Posted 18 January 2010 · 12:05 pm.Aaron Traffas, CAI, ATS, CES View Comments
Duluth, MN – A Stillwater man is the 2010 Minnesota State Champion Auctioneer. At the 22nd annual auctioneer championship held in Duluth, Matthew Schultz won the competition in which 27 auctioneers competed.
The contest was held last night during the Minnesota State Auctioneers Association Conference and Show. Schultz has been part of the auction [...]
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Posted 27 May 2009 · 7:08 pm.Aaron Traffas, CAI, ATS, CES View Comments
Chris Longly from the National Auctioneers Association talks about his role as Deputy Executive Directory and promotes the 60th International Auctioneers Conference and show.
You’re listening to the Auction Podcast. Today is Wednesday, 27th May, 2009. auctioneertech.com – technology, auction and auctioneers, auction tech for the auction industry.
Hello and welcome to the 18th episode of the [...]

Interview with Chris Longly [32:34m]:
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Posted 19 May 2009 · 4:07 pm.Aaron Traffas, CAI, ATS, CES View Comments
Here’s a recent press release from the Purple Wave blog. Though it doesn’t mention it in the article, the other new trustee with term expiring in 2013 is Michael Fine, CAI, AARE, executive vice president at Sheldon Good.
MANHATTAN, Kan. (May 19, 2009) – Aaron Traffas has been named a trustee of the National Auctioneers Association [...]
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Posted 8 May 2009 · 4:26 pm.Aaron Traffas, CAI, ATS, CES View Comments
Finishing our series on auctioneer education and designations offered by the National Auctioneers Association, the Certified Auctioneers Institute weighs in as the most prestigious and honored course available to auctioneers.
Held in Bloomington, Indiana, each year for a week in March, CAI is a three-year certification program that graduates the most professional and well-educated auctioneers in [...]
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Posted 24 March 2009 · 5:33 pm.Aaron Traffas, CAI, ATS, CES View Comments
Arguably the most varied section of the auction industry with regards to training and professionalism is that of benefit auctions. There are many professionals who have been auctioneers for many years who specialize in charity and fundraising evens. Yet there are still many organizations who still hire DJs and hobbyist bid callers to perform their [...]
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Posted 22 March 2009 · 9:41 pm.Aaron Traffas, CAI, ATS, CES View Comments
Hannes Combest, CAE, is the Chief Executive officer of the National Auctioneers Association. Yesterday, she launched a blog over at Blogspot with a series of articles about the Certified Auctioneers Institute, currently underway in Bloomington, Indiana. We’ll be covering CAI next week as the conclusion of our series on NAA designations, but head over to [...]
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Posted 19 March 2009 · 2:01 am.Aaron Traffas, CAI, ATS, CES View Comments
“You only have one opportunity to sell the family estate. Shouldn’t you make sure you have a top-notch professional?” The tag line for the Certified Estate Specialist (CES) designation course from the National Auctioneers Association makes clear the importance of choosing the right professional to handle your estate.
There is much more to properly handling the [...]
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Posted 1 March 2009 · 10:05 am.Aaron Traffas, CAI, ATS, CES View Comments
Image by ArtemFinland via Flickr
This press release from late February isn’t exactly exciting, but it isn’t exactly unexpected. While the auction industry, on a whole, hasn’t been hurt nearly as badly as other sectors of the economy, the tune we’ve been hearing from auctioneers everywhere has quite definitely waxed somber.
Overland Park, Kan., February 20, 2009 [...]
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Posted 30 January 2009 · 9:58 am.Aaron Traffas, CAI, ATS, CES View Comments
As we were searching for the links for our coverage of the KAA Winter Convention, we were surprised by the almost-complete lack of designations listed with each auctioneer on his or her respective staff pages. While it’s possible that all of the auctioneers for whom we were searching simply didn’t have any designations, we [...]
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announcements, communityAARE, ATS, BAS, CAI, CES, GPPA, KAA, MPPA, NAA, National Auctioneers Association
Posted 8 January 2009 · 8:31 am.Aaron Traffas, CAI, ATS, CES View Comments
AuctioneerTech – My name is Aaron Traffas and joining me today for the third in the Auctioneer Interview Series is my friend Scott Musser, BAS. Scott is an auctioneer for Musser Bros. from Kennewick, Washington, and is currently the president-elect of the National Auctioneers Association. He has previously served the NAA as Vice President, Treasurer [...]

Interview with Scott Musser [40:30m]:
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Posted 6 January 2009 · 12:40 pm.Aaron Traffas, CAI, ATS, CES View Comments
In our minds, one of the best of the many benefits of being a member of the National Auctioneers Association is the Auctioneer magazine, a monthly periodical that is filled with information about auctions and auctioneers. Articles from NAA officers keep members briefed on the association. Articles from guest writers and other regular columns keep [...]
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Posted 15 November 2008 · 9:05 am.Aaron Traffas, CAI, ATS, CES View Comments
One of the reasons AuctioneerTech exists is to make life easier for everyone, including auctioneers. One of the ways this goal is accomplished is by reviewing software that performs a novel or important function. Most of the software covered is open source, and in this episode, we’re going to discuss open source software, explain why [...]

Open Source Auctioneer [8:06m]:
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Podcasts, services, softwareAuction Technology Specialist, BlueGriffon, Evolution, firefox, GIMP, google, ie, Inkscape, Internet Explorer, Java, Linux, microsoft, microsoft office, NAA, Notepad++, open source, OpenOffice.org, PHP, Scribus, Thunderbird, Ubuntu
Posted 3 November 2008 · 9:15 am.Aaron Traffas, CAI, ATS, CES View Comments
AuctioneerTech – Joining me today for the second in the Auctioneer Interview Series is my friend Darron Meares, CAI, GPPA. Darron is Chief Operating Officer, auctioneer and lead asset appraiser for the Meares Auction Group. He is also a member of both the National Auctioneers Association and the South Carolina Auctioneers Association boards of directors. [...]

Interview with Darron Meares:
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Posted 11 October 2008 · 2:01 pm.Aaron Traffas, CAI, ATS, CES View Comments
AuctioneerTech – Joining me today for the first of the Auctioneer Interview Series is my friend Robert Mayo, CAI, ATS, AARE, CAGA. Robert is an auctioneer and broker with Mayo Auction and Realty in Kansas City, MO. He is also the 2007 and 2008 Kansas State Champion Auctioneer. Good morning, Robert, and thank you for [...]

Interview with Robert Mayo [28:48m]:
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PodcastsATS, AuctionFLEX, Craigslist, CUS, Google Analytics, Interview, JBS, Maxanet, NAA, Proxibid, Robert Mayo, Sold II
Posted 8 October 2008 · 11:04 pm.Aaron Traffas, CAI, ATS, CES View Comments
The latest designation from the National Auctioneers Association (NAA) is Auction Technology Specialist (ATS). A course written by auctioneers for auctioneers, it offers a comprehensive education for all auctioneers, including those who are self-described as technology-challenged.
The biggest misconception about ATS is that it’s designed for operational staff instead of auctioneers. Unlike the Auction Administrator Certification [...]
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Posted 15 September 2008 · 8:11 am.Aaron Traffas, CAI, ATS, CES View Comments
I recently took part in the Kansas Auctioneers Association bid-call contest at the Kansas State Fair. This was my third time competing, having also done so in 2002 and 2006. I’ve also seen other contests, such as the National Auctioneers Association International Auctioneer Championship and the Oklahoma State Auctioneers Association competition.
The NAA IAC this year [...]
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