Latest / CattleUSA Daily / 294: Small Town Colorado to World Champion Auctioneer: Inside John Korrey’s Career and Legacy

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294: Small Town Colorado to World Champion Auctioneer: Inside John Korrey’s Career and Legacy · CattleUSA Daily

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I am so excited today to bring this podcast to each and
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everyone of you. This is my favorite time of year
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and if you've been around for a little while for the Cattle USA
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Daily Podcast, you know that last year we brought on 8
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individuals to share their story and what it means to be an
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auctioneer to them, their lives. All of the things in conjunction
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with the King of the Ring contest that the Winter
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livestock family puts on every single year.
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And I got to interview all of those, those auctioneers last
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year. Well, we're bringing it back
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once again. And John Corey is going to be
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kicking it off for us this year. And John's story just is so
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powerful and moving. And from just sharing about his
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story to advice for the next generation and the place that
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auction markets have in this industry to the legacy that he
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wants to live. This is a real, it's a raw
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podcast. And John does such a wonderful
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job articulating it for every single one of you watching
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today. Our King of the Ring contest
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will be held on May 2nd in Dodge City, KS.
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And John is one of our contestants that we have the
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pleasure of welcoming to Dodge City.
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If you are an audience member listening to this right now,
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make sure that you check out the show notes down below because I
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will have all the information for the King of the Ring contest
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if you want to tune in or join us in Dodge City that weekend
1:23
for all of the festivities. Before we hop into today's
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podcast with John, if you're watching on YouTube, make sure
1:28
you take a second to hit that subscribe button and like this
1:30
episode. If you're watching on any of our
1:32
other podcast platforms, make sure you're following the show
1:34
and go take a second to rate and review it as well and share it
1:38
with a friend. Without further ado, let's go
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ahead and hear from John. Welcome to the Cattle USA Daily
1:48
Podcast, your go to source for the latest livestock markets,
1:51
industry insights and the updates shaping agriculture
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today. I'm your host Lauren Moylan, a
1:56
passionate advocate for agriculture, here to keep you
1:59
informed and connected. Now let's dive into today's
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episode. John, welcome to the podcast.
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I am so excited to kick it off once again this year
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interviewing our King of the Ring contestants.
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You're our first one that we're having on the podcast for this
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year's contest. And I would love it if you could
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just take it away and share more about who you are, your story,
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your background, and just kind of what led you to living the
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life that you do right now. Oh, and it's a pleasure to be
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with you today, Lauren. I'm excited about the King of
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the Rings and, and the interview.
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I'll tell you a little bit about myself.
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I'm, I live in northeastern Colorado, a little town called
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Isle of Colorado, which is about 12 miles northeast of Sterling,
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which I'm Sterling, Co, which most people know where that's
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at. I've never moved.
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I still live on the same farm and ranch that that I was born.
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I feel very blessed. We live in a we have a wonderful
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community out here and I've had the opportunity to travel the
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world with my profession, but there's no place better than
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home. Started my career at Lauren.
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I always wanted to be an auctioneer.
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My my father was a farm is a farm was a farmer when he was
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growing up and in in my adult in my life, and we raised all kinds
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of different crops mainly, and a lot of vegetables.
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And his big deal was raising vegetables and then going to the
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local livestock markets way back then before farmers markets,
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which is now. And that's how he sold his
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Brody. She's watermelons, cantaloupe,
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pumpkins, sweet corn, whatever it may be.
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And I would go with him to help. And I was always intrigued with
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the auctioneer, fell in love with it from an early age and
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knew what I wanted to be. And so that's kind of where I
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done my desire, I guess, to be an auctioneer.
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How wonderful. I always love hearing how people
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kind of got their start and kicked off their passion for
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being an auctioneer because I think every single one of you
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just exudes passion with what you do.
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Can you talk a little bit more about that story of like, hey, I
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learned from a very young age I wanted to do this, but then how
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did you actually kind of start to go about it in those early
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seasons of your career? You know, we would come back
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from the auction and like I said, my father was not an
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auctioneer, but he critiqued the auctioneers.
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You know, every auctioneer, there's, there's they're,
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they're cadence. Their chant is not the same.
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And so he would tell me what he liked about the auctioneer.
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We go to five different markets during the week in the area.
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So I had my opportunity to hear a lot of auctioneers.
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My job was actually to carry the watermelons to the cars and
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produce to the cars. But I, I kind of made sure I got
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into the livestock market so I could hear the auctioneer.
