GA Auctioneer Wins Prestigious CAI Award 

Atlanta-area Auctioneer William "Buddy" Lee was the recipient of the Rose Award during the opening session of the Certified Auctioneers Institute (CAI) 2010 on March 21 in Bloomington, IN.

The Rose Award honors the contestant with the best auction summary, which participants in CAI III are required to complete in order to earn their CAI designations. Lee beat out five other finalists to win the award.

Lee, who serves as the head of Business Development, for John Dixon & Associates, of Marietta, currently serves on GAA's Board of Directors as well as being Vice-Chairman of GAA's Political Action Committee.
John Dixon has nothing but praise for Lee, pointing out that he joined Dixon & Associates in the spring of 2007, just around the time the bottom fell out of the real estate market.

"It was an awful time to begin a career in the real estate auction business; however, Buddy never believed it," Dixon says. "He attacked business development possibilities with a vengeance."

According to Dixon, Lee successfully managed the auction of a Diary Queen in his first month with the company, as well as writing several auctions during his first year. Since that time, Dixon says he has steadily progressed to his current position as Director of Business Development.
"I have never seen anyone succeed in the auction business so quickly," Dixon adds; "nor have I seen anyone more suited to this business than Buddy. He is a true rainmaker."
Lee lives in Atlanta with his wife, Mary-Holly, and their one-and-a-half year old daughter, Mary-Helen.

The Rose Award is named in honor of former Toledo, Ohio, Auctioneer David Rose. Rose, a member of the CAI Class of 1998, was highly regarded as a leader, mentor and friend by his fellow classmates. Rose passed away in the spring of 1998 after a brief illness.

GAA Leadership Tackles SB 500
Offers Assistance to Auctioneers Commission

Senate Bill 500

Members of GAA's Board of Directors and PAC Committee found themselves facing an uphill battle last month in the fight of proposed Senate Bill 500.

The bill, sponsored by John Wiles (R-SS 19), would have rewritten the current Georgia Code section regulating the Auctioneer Commission's Research, Education and Recovery Fund, changing the $100,000 minimum balance to the maximum amount required in the fund. The bill would have dictated that any funds above $100,000 be transferred to the State's General Fund by July 1, 2010. According to the Auctioneer's Commission, the fund's balance is currently over $500,000.

The bill was read and referred to the Senate's Appropriations Committee on Tuesday, March 16, and, within hours, GAA's leadership was preparing to wage a fight against the bill. That plan hit a roadblock of its own the following day when Board members were alerted that the bill had been fast-tracked by being added to the agenda of the following day's Appropriations Committee meeting.

With less than 18-hours notice, Board and PAC Committee member, Stan Lawson, agreed to speak at the Committee meeting on behalf of GAA and its stance. That same morning, a number of GAA members began a phone campaign to Senators on the Appropriations Committee to voice their opposition as well. The outcome did not look favorable, however, as some Senators admitted the State needed these funds and they didn't see a reason to stand in the way of their taking. As one source put it, "They're turning over the couch cushions looking for change."

A motion to pass SB 500 was made at the Appropriations meeting, however it was voted down by a margin of 13 - 6. A Senate staffer who attended the meeting gave credit to Lawson's impassioned speech for "single-handedly" defeating the motion. The bill's failure means no similar action could be taken up again until next year's legislative session.

GAA's victory was short-lived, however, as the bill's sponsor and its proponents warned that they would continue to fight to take away what they consider an excess amount in the fund.

In an effort to be better prepared for such a battle in the future, GAA's Board agreed to move forward with a plan to ask the Georgia Auctioneers Commission to develop some ways to spend a portion of the fund as allowed by State law.

Ben Roberts, GAA PAC Committee Chairman, attended the April 5 meeting of the Auctioneers Commission in Macon to make that request in person, offering some suggestions, as well as the commitment of GAA's Directors and general membership in the process. In a letter Roberts presented to Commission members, he specifically recommended a Public Awareness Campaign "aimed at educating the public on the value of Auction services." The letter went on to suggest that such a campaign "should help to protect the public by making them aware of standards of professionalism and ethics that they should expect when dealing with a Georgia-licensed Auctioneer."

After some discussion by the Commission, Mark Manley made a motion that a special committee be formed including representatives of both the Auctioneers Commission and GAA to begin the process of creating a campaign, as well as other possible avenues that would fall under the Fund's allocated uses to support education, research and protect consumers in Georgia. That motion passed unanimously and the committee is expected to begin work immediately.

GAA Member Shane Merritt Named GA State Bid Calling Champion

Shane Merritt grew up attending auctions at a very young age. A first generation auctioneer, Shane attended auctioneer school in November 2002 being trained by World Champion Auctioneer, Pete Desantis, at the National Auctioneers Training Center, Inc. in Thomasville, GA. Since attending auction school, Shane has conducted auctions of many types - ranging from small benefit auctions to high-end real estate auctions. Shane works as a contract auctioneer selling automobiles, horses, livestock, and works for other auction companies as needed.

Shane is the founder, principal auctioneer, and principal real estate agent for Merritt Auctioneering, a full service, professional auction firm selling real estate and personal property based in Tifton, GA. Shane is also a former United States Marine Corps combat veteran of the Kosovo Campaign (Honorable Discharge). Shane is a member of the National, Georgia, and Alabama Auctioneer Associations and is licensed as an auctioneer and real estate agent in multiple states.