Gehres named finalist of the 2010 International Auctioneer Championship

Columbus, Ohio - July 17, 2010  - Peter D. Gehres of United Country, Gryphon Realty & Auction Group was a finalist in Men's Division of the 2010 International Auctioneer Championship (IAC). The contest featured 58 contestants from 29 states and Ireland and was held on Friday, July 16, 2010 in Greensboro, North Carolina as part of the 61St National Auctioneers Association Conference and Show. The contest is the most competitive and high profile auctioneer contest in the world and is judged by an expert panel of both auctioneers and auction industry executives. Contestants are judged on bid calling skill, stage presence, poise and industry knowledge.

About Peter Gehres

Gehres is an Auctioneer and Realtor that specializes in selling both personal property and real estate at auction for clients in Ohio and the Midwest.  Earlier this year Gehres won the 2010 Michigan Auctioneer Championship and in early August he will compete in the Ohio Bid Calling Contest at The Ohio State Fair. This is Gehres' second year in the IAC and first time in the finals.

About United Country Gryphon

United Country Ohio Realty & Auction Group is the Central Ohio affiliate of the largest fully integrated network of conventional real estate and auction real estate professionals in the United States. Based the Polaris Area of Columbus, Ohio, the company is a subsidiary of Gryphon USA, Ltd., a multi-faceted asset management and liquidation firm focusing on the operations and dissolution of single assets through and including entire companies.  The company maintains a real estate brokerage practice, auction group, property management division and appraisal division. Co-founders Richard and Melissa Kruse also regularly hold engagements as court appointed receiver throughout Ohio.

By Marilyn Miller
Akron Beacon Journal staff writer | Ohio.com | Link to Story
May 22, 2010

They came ready for business.

Most were dressed in dark suits and red power ties.

You couldn't get a word in edgewise, but then again, you really weren't suppose to. Auctioneers can read your face.

''You can tell. It's written all over their face if they are going to bid,'' said auctioneer John Hayes, 56, of Ravenna, a second-generation auctioneer.

His father sold real estate. His daughter and a cousin are also in the business. And Hayes said the key to his success is having clarity when he chants.

''I'm easy to understand.''

Forty-one auctioneers from throughout the country gathered for the 2010 World Automobile Auctioneers Championship Friday at the Akron Auto Auction on Ley Drive.

This is the first year Akron has hosted the 36-year-old car-selling competition.

The auctioneers each demonstrated their best chanting and used eye contact to scope out the crowd and pick out potential buyers. Their voices were loud and clear. They even used different voice ranges to entice bidders, emphasizing a sense of urgency and friendly rivalry.

Some buyers tried not to look too hard at the solicitor out of fear of bidding more.

''Even when people tell you no, we think there is still one more bid in them, so we keep working on it, trying to get one more chance,'' said auctioneer Jimmy Ray Gentry, of Dallas. ''It's like dating. You may get turned down at first, but if you keep asking, you may get them to change their minds and say yes.''

Personalities come out during the bidding.

''I enjoy interacting with the crowd and getting them involved,'' said John L. Pond, 45, of Urbana. ''I used to be super shy. I couldn't talk to people one on one, but this has really given me self-confidence. I only went to two auctions before I decided this is what I wanted to do. I've been doing this since I was 16.''

Auctioneer Cheri Boots-Sutton, 43, of Missouri, the only woman in the competition, said she started out with a home-course auctioneering kit that her brother ordered through the mail in 1985.

She was looking for a part-time job on the weekends to supplement her job at a cement plant. She was going through a divorce and was about to become a single mother raising her only son.

''But as jobs became more plentiful and I got a handle on my nerves, and after winning an international championship in 1999, I said goodbye to that cement job and started working full time,'' she said.

Now remarried with four children, she owns an auctioneering business.

''I love bringing buyers and sellers together,'' she said. ''I especially like the control you have when you hold that microphone in your hand.''

The auctioneers team up with ringmen, who work the crowd, letting the auctioneers know who bid what and how much is on the table.

With a basketball referee stance, pleading eyes and hands saying c'mon, the ringmen coax buyers to bid, giving the thumbs up, asking for a higher figure or slashing the number in half with a chop sign. The ringmen never stop moving.

The ringmen clench their fists to tell the auctioneer where the bids are. Hand signals along with a few shouts, such as bam, hey and yay, keep the bids rolling.

Ringman William Cody Long, 29, of Texas, said the key is to know how to read people.

''It's all about body language. You can see a bidder by the look in their eyes, sometimes they just need a little help.''

Long has a degree in business from the University of Texas, but got hooked on this profession as a kid. His dad is a past champion.

Auctioneer Peter Gehres, 29, of Hilliard near Columbus, grew up on a farm and attended many farm auctions.

'' I have a degree in agricultural economics but took an auctioneering class in Columbus and never looked back,'' Gehres said. ''At one point or another, everything gets auctioned off — land, animals and cars. This is just one segment of the business.

''I'd do this for free, but I'm glad they pay me for it.''

Marilyn Miller can be reached at 330-996-3098 ormmiller@thebeaconjournal.com.

 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.”

Gehres is a first-generation auctioneer and Realtor who specializes in selling both personal property and real estate at auction for clients in Ohio and the Midwest. He has called at more than 500 auctions and has experience with traditional, auction and online property transactions. A graduate of The Ohio State University with a bachelor's degree in agriculture, Gehres also is a graduate of The Ohio Auction School and Hondros College (Real Estate).
 
A speaker for various state and national auctioneer associations, Gehres also teaches at The Ohio Auction School, Reppert School of Auctioneering, Certified Auctioneers Institute. He is the 2010 Michigan State Auctioneering (Bid Calling) Champion, as well as a member of the Michigan State Auctioneering Association's board of directors. Gehres has earned the Certified Estate Specialist (CES) designation and the Certified Auctioneers Institute (CAI) designation, which is the highest educational recognition in the auction industry.
 
"Peter brings unique experience that fills a need in our organization, and I'm thrilled to welcome him as a cornerstone of our auction practice," said Rich Kruse, president of United Country - Gryphon Realty & Auction Group. "He has incredible knowledge of art, antiques, rural properties and farms, and he's also achieved considerable success in suburban and urban commercial and residential properties."
 
Gehres and the United Country - Gryphon Realty & Auction team can be contacted by phone at 614- 885-0020 or by e-mail at pdg@ucgryphon.com. The company's full listings can be viewed at www.gryphonrealty.com and www.gryphonauction.com.  
 
 About United Country - Gryphon Realty & Auction Group
 
United Country Ohio Realty & Auction Group is the Central Ohio affiliate of the largest fully integrated network of conventional real estate and auction real estate professionals in the United States. Based the Polaris Area of Columbus, Ohio, the company is a subsidiary of Gryphon USA, Ltd., a multi-faceted asset management and liquidation firm focusing on the operations and dissolution of single assets through and including entire companies.  The company maintains a real estate brokerage practice, auction group, property management division and appraisal division. Co-founders Richard and Melissa Kruse also regularly hold engagements as court appointed receiver throughout Ohio.