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And so he would predict the auctioneer, you know, whether
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they like that the and if you could understand clarity, just
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the whole demeanor about it. And of course, I would practice
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in grade school and some of my classmates would I still see
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them around and they still talk about me trying to be an
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auctioneer in grade school. So I just kept kept working at
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it. The following I went to two
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years of junior College in North East and junior College in
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Sterling. Following that, I went to
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auctioneer school and kind of, I tried to get on with someone
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here and I had a gentleman, Bud Bamberg in Sterling, Co.
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Give me my first opportunity to actually get behind the mic,
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give me a, give me a chance and, and really my mentor.
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And so I worked with the with the folkses, with Bud Bamberg
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and his family and kind of, you know, auctioneering, it takes a
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lot of time. Just like any profession, you
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have to work at it. If you don't have the desire,
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you're not going to be very good at it.
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It was a passion for me. I wanted to get better.
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I thought I was really good and I really wasn't very good.
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You know, what makes a good auctioneer?
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That's, that can be a, that's really subjective.
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You know, a lot of different, lot of lot of different things
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as far as that goes, as far as what it takes to be an
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auctioneer. You have quite a bit of
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experience under your belt in the auction world.
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You've been you've been around the block a time or two, So what
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has changed the most in the auction industry since you've
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kind of started to the way that it looks now?
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It's changed totally Lauren. It's I look back at it, I'm not
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a young man. I'm pretty seasoned in the
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business. I'm not over the hill yet, but
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I'm, I'm getting close and to grow up selling local markets
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are like my first auctions or two without a microphone,
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without APA system. That's been a long time ago.
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And then of course we had them. Then we got the PA systems and
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man, that made life a lot easier.
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And then as I progressed, you know, my desire was to sell
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livestock and equipment, whatever, whatever I could sell.
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That's what I wanted to sell. And so I, I get a lot of
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different livestock markets around the area.
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I, I worked for different markets.
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I worked for livestock exchange and brush for Bob Walker for
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almost 20 years at his market. I helped external livestock
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Commission company help the Fort Collins Co sun.
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I went to Lahana and help John Campbell in the early 80s during
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some fall runs. Right now I am just helping a
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different livestock markets in the area when they need it to go
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to Torrington, WY and Oregon livestock markets with overall
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once in a while whoever calls and needs an auctioneer when one
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of their auctioneers is or they have a big run and they need so
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they need some help. But that wasn't the question you
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asked me about the changes on the business.
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I kind of got off running and sometime I do that.
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But the changes have been dynamic, especially with the
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Internet, the World Wide Web. It's amazing how the Internet
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has trying to take our job away. That also enhances it too.
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I think it's a great, great tool.
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It's a tool in our toolbox. Not everybody can be at the
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sale. And now we've got the Internet
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where we're selling livestock or whatever it may be all over, all
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over the country. They don't have to be there, but
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you still need the live portion. You need the live market there.
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But the Internet brings it, brings another tool to it and
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adds value to the product we're selling.
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That's what we're doing as a, as an auctioneer.
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No, everybody tries to have the very best chat, which I always
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did. I always thought that added
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value, but really it's adding value to the product and you
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know, you can go back and forth with the online trading and the
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Internet where you don't have a live auctioneer and and they
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think they're adding value to the product, which I don't think
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so. I think the auctioneer and the
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auction process is pre price is, is, is, is true price discovery
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and we're adding value because if we can't add value, we're not
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doing our job. We got a product that, you know,
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we can't, we don't control the market, but we we need to
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control how do we get to that market when we and it's our turn
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to get up and call the bids. You know, you have to have a
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passion for it. I mean, you have to treat it,
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treat every item you sell like it's your own and do the very
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best work one or 100 or you're selling some equipment.
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Like I had the opportunity to work for Ritchie Brothers
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auctioneers for almost 20 years and they, they're the largest
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industrial auction company in the world selling transportation
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equipment. And so they sent me all
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basically all over the world. I did sales in Dubai, Germany,
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Spain, Mexico. And did I do it any different
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than I do it here, right here in Colorado?
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No, I was clearing my chant. It's all about communication.
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You know, I think auxenary communication should lead into
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it because if you can't communicate, you're not going to
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make it and you're going to have a tough time in the business
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because you're basically committing the bit,
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communicating the bit. So my opportunity to travel like
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I did was a great, great experience saying basically
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seeing the world. It wasn't as easy as it sounds
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because travel is is not. I retired from Richard Brothers
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and back in 2018. My wife passed away in 2016 and
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I wanted to stay home closer to the grandkids and my kids.
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I just had enough travel. But it was a great, great
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experience of millions and billions of dollars worth of
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equipment and did it the auction way.
