on
past or coming events they have
conducted or news articles that
would be of interest to other members. Please send profiles of members who you feel deserve to be
highlighted in our publication.
THE BID CALLER
’14 Board of Directors
President
Rafe Dixon
1560 Alice Drive
Sumter, SC 29153
803-774-6967 (Office)
rafe@jrdixonauctions.com
Director 2016
Merle Sharick
182 Neptune Lane
Prosperity, SC 29127
803-364-9048
highbid@bellsouth.net
Vice President
David W. Taylor
890 Spring Valley Road
Inman, SC 29349
864-706-0847
Director 2017
Bryan Hope
PO Box 431
Ninety Six, SC 29666
864-377-1479
david@upstateauctionsc.com bhopen96@yahoo.com
Secretary/Treasurer
Gwen Bryant
3305 Lakeshore Drive
Florence, SC 29501
843-617-8449
gwen_bryant@bellsouth.net
Director 2017
David Yoder
PO Box 435
Fair Play, SC 29678
864-784-4369
davidyoder20@gmail.com
Director 2015
Marshall McAbee Jr.
863 Bulls Rd
Taylors, SC 29687
864-230-7520
Director 2018
Carole Hoskyns
315 Eastview Road
Pelzer, SC 29669
marshall.mcabee@gmail.com 864-947-2000
Director 2015
Tom Crawford
238 Historic Drive
Mt. Pleasant, SC 29464
tomcrawford@lycos.com
Director 2015
David Meares
315 Eastview Road
Pelzer, SC 29669
david.meares@
mearesauctions.com
Director 2016
J. Tony Adams
PO Box 563
Santee, SC 29142
803-387-5570
Jtadams1941@gmail.com
PAGE 2
UPCOMING
EVENTS
July 8-12, 2014
NAA Convention
Louisville, KY
January 9-11, 2015
2015 SCAA Annual Convention
Location To Be Determined
NOT YET A MEMBER?
Come join us!
Contact our headquarters at
919-876-0687 for a
free information packet to find out how
an SCAA membership will strengthen
your future!
Carole@MearesAuctions.com
Director 2018
Mike B. Harper, AARE
984 Sea Gull Dr.
Mt Pleasant, SC 29464
843-729-4996 (Cell)
mike@harperauctionand
realty.com
Immediate Past
President
Darron Meares, MBA, CAI,
MPPA, BAS
P.O. Box 771
Pelzer, SC 29669
864-444-5361
darron.meares@
mearesauctions.com
Know an
auctioneer who is
not a member of
the SCAA?
Encourage them to
attend functions
and to belong to an
association
designed for their
profession. See
above for contact
information.
PAGE 3
THE BID CALLER
2014 ISSUE NO. 1, FEBRUARY
Advertising Contest: Results
I hope the new year finds everyone doing well. This past year being my first year on the board of directors, I was put in
charge of the Advertising Contest. The first task President Meares asked me to do was consider the possibility of condensing the total amount of award categories in the contest. With the help of my fellow board members we were able to
trim it to 8 separate categories instead of the previous 15. By trimming back on the categories we were able to give out
very nice acrylic trophies to all the winners. There was positive response from everyone who saw them. It was an excellent advertising contest with numerous entries in all categories but one. The winners were as follows:
Commercial, Industrial and Farm Liquidation - Martin and Martin
Real Estate - Martin and Martin
Antiques and Estates - Bob Robeson and Associates
Newspaper - No entries
Post card - Harper Auction and Realty
Institutional and Stationary - Dukes Auction Group
Web Page and Electronic - Meares Auction Group
Auction of the Year - Upstate Auction Services
I look forward to seeing all the entries for the upcoming year. Please remember that each entry must display the SCAA
logo or the words “Member, South Carolina Auctioneers Association”. I encourage each member to submit an entry
into the Advertising Contest for the upcoming year. If you have any questions about the Advertising Contest please feel
free to contact me.
Marshall McAbee
864-230-7520
marshall.mcabee@gmail.com
As I Pass the Gavel…
As I pass the gavel to our 41st president of the South Carolina Auctioneers Association, I would like to take a moment
to reflect over the past year. I am honored to have served the SCAA as the president during the 40th anniversary of our
great association. I would be remiss not to thank the ones that have gone before us to get to that forty-year mark!
