NAA 50th ANNIVERSARY CONVENTION in GRAND RAPIDS

July 28, 1999 — For Immediate Release

Overland Park, Kan. — A Missouri woman and a Texas man have been crowned the 1999 International Auctioneer Champions following an intense competition.

Wayne Wheat of Houston won the coveted title of International Auctioneer Champion, Men’s Division, while Cheri Boots-Sutton of Louisiana, Mo. (near St. Louis) won the coveted title of International Auctioneer Champion, Women’s Division. The two walked away with the premier industry title July 21. The competition was a highlight of the National Auctioneers Association (NAA) 50th Anniversary Convention in Grand Rapids, Mich.

"Winning the competition is the fulfillment of a personal and professional goal I set for myself," said Wheat, 39. "The upcoming year is going to be a very special one for me, and I’m looking forward to all it holds."

It was the ideal day for Boots-Sutton to take top honors and leave with the champion’s trophy — it was her birthday. "I took the contest date to be a good omen," said Boots-Sutton, 33. "Winning the championship was the perfect birthday present."

The two won after an intense 12-hour competition, which featured two rounds of bid-calling and a public interview. Sixty men and 15 women participated in the contest, and there were 15 male finalists and 7 female finalists. Finalists and winners were determined by scores from seven judges from across the United States.

"I plan to make the most of the year by promoting the auction method of marketing and the benefits of auctions, and to tell people that auctions are not the last resort but the first choice," Wheat said. "I consider winning the title as my opportunity to represent the industry, travel and to work with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital."

Wheat has been an auctioneer for 10 years. A former television reporter, he attended his first auction in the late 1980s and fell in love with "the look and feel of them." In 1990 he attended Missouri Auction School. A competitor in the International Auctioneer Championship for seven consecutive years, Wheat made the finals each of those years and was a runner-up four times.

He is the current president-elect of the Texas Auctioneers Association. His main business is new furniture auctions in Houston. In addition, he conducts auctions for Texas A&M University and also auctions automobiles for AutoVest. He also sells real estate at auction for Clay & Co.

Boots-Sutton has been an auctioneer for 10 years. Inspired by making a good life for her first child, Boots-Sutton pulled out a home-study auction course her brother had sent away for but never used. She studied, worked on her chant and eventually began working with a local auctioneer. She attended Missouri Auction School in 1990, opened her own auction business and also began working at a public auto auction in St. Louis. To supplement her upstart auction business, she worked in a cement plant.

In a true American success story, Boots-Sutton now sits atop the auction industry. She owns Boots-Sutton Auction Service, which conducts auctions of households, real estate, farms and equipment, as well as numerous benefit and charity auctions. In addition, she works for Mannheim Auto Auction, and travels weekly to sell for that organization. Just this year she was able to quit her job at the cement plant and is now able to call herself a full-time auctioneer.

"This upcoming year is going to be amazing," Boots-Sutton said. "I’ve never been so excited about traveling."

The Men’s Division first runner-up was Merv Hilpipre of Cedar Falls, Iowa, while the second runner-up was Scott Musser of Kennewick, Wash. The Women’s Division first runner-up was Christine Sullivan of Tucson, while the second runner-up was Lorraine Sachs of Belen, N.M.

The NAA is a nearly 6,000-member organization dedicated to advancing the auction profession. It recently fulfilled a $1 million pledge to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn., and has since made an additional $1 million pledge.