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That was crucial with the Internet because when I started
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with the the Kodak Company, Internet was just coming on,
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which would have been I think around 2000 and 2003.
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And when I left them in 2018, we were selling 7580% on the
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Internet. So it's just amazing how that
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progress where people got hooked on it.
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And then of course it went COVID hit, but not everybody, but a
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lot of the auction companies got lazy and got used to doing it a
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cheaper way by not having an audience and, and went a lot
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online and thinking they're saving money and added value to
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their customers, which I don't think I, I really believe the
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live option portion, you add value.
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It's a, it's an advance. It's just not an option.
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Every time I go to an option and you go to all the livestock
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markets in the country. It's not just a, not just, I
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hate to say I don't like that word.
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Just if it's a, it's an event where people come and they
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mangle and they visit and they sell their product and buyers
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and sellers can, can commingle with each other.
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And you know that we need more of that.
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I really believe we're, we're missing that with our, with our,
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with our younger generation. Favorite memories growing up
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were actually the days. Friday is our sale day here in
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Manhattan. And my dad and I have, we have
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family in the area, so we've always driven a little bit
11:26
further to market our cattle. And my favorite memories growing
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up were Fridays when I was in elementary school.
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My dad would show up to the school with the truck and
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trailer fully loaded down, check me out of school early, and I
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would get to go to the Sail Barn with him.
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And just even sitting there, I mean, obviously the Sail Barn
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Cafe with the pies was one of my favorite parts as a kid as well.
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But even just, I think the community aspect of an auction
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house and what it drives within our producer population and our
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younger generation, 'cause I mean, I agree with you, John,
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it's not something that you see as often anymore.
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And I mean, I'm guilty of it myself.
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It's sale day here in Manhattan. And my dad gave me a call this
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morning and said, hey, let's go to lunch.
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All of those things and I was like, perfect, I'll pick you up,
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we'll go to lunch, I'll drop him back off.
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But I, even as a young producer anymore, don't want to go sit in
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the sale barn because I have the ability to just have it playing
12:23
on my iPad while I'm working and doing some other things, which I
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think is a luxury. But it's also, like you said,
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we're losing part of what that auction house truly can bring
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and provides. Just what are your thoughts on
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just the place for our markets and the place that they have in
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our communities in our industry? Well, thanks for sharing that.
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That's memories that you know you'll have for a lifetime.
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Nobody can ever take that away. And then that's special.
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You know, the livestock markets, you know, you have so many
12:54
different ways right now, which we didn't have in the past to
12:57
market your livestock. A lot of times you just you
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mainly just had the livestock market and that was about it.
13:02
Of course you had people buying livestock or whatever, maybe
13:06
privately, but there is a tool when you know you're everybody's
13:09
price is based on the local livestock market.
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When you when they talk about the pricing of livestock, it all
13:16
relates back to the livestock market, whether you're selling
13:19
private treaty or whatever it may be, whether you're selling
13:22
video, it's about what they brought at the local livestock
13:26
market, which is the hub of the community, which makes the
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community work. There's been a lot of smaller
13:31
livestock markets that have closed down or just got out of
13:34
the business. And whether that's, that's just
13:37
a sign of the times where maybe we don't have that many
13:40
livestock or the video has taken a lot of the livestock from the
13:45
local livestock markets. I've sold a lot of video sales
13:48
and they enhance the market. You have to have a load lots and
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it's a really a good tool as well.
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It's working together to merchandise your livestock and
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I, you know, the local livestock market everyone and I've
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traveled and, and I've got to, I've really been blessed because
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I had the opportunity to, when I won the World Livestock on their
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championship in 2000, Livestock Marketing Association.
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I had the opportunity to travel that year and go to many, many
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livestock markets that would have me and I don't know, I
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would say, I'm sure 20 or 25 markets.
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I went that year all over the United States and Canada and
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it's kind of like farming or ranching.
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Not everyone does the same thing.
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Every market I was at did something different.
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They did something I like that they all ran in a good market,
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but no one that did it the same way.
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And they had a working relationship with their clients.
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And it was really eye opening to see how other people in the
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livestock market business merchandise lawyer livestock,
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how they treat their customers. But it's all about
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relationships. It's all about their customers
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and their customers families. And that's what I think the the
14:52
local livestock market brands, they know them by name.
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They're not by a number. And then you have, of course,
14:57
the Internet playing the same day and, and, and the local
15:00
buyers are bidding as well as someone else that can't make it.