Pioneers from across the state forged the basis of the association by standing together to make a voice for auctioneers in
South Carolina. As members today, we need to continue that voice. We can do this by supporting the current leadership of the SCAA and assisting in promoting the auction method of marketing state and nationwide.
Over the past year we faced an uphill battle – keeping membership numbers current. Our strong membership committee, with the help of Executive Services, was diligent in their duties and we actually came into the 40th anniversary convention with more members than we started the year with… my hat’s off to you all!
Secondly, I personally had a goal of revising and updating the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) of the association.
I felt that future boards needed this user manual to make sure they kept the association going in the right direction.
Over the past few years we heard verbal histories of the association and wanted to capture this in writing for future
boards. Now, as with all documents, the SOP has to be fluid. We all knew going in that it would be changed in the future to respond to changes the association may face.
I appreciate the work your board put in over the past 12 months. They worked for six straight months to get the SOPs
to a state where we could vote for approval. Even after that period we still went back another month and a half before
the final vote was approved and the SOPs were revised.
In conclusion, I would like to thank the members that gave me thoughts, opinions and brought concerns up to me over
the year. You are the ones with your finger on the pulse of the industry! Don’t stop now – your board cannot see everything… we need you to keep your eyes open for changes that could affect our profession and association.
Until next time… I’ll see you at the auction,
Darron Meares
MBA, CAI, MPPA, BAS
2014 ISSUE NO. 1, FEBRUARY
THE BID CALLER
PAGE 4
Left: Chris Pracht (l) was named
the 2014 S.C. Bid Calling Grand
Champion. He is congratulated
by Darron Meares.
Above: Bill Yonce
NAA Hall of Fame Inductee
Above: Even the kids got
into the auction action during the convention!
Right: The SCAA Board
hard at work to benefit the
association.
PAGE 5
THE BID CALLER
2014 ISSUE NO. 1, FEBRUARY
“Senior Members of the SCAA”
Left to right:
Larry Meares, Archie Moody,
and Jimmy Blocker
SCAA Jobs & Resource Board
Looking for ways to use your auctioneering abilities? Looking for assistance from an auctioneer or ringman? You are at the right
place! Use the SCAA Jobs & Resource Board to expand your marketing power throughout the state of South Carolina! The SCAA
Jobs & Resource Board is for members only — AND IT’S FREE! To post on the board, submit your posting information to the
SCAA office by email (scaa@southcarolinaauctioneers.org), fax (919-878-7413), or mail (SCAA, PO Box 41368, Raleigh, NC
27629).
Looking for work? Please include your name, phone number, region, times available and skill set.
Looking for help? Please include your name, phone number, location of auction, date and time and skill set needs.
Renewal may be by phone or email if there are no changes. You must notify SCAA before each magazine issue if you wish to
renew for the upcoming issue. Contact information: 919-876-0687 or scaa@southcarolinaauctioneers.org.
Name
Phone/Email
Mike Harper
Location
Available
Jobs
843-729-4996
Southeastern U.S. and
mike@harperauctionandrealty.com beyond. Licensed in S.C.,
N.C., Ga., and Fla.
Anytime
Ringman for real estate or
heavy equipment.
Johnny Odom
803-460-4955
odomauction@ftc-i.net
Anytime
Can call, ring, show, clerk.
30 yrs. exp.
David Taylor
864-706-0847
Work anywhere U.S. Lidavid@upstateauctionsc.com censed in S.C., N.C., Fla.,
Ga. Texas. RE in S.C., Ga.
Anytime
Auctioneer/Ringman, Real
Estate, Autos, Heavy Equipment.
Darron Meares
864-444-5361
Anywhere in the U.S.
Darron@MearesandAssociatesLLC.com
Anytime
Auction Technology And
Online Auction Resources
Consultation/Management
Jake Ohlinger
864-918-7572
2jake@ohlinger.com
Anytime
Bid Calling & Ringman
Can work statewide.
Upstate South Carolina
2014 ISSUE NO. 1, FEBRUARY
THE BID CALLER
PAGE 6
Seven Rules To Know
By Steve Proffitt
I recently wrote about the importance of auctioneers
following sound risk-management principles to avoid claims in
our trigger-happy society. Lawyers have discovered auctions and
that discovery leads to more claims being filed against auctioneers. This is an unsettling scenario that will only worsen over
time.
My last column referred to a case that came out of an
auction to demonstrate how vulnerable auctioneers are to claims.
I emphasized two rules for auctioneers to know.
