February 15, 2010

 By Rachel Shallenberg for The Auction Exchange and Collector News - http://www.eauctionexchange.com/

Peter Gehres, of Hillard, Ohio, took home the title of 2010 Michigan State Auctioneer Champion at the MSAA convention. Gehres will go on to represent Michigan at the National Auctioneer Associations Conference in North Carolina July 13-17. “It’s very much like a regular auction in some ways, but it’s more of a performance, like putting on a show,” says Gehres of the competition. The bid calling contest consisted of an auction portion, with the finalists doing a final bid call and an interview portion.

They were judged on their bid calling and their responses to the questions. He prepared by conducting several auctions a week and he spent time thinking of potential questions that might be asked during the interview portion of the contest. “There is only one way to get better and that’s to put yourself in difficult and competitive situations,” he said, and he’s just “passionate about bid calling.”

Gehres grew up on the family farm and always enjoyed attending auctions with his parents. At one of the auctions, his mother suggested that he might enjoy auctioneering. Gehres was enrolled in Ohio State University at the time, but decided to also attend The Ohio Auction School in September 2003.

Gehres started as an apprentice auctioneer and ringman for Mike Brandly, in Groveport, Ohio. In 2006, Gehres won Ohio’s Junior Bid Calling Championship.

Also in 2006, he graduated from The Ohio State University with a Bachelor’s degree in Agriculture. In January of 2007, he joined Belhorn Auction Services in Columbus, Ohio. In 2009, he earned his CAI (Certified Auctioneers Institute) designation. Along with these distinctions, Gehres has been heavily involved in other endeavors. He has been an active member of Toastmasters for more than three years.

Throughout his career, Gehres has always been looking for ways to enhance the auction industry. In 2009, Gehres helped launch the first Super Auction. The Super Auction features more than 15 auctioneers from across Midwest. Hundreds of bidders come from several states to bid on more than 1,000 lots. The third Super Auction will be held Feb. 27, with three rings running the entire day.

Gehres has also helped launch The Auctioneer Channel. The Auctioneer Channel is an online venue for video sharing, comparable to YouTube with only auction content. As Gehres points out, “the best way to capture anything, is through video.” The Auctioneer Channel is a way to view educational programs, and see people talk about the industry.

Although Gehres enjoys finding ways to incorporate technology into the auction industry, he says the most important thing is to remember the excitement of live auctions. “I’m a big believer in online auctions; but at the end of the day, it’s the thrill of the live auctions that makes the industry successful.”