15:03
It's a busy world. You have people bidding on
15:06
their, in their pickups on horseback or on their tractor
15:09
and they're still watching the livestock market and listening
15:12
to the auctioneer. And, and that's great.
15:14
I think it's just another tool in the toolbox.
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And the more tools we have, the better job we can do.
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And it's all about getting the most money for what we're doing
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and if we can do it the livestock market way.
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Like I said, every day I step up, I've got to prove that I I'm
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doing it better than someone else.
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Or online. Online instead of the auction
15:37
process. So, you know, there's a lot of
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things that go on. Yeah, there absolutely is.
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What do you think just like kind of across your career has been
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the biggest driver for you in the success of your career?
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From being a world champion to being able to travel the world
15:54
and visit all of these places and just be able to experience
15:58
the auction industry and the way that you have over your career.
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What do you think the biggest driver in that has been?
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Gosh, you know, first I had to make a living doing it.
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I love, but I hate to say this, I would do it for nothing
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because I enjoy it. I'm glad I got paid for it
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because that fed my family and, and, and basically paid for my
16:19
farming and ranching habits because it's, you know, it's,
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I've been involved in the, in agriculture my whole life and I
16:27
wouldn't trade it for my work for the world.
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I have two daughters and they're married and they each have three
16:33
children. So I have 6 grandchildren and
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they're all involved in the operation.
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And it's just so neat to see the young people come along that
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want to take the initiative to, to participate.
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Not every, not everybody's that that blessed.
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And so we're very, very blessed to do that.
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The question that you asked is really a tough one because you
16:55
know, the driver in in the auction profession and, and, and
16:58
for me was to make someone's life better, whether I was
17:03
selling whatever I was selling equipment or livestock.
17:06
If the I thank you, if you, if you did your job, you know,
17:10
everybody makes mistakes. I and I made a plan.
17:13
I made a lot of them and that, but you got to learn by them.
17:17
And in the auction profession, it's a it's a unique group, 10
17:20
years or, you know, a close knit group.
17:23
I've stopped marketing people are livestock markets.
17:26
So you know, they they're competitive as far as trying to
17:28
get business, but they're still friends and they want to help
17:31
each other out and they'll help each other out in heartbeat,
17:34
whether there's a devastation or if it's something they want to
17:37
celebrate, they celebrate together.
17:39
They if they have hardships, they have hardships together.
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That's a big part of our business.
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I just hope we don't lose that and I don't think we will.
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I think I think there's enough people out there that have the
17:50
passion to keep this going. We've got to keep it going.
17:55
We need to get the young people involved in the business.
17:57
It's not that's easier said than done.
18:00
The you know what the I'm a big advocate for age FFA, any kind
18:04
of a program that that develops these young folks, because I see
18:08
it in my grandchildren. I seen it in my daughter's that
18:12
it's carried on. You think, well, my maybe if
18:14
they're losing it, they're not losing it.
18:16
It's, it's always is just like you when you talk about going to
18:19
the livestock market with your family, you know, you need to
18:22
pass that on and, and people need to really just enjoy the
18:25
moment because you just, you never know.
18:28
Yeah, you really don't know how the world is going to change.
18:31
And the world has changed a lot over the past five, ten, 1550
18:35
years, especially when we look at the livestock marketing and
18:40
how we do it. And you kind of touched on it
18:41
earlier, but I want to dive into it a little bit deeper on your
18:45
thoughts on your role as an auctioneer as we have seen so
18:49
much change in the industry, whether it be from video sales
18:53
or online platforms or just the data-driven marketing that we
18:56
really see right now. And just the role of an
18:58
auctioneer as we have seen just such a big change over the past
19:02
few decades. That's been a tremendous change,
19:05
Lauren. I mean, you know, sitting there
19:07
when I first started with, you know, your, your people in front
19:10
of you and that's what you had. And then going from there to,
19:15
and I'll bring this up now, I've done some sales, equipment sales
19:19
and livestock sales where there's no one there.
19:22
I'm behind the computer. I'm taking the bids from the
19:25
computer, from the Internet process that that carries on me
19:29
and the talent sound technician are the only ones there.
19:32
And I'm selling millions and millions of dollars worth of
19:35
product, whether it be livestock equipment or wherever it may be.
19:38
And now that's a true test. Everybody says, well, wasn't
19:43
that boring? I said, well, I hope not.
19:45
Which I you know, where auction is urgency to bid.
19:48
You have to have the urgency to bid when you have sell as many
19:52
lots or dollars, you got to keep them sale.
19:55
Moving people's time is important.
