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Petersons ring up numbers for local groups By DAWN SLADE For more than 20 years Chuck Peterson has been calling out numbers enticing people to bid on auction merchandise. And his son Jeff has been following in his footsteps for the past 14 years. What makes these auctioneers special are the numerous volunteer auctions the two perform. The Petersons have done auctions for churches, schools, chamber organizations, such as the farmers breakfast, and other non-profit organizations looking to raise funds. Why do they do it? Because itıs fun. And, it helps promote their own business. On average, the duo volunteer their services to more than 10 auctions each year. Just this past month they auctioned off a house made by Milaca High School students for $54,600. They also auctioned off items at Baskets for Education, a fund-raising event for Milaca Public Schools. All in the family Chuck and Jeff may be the auctioneers, but other family members play a part in the business as well. Thereıs a lot of behind-the- scene work thatıs handled by four others, including Chuckıs wife Sandy and and his daughter-in-law Michelle. Karen Kirschner and Eileen Hastings are part of the foursome that help ensure bid numbers are handed out, prices are carefully marked down once theyıre finalized, and everything is balanced out at the end of the auction. ³Theyıre extremely good at what they do,² Chuck said of the four part-time employees. ³In most cases, weıre able to balance and pay the owner the same day,² Chuck says. ³Generally, within two hours.² Which is pretty good considering itıs all done by hand. Even Jeffıs son, eight-year-old Seth, gets in the act and helps out the family. But auctioneering isnıt their only career. Chuck buys and sells cattle, while Jeff drives truck for Eggenıs Direct Service. Before Jeff was finished with high school he was starting his career as an auctioneer. Both attended the Reisch Worldwide College of Auctioneers in Mason City, Iowa. Going once, going twice... The Petersons conduct all types of sales and have held well over 1,000 auctions over the years. Thereıs often a lot of emotion at auctions, especially when family members want to purchase items. ³There are some buyers that will just hold bidding cards up. Theyıre going to get it no matter what,² Jeff said. The Petersons recalled one auction where two sisters were bidding against each other on an old flat top trunk. The one sister eventually got the last bid and paid $750 for it. Farm sales are the most stressful for them as the farmer is typically going out of business. ³Itıs stressful because you want to do the best job for them,² Jeff says. But the amount of ³true² farm sales (selling cattle, machinery, etc.) is slowing down. In this area, itıs now less than 10 percent of their auctions. Mostly what the Petersons sell these days are antiques, household items and real estate. They even sell garters at weddings, raising hundreds of dollars for the bride and groom. Often, they let family members of the auction help out on the sale wagons. At one particular auction there was a young man holding up items for buyers to see when he held up a chain saw. Chuck told the young man to ³start it up.² He looked at Chuck with a puzzled expression and Chuck repeated, ³start it up.² So the young man said, ³Okay, $10.² Chuck, of course meant, for the man to start the chain saw to show bidders it worked. The two men still enjoy a laugh over that one. The Petersons work on a sale long before the auction day. They inventory the items and take photographs, create sale bills and advertise the event. They also provide the sale wagons for the auction. Of course, theyıve endured all kinds of nasty weather, including one time when it rained five inches during the sale and another time when they managed to get through the auction at 30 degrees below zero. The pair has only canceled an auction one time because of weather and that was because of the infamous Halloween blizzard of 1991. No B.P. here The other unique thing about Peterson Auction Co. is the fact that they havenıt incorporated a buyerıs premium. Most auctions include an eight to 10 percent buyerıs premium (BP). For instance, when a customer purchases an item for $50 and thereıs a 10 percent BP, they have to pay an additional $5 on the item. It may not seem like much, but itıs something the buyer has to keep in mind when bidding begins. A BP can add up quickly, especially if itıs a real estate auction. The Petersons are proud of the fact they havenıt incorporated a buyerıs premium and are hoping they can continue doing business without it. Chuck and Jeff admit theyıve done some unusual things to make their auctions the best they can be. Jeff has groomed cows before an auction and one time he even milked cows for two weeks before an auction to help out a sale. But their efforts pay off as there are some buyers who attend so many of the Petersonsı auctions, that they have permanent bid numbers. ³There are several families that weıve done three sales for,² Chuck said. First they sell the familyıs cattle, later theyıll hold an auction to sell the farm machinery and household items, and eventually they sell the property itself. ³We try to make them all fun,² Jeff says. This is a good strategy since many of the customers do repeat business with the Petersons. Plus, you never know who might be in the crowd whoıs in need of an auctioneer. ³Neighbors always seem to help at a sale,² Chuck says, ³so if you do something thatıs not kosher, youıve affected all of them.² ³You want them all to be a success,² Jeff says of their auctions, including the dozen or so each year where they volunteer their services.
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