No. 1 – While people are creatures of habit, times
change, attitudes change, and risks change. Businesspeople must
know this and be ever watchful and keep up with change, lest
they find themselves in a lawyer’s crosshairs.
No. 2 – Smart auctioneers never try to win claims. Instead, they focus their efforts on avoiding them. Once a major
claim strikes, the best result the target can hope for is to survive
the ordeal (mentally, physically, and financially) that is going to
follow.
I’m going to add five additional rules that auctioneers
should know and always heed. Doing so could save you a lot of
anguish and money. Failing to do so could invite a visit by a man
wearing a brown shirt, displaying a gold badge, and bringing
some very unpleasant papers with your name on them – and you
wouldn’t want that. Here are the other five rules to know.
No. 3 – Your best insurance is self insurance. That
doesn’t mean not to carry adequate liability insurance. You
should always be adequately insured for the risks you incur.
What this rule means is that you can do a lot to “insure” yourself
against claims. Conducting your business legally and ethically is
how. If you’re going to pay money to an insurance company to
help protect you, why not get the added benefit of protecting
yourself for free? Think of this as defensive driving in your business.
No. 4 – A positive and cooperative attitude with those
with whom you deal is an extremely important attribute for insulating you against claims. Sure, good guys get hit with claims,
too, but they fare far better than the bad guys for obvious reasons.
Being a good guy will carry you a long way in life, particularly in
the eyes of others who may be called upon to judge you and what
you did or didn’t do in a certain situation. Be the very best person that you can be with everyone … all the time!
No. 5 – Auctioneering is a service that is provided to
people who are often in difficulty and experiencing great strife
and challenge. Auctioneers are frequently called upon to help
sellers solve very intimate problems in their lives – problems like
the three terrible “D’s” – debt, divorce, and death. In this vein,
auctioneers are akin to lawyers who regularly assist clients with
difficult problems. Never forget this intimate aspect of auctioneering. Physicians were rarely sued in the era when they were
known for selfless sacrifice for their patients, and not for the size
of their cars, houses, and 401k’s. Develop a good “bedside manner” to use with sellers that emphasizes genuine interest in them
and sincere concern for solving their problems. Take care of
your business and your money will take care of itself.
No. 6 – We lost a lot in this society when basic values,
traditions, and respect for others came to be seen as corny – while
arrogance, sarcasm, and disrespect rose to be “cool” and “hip.” If
you think the Golden Rule is for squares, this advice won’t help
you. If you embrace it, faithfully practice the maxim, as taught
by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount – (paraphrasing) “Do unto
others as you would have them do unto you.” When you treat
others right and with respect, you will usually receive the same in
return. People who respect each other typically like each other –
and friends are not prone to making legal claims and filing lawsuits against one another.
No. 7 – The amount of money in issue is a good indicator of the likelihood of whether a claim might be asserted against
an auctioneer. The threat can be measured on a sliding scale in
direct relation to what’s at stake. The larger the sum, the greater
the likelihood someone could end up unhappy and look to do
something about it. As the money increases, the matter becomes
more attractive to lawyers looking for their next case. A $50
controversy is low risk and almost no one will make a serious
claim over it. The potential for a claim is quite real, however,
when $5,000 is in dispute, and exceedingly strong when the
amount is $50,000 … and when you reach six figures, well, you
can do the math.
Here’s a closing thought to fortify the importance of all
seven rules. If you’re an auctioneer who sells assets of value for
others, look in the nearest mirror to see the big, red circle on your
forehead just above your nose. It’s a bull’s eye – a target for lawyers. It’s always there. The reason for it is that auctioneers work
in an environment of conflict and risk. An auctioneer represents
sellers who want to sell assets for premium prices. The auctioneer attempts to make these sales to customers who want to buy
the assets for bargains. These competing interests can result in
one party or the other ending up dissatisfied which increases the
risk of a claim against the auctioneer. Never forget that or the
need to safeguard your interests.
Steve Proffitt is general counsel of J. P. King Auction Company, Inc.
(www.jpking.com) in Gadsden, AL. He is also an auctioneer and instructor at Mendenhall School of Auctioneering in High Point, NC. This
information does not represent legal advice or the formation of an attorney-client relationship and readers should seek the advice of their
own attorneys on all legal issues. Mr. Proffitt may be contacted by
email at sproffitt@jpking.com.