19:57
They always say you can make more money, but you can't make
20:00
more time. And that's really a true
20:01
statement. You really have to move the sale
20:04
along. And create urgency to bid.
20:07
I really tried to. Of course I wanted to be clear.
20:10
I like a good champ. I like rhythm, I like speed.
20:13
Main thing is clarity. But urgency to bid.
20:16
How do you create urgency to bid?
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That is something that you have to really work on.
20:20
You know, I don't want to buying audience to figure out when I'm
20:25
going to sell and if I'm going to sell and give them an idea.
20:28
I want them to. I want them to be unknown.
20:31
Because if, if as an auctioneer, if they know exactly what I'm
20:35
going to do, if I'm triggering something that says that I, he's
20:38
not done yet, I can wait before I did.
20:41
It's going to be a day is going to go quite a bit longer.
20:44
And so there's a, there's a lot of stuff that goes on that how
20:48
the auctioneer can make it better.
20:50
And then course, with the Internet, you have to be fair.
20:52
That's the key as far as I'm concerned.
20:55
Another key for an auctioneer, you know, treat everybody
20:58
fairly. So you have a buyer audience,
21:00
it's in the livestock market and you're selling to them, and you
21:02
have the Internet and sometimes the connection is a little slow.
21:09
We all know that. Or just something happens.
21:11
How do you treat that? Are you treating the people
21:14
that's on the seats as fair as you are on the Internet?
21:17
Are you giving someone more time?
21:18
There's a lot of tools. You can use it for your benefit.
21:22
And then sometimes it's going to probably bite you in the butt,
21:24
but it's figuring that out. You know when you have to be
21:27
pretty fast about figuring it out.
21:29
And that's the challenge. Everybody likes a challenge.
21:31
I do. If it was easy, everybody could
21:33
do it. You know, you're, you're not
21:35
going to have a perfect day. But yeah, but every day I try to
21:38
learn something. And I learned, I learned
21:40
something this morning. I learned something yesterday
21:42
that I never knew about. It wasn't about the auction
21:44
business, but it was about something.
21:46
And if you listen and, and to someone, you're going to learn
21:49
something. And with the Internet adding a
21:53
lot more power and, and I think it helped.
21:56
I really believe, you know, when I went to auctioneer school, I
22:00
came out of there and there's they're telling you you're going
22:03
to go make millions, of course, and be successful.
22:06
And you come home and you're thinking, wow, OK, I'm going to
22:09
do this. Well, that's that's not always
22:12
the case because you have to go and hone your skills.
22:15
You're a novice in the business who wants to give you a
22:18
opportunity to go sell their livelihood.
22:21
How that you know, that's still that hasn't changed.
22:24
I wouldn't think the idea that the NSN like a lot of
22:28
professionals, whether you're a lawyer, doctor, farmer Richard,
22:32
the media, everybody has to kind of pay their dues and figure out
22:34
if they truly want to do what they're going to do.
22:36
And if you really want to do it, you're going to find a way to do
22:38
it. You're going to find someone
22:40
really good to get behind and listen to nowadays.
22:43
You know, you can pull up the chattel USA and which I was just
22:48
listening to, and you can listen to an auctioneer.
22:52
I don't know how many hundreds of auctioneers, I never had that
22:55
opportunity. You know, you can see what you
22:57
like. You can learn from them.
22:59
You can see how the livestock markets are doing, whether it be
23:02
from Colorado to Texas to Florida, wherever it may be and
23:06
really broadens your horizon. And then also, you know, you're
23:10
learning something from another auctioneer.
23:12
And like I said, you're not going to be the same as that
23:14
auctioneer, but if you can pick up something you learn in 2000,
23:19
seven I I was thinking about it for quite a while about
23:24
producing some kind of a instructional DVD.
23:28
I had some credentials after winning the World and the
23:31
International Championship and so I produced a DVD called Chant
23:36
of a Champion. It wasn't to make money, it
23:38
wasn't the Showboat John Corey. I just wanted to help other
23:42
young auctioneers that I didn't get that opportunity because
23:44
when I went to school, there was very few videos or tapes you
23:48
could listen to. You had to, you had to really
23:50
find them. It's about a 45 minute and it
23:53
doesn't take the place of an auction school, but it kind of
23:56
tells you how you interact with the inter interact with the
23:59
video sales, whether you're selling livestock or equipment.
24:03
And it's been well received. I've I've sent them all over the
24:06
all over the world basically. And hopefully someone got some
24:10
enjoyment out of it and learned something from it.
24:13
They're just not a lot out there as far as teaching videos.
24:17
Like I'm, I like to rope and I like to rodeo.
