NAA 50th ANNIVERSARY CONVENTION in GRAND RAPIDS

July 28, 1999 — For Immediate Release

Grand Rapids, Mich. — A Tennessee auctioneer with an eye on the future has been installed as the 1999-2000 president of the National Auctioneers Association (NAA).

John Roebuck, CAI, AARE, Memphis, assumed the presidency July 24 during the NAA’s 50th Anniversary Convention in Grand Rapids. He succeeds outgoing president Robert A. Doyle, CAI, Fishkill, N.Y., who assumes duties as NAA Chairman of the Board.

Roebuck’s presidency comes at a time when the auction business is undergoing tremendous change due to the Internet and the move by auctioneers into new areas of commerce. It’s a challenge that he believes the NAA is well-equipped to handle. Formed in 1949 as a trade association for professional auctioneers, the NAA has nearly 6,000 members who are among the most successful auctioneers in the country.

Giving them the tools to stay successful is Roebuck’s chief goal as president.

"We’re entering an unknown world and if we’re going to survive, we’re going to change," he said. "It’s our responsibility to lead all of our members to being on the cutting edge," he said. "The way we do that is education, education, education and education."

A member of the NAA since 1982, Roebuck joined the Board of Directors in 1993. He was elected vice president in 1997. His varied career has included a stint in the radio business, owning and operating service stations and developing a financial management system for the agriculture business that is now an industry standard. A 1981 graduate of the Missouri Auction School, he heads John Roebuck and Associates/River City Auction & Realty Co., a Memphis-based company that specializes in auctioning residential and commerical real estate and in the appraisal of furniture, fixtures, equipment and real estate.

Along with his involvement in the NAA, Roebuck has also been active in the Tennessee Auctioneers Association and the National Association of Realtors. He’s especially proud of his charitable efforts, which have included helping to raise more than $1 million for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, the official charity of the NAA.

Roebuck, who grew up as the son of sharecroppers in Mississippi, calls his charitable efforts his way of making a difference to the community

"It’s a way to give back," he said. "It reminds me where I came from and how important it is to give others the chance at the same opportunities I’ve enjoyed."

More than 1,200 auctioneers, their staffs and families attended the convention, which featured educational workshops, the International Auctioneer Championship and the NAA Annual Meeting. The convention also featured the induction of three longtime auctioneers into the NAA Hall of Fame.

Robert Steffes, CAI, GPPA, Fargo, N.D.; Thomas Joseph Tarpley Sr., CAI, Rome, Ga.; and Ralph Zettlemoyer, Fogelsville, Pa., will each be honored with a plaque in the NAA Hall of Fame, located in Overland Park, Kan.

The convention also served as the culmination of the celebration of NAA’s 50th anniversary. The 2000 convention will take place July 18-22 in Norfolk, Va.