JohnStephen Proffitt III
Copyright February 5, 2014
T. Randolph Ligon, CAI, CES, BAS
Broker & Auctioneer | Licensed in NC & SC
office: 803-366-3535 | mobile: 803-323-8146
randyligon@theligoncompany.com
315 East Main Street, Suite 200
PO Box 4815
Rock Hill, SC 29732
www.theligoncompany.com
PAGE 7
THE BID CALLER
2014 ISSUE NO. 1, FEBRUARY
SCAA WEBSITE
Are you using the SCAA website to promote
your business? If so, great! If not, here are
some great reasons to post your auctions:
1. The general public uses the SCAA website,
www.southcarolinaauctioneers.org, as a
hub to look for interesting auctions it wants
to attend.
2. Even if a visitor who sees your auction
posted on the SCAA website isn’t interested in your upcoming auction, he or she
still will learn about your company, and
you receive branding recognition for future
sales.
3. It’s free for members to post. How can you
beat that? Free ad space for your auctions
— marketing at that rate makes sense.
http://southcarolinaauctioneers.org/
Learn
To Be An Auctioneer
America’s
top quality
auction school.
Write or call
for a free catalog.
Approved for S.C.
- Since 1962 -
MENDENHALL SCHOOL
OF AUCTIONEERING
P.O. Box 344, High Point, NC 27264
(336) 887-1165
www.mendenhallschool.com
menauction@aol.com
S.C. LICENSING
REQUIREMENTS
& RECIPROCITY*
Minimum Age: 18
School/Apprenticeship Required: Yes
Bonding/Insurance Required: $100 to recovery
fund
Licensure Period: Two years, expires June 30
Continuing Education Required: Yes, eight hours
every two years
Commission Contact: www.llr.state.sc.us/pol/
auctioneers
Reciprocating States
Alabama
Florida
Georgia
Indiana
Kentucky
Louisiana
Mississippi
North Carolina
Ohio
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
Tennessee
Texas
Virginia
West Virginia
*Information above is subject to change and
beyond control of SCAA or The Bid Caller
SCAA
PO BOX 41368
RALEIGH, NC 27629
FORWARDING SERVICE REQUESTED
SCAA | 919-876-0687 | 919-878-7413 (FAX) | WWW.SOUTHCAROLINAAUCTIONEERS.ORG
THANK YOU, BID CALLER BOOSTERS!
J. Tony Adams
Adams Auction Gallery
Elloree, S.C.
803-387-5570
Christopher Easler
Southeastern Auction Sales
Chesnee, S.C.
864-578-5045
David Meares
Meares Auction Group
Pelzer, S.C.
864-947-2000
Gwen Bryant
Bryant Auction & Real Estate
Florence, S.C.
843-617-8449
Mike Harper
Harper Auction & Realty
Mt. Pleasant, S.C.
843-729-4996
William Dearman
Aiken, SC
803-634-0301
Johnny King
Johnny King Auctioneers
Ware Shoals, S.C.
864-456-7141
Larry Meares
Southeastern School
Of Auctioneering
Pelzer, S.C.
864-444-1321
Jim Smith
Carolina Auction Team, Inc.
Spartanburg, S.C.
864-597-0784
Carroll McGee
McGee Auction Gallery
West Columbia, S.C.
803-739-0550
Rachel Smith
Carolina Auction Team, Inc.
Spartanburg, S.C.
864-597-0784
Brent Murdoch
Carolina Auction Team
Spartanburg, S.C.
864-597-0784
Charlene Snow
Charlie O. Wolfe, Inc
Greer, S.C.
864-877-2013
Gene Patrick
Belton, SC
864-338-5720
David Yoder
Fair Play, S.C.
864-972-3016
Charles Dixon
Charles Dixon Auctioneers
Camden, S.C.
803-424-6862
Donald Dukes
Dukes Auction Co.
Orangeburg, SC
803-247-2776
T. Randolph Ligon
The Ligon Company
Rock Hill, S.C.
803-366-3535
Darron Meares
Meares Auction Group
Pelzer, S.C.
864-947-2000
Chris Pracht
Chris Pracht Auctioneers,
R & A, LLC
Anderson, S.C.
800-877-3044
Please join the boosters! Send in your $30, which makes you an annual booster for The Bid Caller. Contact SCAA Executive Services
scaa@southcarolinaauctioneers.org for details, or just go ahead and send in your payment today to the post office address shown on
Page 3.