24:21
And so I'm always watching some trying to get better.
24:25
And so hope somebody watches that and they hope to get, get
24:28
better. But now, you know, you can
24:30
listen to a lot of auctioneers that know.
24:32
So that's really helped our industry.
24:34
I, I do go to a lot of, or a number of auctioneer contests as
24:38
a judge or an MC haven't competed in ones since I won the
24:44
world in 2002. And I I got an invitation to the
24:48
king of the rings. I had been invited.
24:51
I I want to thank before, but it always had came right during our
24:56
our County Fair and I'm in charge of the rodeo.
24:59
And so I couldn't leave and Joe Frazier called me and then Mr.
25:03
Winter called me and asked if I would like to participate this
25:06
year in May. And I thought about it for about
25:08
two seconds and I said yes, that would be, I would love to do
25:11
that. It's not about going and
25:13
winning. It's a just I yeah, I'd love to
25:15
come to Dodge City and, and have some fun and, and, and showcase
25:21
and meet the other auctioneers, which I know quite well.
25:24
I knew Mr. Mr. Ray Winters. I know the Winter family and for
25:28
them to host this event is pretty special.
25:32
I think it's a it's a great event.
25:34
I think we need more of them. And so I'm going to have some
25:37
fun, showcase my talent. Win or lose or draw there.
25:40
There's never a loser in a contest.
25:41
If you enter a contest, you're going to leave.
25:44
You might not win the big prize because you're winning because
25:47
you went, you competed, you had a good time and that's what
25:51
that's that's what life's about. Yes, absolutely.
25:53
I could not agree more on all of that and I love all the points
25:57
that you made on that, John, and just your story and your passion
26:02
for the next generation as well. What's some advice that you have
26:07
for that next generation of auctioneers kind of coming up in
26:10
their careers? Maybe they've been established
26:12
for a little bit or they're just starting their career.
26:15
What do you kind of want to leave to them and some advice
26:19
that you might have I. Think the I think honesty.
26:23
I think we can't ever lose sight of honesty in the business and
26:28
the trust that is put up on the auctioneer.
26:31
Like I said, you don't have to have a world beaten champ to be
26:34
a good auctioneer. You have to be a good
26:36
communicator, you have to be honest and fair and you can
26:40
never lose sight of that. Don't it.
26:41
Don't ever tarnish your reputation by doing something
26:45
that at the moment someone tries to talk you into or talk you out
26:50
of. It's it's your call.
26:53
And like I said, that we've all made mistakes and we hope we
26:57
learn from them. But I believe, I believe that
26:59
they have to be, they have to know going into it.
27:01
They have to be honest, they have to be fair and that they
27:05
have to work at it because you have more competition, you have
27:08
less options because of the a lot of things that happen in the
27:12
world and continues to happen in the world.
27:14
We have no idea what's what's going to go on in the next day,
27:18
week, months or years. And when that hits you, just
27:22
like COVID did, you know, there was a lot of less sales and a
27:27
lot of things went on where you had to figure out a way to to
27:30
make a living or to figure out in your auction business how
27:35
you're going to handle that. But as far as a young
27:37
auctioneer, I still encourage people say, well, what?
27:40
Don't encourage them to go to auctioneer school and don't
27:42
learn the business. But if you want, that's what you
27:44
want to do. Everybody's intrigued with the
27:46
art with an auctioneer. Not everybody, but you know,
27:48
I've, I've traveled and what they always ask, what do you do?
27:51
I'm I'm an auctioneer. Oh, could you sell something for
27:54
me? And I said, well, what do you
27:55
do? Well, I'm a doctor.
27:56
Well, could you operate on somebody for me?
27:58
You know, like, no, it just, you can't jump right in there.
28:01
I mean, you can show them a little bit about the deal, but
28:05
so everybody, but everyone, they like to hear the auctioneer.
28:08
When you're a fast talker, well, you're more than a fast talker,
28:11
you know, or I don't know whether to move my hand.
28:14
I don't want to buy something. Well, they're, you know, that's
28:16
an old nap and everybody, a good auctioneer knows who's getting
28:19
and he's not. And so there's a lot of lot of
28:22
fun with that. But you know, a lot of
28:25
auctioneers specialize in certain things.
28:28
They specialize in cars or art or livestock or whatever it may
28:33
be. I had not that opportunity I had
28:36
to make it work with selling about whatever I could sell,
28:39
whether the equipment, livestock, charity, real estate
28:42
benefit sales. And so that's I think that made
28:46
me a better option. Here.
28:47
Someone says, well, how did your do you differ your chant and you
28:52
know, you have to think about that.
28:53
Yes, your chant changes some at a charity event.
28:56
Of course, those folks that are there, they don't they don't go
29:00
to many options. So they're handled.
29:02
You have to be a little you have to be clear, you can't be maybe
29:04
be as fast, but you still can create urgency to bid and have
29:07
some fun. You're doing a charity event
29:09
where everyone's or not everyone or the majority of the people
29:13
have probably been to more sales than you have.
29:16
You know that events treated different a lot of those Sherry
29:21
events, you're not selling the item, you're selling the 'cause
29:24
we all know that. And so you're not selling the
29:27
whatever it may be. You're selling what the venture
29:30
having, whether it's cancer or event, the community of that to
29:33
help the fundraiser for someone. So but that the community is
29:37
always supporting of that. I'm getting I'm getting to
29:40
ramble here and I don't like to do that.
29:43
I apologize. What was the question?
29:45
I forgot. Leaving what advice you want to
29:48
leave to the next generation. Well, that's it.
29:50
That's, you know, I just want them, I want them to succeed in
29:52
the business, but they're going to have a, they're going to have
29:54
a tougher time than I did because there's less options,
29:57
but they're still, I just think I really believe that a good
30:00
option there just adds value. And if you're going into a, if
30:04
you're going into a profession and a young person, you're going
30:07
to have to work at it. Don't take the first note.
30:09
You need to get out there and ask if you, if you need help,
30:13
get behind a good auctioneer, get behind a company that that
30:16
has your back pretty much pay your dues.
30:18
But it's not just going to happen overnight.
30:20
You're going to have to work at it.
30:22
I, I believe it like any like it took me going back to the
30:27
auctioneer or auctioneer contest.
30:30
I said I was fortunate to win it in 2002.
30:33
I went to 15 contests before I won it.
30:36
I, I was second a couple times and top 10 a few times.
30:40
And why did I keep going? And I tell these, the young
30:44
people in the business, I said a lot of people just, and it's
30:47
used it to kind of gauge how I was doing.
30:50
I wouldn't trade it for the world.
30:52
The people I met along the way, their families.
30:54
I have friends all over the United States and Canada because
30:57
of that contest. But when I first started going,
30:59
I was going for the wrong reason.
31:01
I was going for John Corey to to showcase my talent, someone to
31:05
see me and give me a big job. And here I am.
31:09
And so I went out the first few contests I went, of course, I
31:13
thought I was better than I was and I I wasn't very good as time
31:16
went for as time went on. I'll be that we use the kind of
31:19
for a family event. My family suffered because of
31:21
that. I hopefully they enjoyed it, but
31:23
that was our our our yearly trip.
31:27
Well, where we're going this year.
31:28
Well, the contest is here. They moved the world lives about
31:31
their championships to different locations.
31:34
And so we go and I compete and I do OK.
31:37
And then sometimes I wouldn't. Well, there was many times I
31:39
didn't do a continuous, I would stop for a few years and I get
31:43
the desire to go see my buddies and their families and compete
31:47
again and learn that it wasn't about me.
31:51
It was about having a, having a relationship with other
31:53
auctioneers and their families and the marketing association
31:57
and, and learning, you know, you know, everybody can, I mean,
32:00
everybody has a desire to win, but I think it takes a bigger
32:03
person to not, not have the desire that, you know, if you
32:07
don't win, how do, how do you handle it?
32:09
You know, you can sit and pout and say blame it on the judges
32:12
or the cattle or whatever it may be.
32:14
And if, if it's, if it's time, it'll be right.
32:17
And my time was in 2002. And, and you know, I, I, I
32:23
didn't help it, I don't know if it helped my career.
32:27
I'm hoping it did. But, and I tell a lot of long
32:30
entrepreneurs, if you go to a contest, you want to compete or
32:33
you want to get better, that's what it's all about because it
32:36
kind of gauges yourself. If you want to get better, you
32:38
can, you can compare yourself with different auctioneers or
32:41
they're, or if you don't want to go, don't go.
32:44
I mean, it's that's, that's, you know, I like to rodeo, I like to
32:48
compete. And so that was just kind of
32:51
part of my growing up. That's wonderful as you start to
32:55
look forward on the legacy that you want to leave as you finish
32:59
up your career. I don't know if you'll ever
33:01
finish your career, John, but as you look towards just kind of
33:04
the rest of your life and the life that you have lived within
33:07
the auctioneer world, what is the legacy that you want to
33:10
leave and what do you want people to really remember John
33:12
Corey for? You know, I, that I, that's,
33:20
that's a tough question to answer about yourself.
33:23
You know, I've done a lot of I'm really proud of my, my family
33:30
grams. I've got a lot of faith.
33:32
I've got a lot of faith from a good Lord and things happen for
33:36
a reason. But you know, it's not about
33:38
money. Sure.
33:40
Did I give back? Did I get back to my community
33:43
and did I give? First of all, did I raise my
33:46
family right? Did I give back to the community
33:50
or the world or whatever it may be?
33:52
But and did I do it the right way?
33:54
I do a lot of chariot advance, Chariot advance, which people
33:58
always ask what you don't do those charity events for me, you
34:02
don't charge. I said no, I don't charge the
34:04
majority of my charity events. Well, how come?
34:07
I said because I'm getting, I'm getting back.
34:09
Someone did that for me growing up and want to help out.
34:14
I've done the National Western Junior livestock sale for I
34:18
think 23 years. And I figure I, I, it's an honor
34:22
for me to able to do that. First of all, to help and to
34:25
raise money for scholarships and for kids or whether it's charity
34:29
event. I want people to remember that
34:31
more than you know, my chant or anything else.
34:37
I just like you know, life is short.
34:40
If you help someone along the way, I don't care if it's one or
34:44
a million people. You did your job on earth, and
34:48
the good Lord will reward you. Beautifully said.
34:51
I love everything about that. Well, John, as we round out the
34:54
podcast, is there anything else that you would like to leave
34:58
with our audience today? Well, you know, I just think,
35:00
you know, just hug and tell somebody you love them and I'm
35:07
really looking forward to come to Dodge City and seeing you in
35:09
person. And the winter family and
35:12
someone like Cole, auctioneer buddies.
35:15
I know they got a golf tournament on Friday and the
35:18
contest was Saturday. I played golf at about about 3
35:21
or 4 times in my life. I have two clubs, a driver and a
35:24
putter, and I don't have a pair of golf shoes.
35:28
I don't even have a pair of tennis shoes.
35:30
They probably it's it's probably going to.
35:31
Well, I said, I told somebody that said to you golf.
35:34
I said, well, yeah. It said no, they played with me
35:37
one time. They said you don't golf, you
35:38
just you hit the mall. I said, OK, well, whatever.
35:41
So I'm I'm I'm going to properly come and get in their way and
35:44
they can make fun of me. But I'm darn sure a better
35:47
auctioneer than than I am a golfer.
35:49
So they can beat me in golf. That's fine.
35:51
But look out on Saturday. I'm coming.
35:53
I'm going to have some fun. I.
35:55
Love it, John. Well, you and I can just hit
35:58
balls together because I am not a very good golfer myself.
36:03
So you won't be alone at the golf tournament.
36:06
Maybe not doing the best in the whole wide world, but we're
36:09
going to have fun nonetheless. And I cannot wait to be able to
36:14
meet you in person, John, and also just be able to watch you
36:18
at the King of the Ring contest. It's going to be a really
36:21
wonderful year and we, we are so blessed and so excited to have
36:25
you this year and that we finally get to get you down to
36:27
Dodge City and you get to sell some cattle down there for
36:30
winter livestock as well. So I, I can't thank you enough
36:34
for coming on today and sharing your story and the real and the
36:38
raw and the honest truth behind your life and the advice that
36:42
you have for the next generation was just so impactful and really
36:46
wonderful to hear. So, John, thank you for your
36:48
time today. Lauren, thank you for having me
36:52
on and thank the Winter family for hosting the King of the
36:55
Rings. And you know, you always say I
36:57
watched your podcast with John Campbell.
36:59
I'm not as witty as John, but John went to college up here in
37:03
Northeastern junior College actually with my wife.
37:06
And so if you need some information about John that you
37:09
probably, he probably won't, doesn't want me to tell.
37:12
I probably have it on him. So he better be careful with his
37:15
next podcast because it might show up somewhere.
37:18
You know, don't tempt me with a good time, John.
37:20
I think all of our audience members can agree with that
37:22
statement right there. So, well, thank you as always
37:26
for your time. And to all of our audience
37:27
members, thank you for listening to another episode of the Cattle
37:30
USA Daily podcast. The King of the Ring contest is
37:34
coming up in just a few short weeks, so make sure you keep
37:37
your eyes out for that. Check out the show notes down
37:39
below. I've got all the information
37:40
where you can learn more about the contest, what we're going to
37:43
be doing in Dodge and TuneIn yourselves.
37:46
John, thank you for your time again and we'll see you all next
37:49
time.