Georgia Auctioneers Association Dues run from January 1-December 31.

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ATTENTION

Due to COVID-19, the GAA Board has decided to publish our communication digitally for the time being. Please let us know your thoughts as we all manage through the unknown in the upcoming weeks/months.

Unfortunately, we are postponing our Spring Convention & will be combining it with our Fall Conference. (Location change from Savannah to Rome)

It is scheduled for September 22-25, 2020:

Courtyard by Marriott Rome Riverwalk,
320 W 3rd St SW,
Rome, GA 30165

706-295-7006 for Reservations

More details will be sent via email as they become available.

We encourage fellow auctioneers to honor social distancing and the other guidelines provided by the government & CDC. 

President's Letter by Perry Walden

Dear GAA members, sponsors and friends,

I want to thank each and everyone of you for your work and dedication to this wonderful industry we all have the pleasure of serving.  Any given day, we wear many different hats and serve a very diverse group of people and assets. Over the past few months, your Board of Directors has worked hard to plan a strategic conference to serve the diverse auction industry in our state. It is with a heavy heart that we must postpone our spring conference and bid calling & marketing contests until September.

Although we know this is the best decision, we are still sad that we will not be able to come together and celebrate this great industry as we had planned. We pray you and your family stay safe until we can all come together again. We look forward to our time in September, when we will be able to gather, promote our industry, and learn new and better ways to serve our clients.

For now, many auctions have been cancelled or postponed and we are left with more questions than answers.  We will get through this time, and we are excited to see what new opportunities await on the other side of COVID-19.  I would encourage you to reach out to your banker, CPA, and attorney to seek the best guidance on taking advantage of some of the relief programs recently passed as part of the CARES Act.  Be sure to follow our Facebook page for further updates and educational experiences.

Perry Walden
GAA President


COVID-19 Update from Hannes & the NAA

What have we learned from our experience with COVID 19?

I wrote this title and have been staring at it for the last hour trying to figure out the answer to the question….

It’s been more than two weeks since we cancelled CAI because of the impact of the coronavirus – COVID 19.  Through that experience, I’ve learned that people are generally kind and supportive.  Cancelling this event for the first time in more than 39 years was one of the hardest decisions that any Board has had to make in NAA’s history.  At that point the University was not closing the Memorial Union, but we weren’t sure that there would be food service available or what was happening in Bloomington.  A week later, we were glad we had cancelled as the Governor issued a “shelter in place” order.  We were glad that we didn’t have to start, then stop and help everyone get home safely.  But when we cancelled, who knew? Yet people reached out and said thank you for making this decision.

Today, our lives as we know it have changed.

And the auction industry is changing as well.  Shelter in place has meant fewer -many fewer- live auctions.  As stated in the March 25th edition of the State of the Auction Industry Amid COVID 19, “the nature of live auctions with large crowds is inherently contrary to current government regulations.” However, people in the auction industry are getting creative.

NAA is preparing to record a new webcast tomorrow called Bid Calling in a Virtual Environment and by the time you read this, it will be part of the COVID 19 response page on auctioneers.org (PLEASE NOTE: all content is available to members AND non-members).

In the survey listed above, people are looking at new opportunities, using online auctions and new technologies, and many are making new business improvements.  People are taking time spent as shelter in place to learn these new technologies and to try different things.

NAA is helping with tools and resources (webcasts, papers, etc.) on the COVID 19 resource page.  Each week more resources are added.  You can learn from some of the most experienced people in the industry on how to start using online auctions, or how you can use SignUp Genius to improve your loadouts.

In late March, NAA Leadership submitted a letter in support of the CARES Act, the economic stimulus bill, passed by Congress and signed by President Trump last week. Already there are resources on NAA’s COVID 19  page for you as a small business owner on what this means for you and your business.  Are you a contract auctioneer? Did you know if you have lost jobs because of COVID 19 that you may be able to file for unemployment under this bill?  You as a small business owner may be able to obtain loans from the Small Business Administration – some of which may be forgivable.  These questions and others may have answers on the COVID 19 Resource page (auctioneers.org).

This is a time for you to investigate these resources.  We know people in the auction industry are kind and supportive and creative.  But we all need a little help.  And if we all take time to figure it out, the auction industry will survive – in fact, it will be better than ever.

Hannes Combest


Getting Cash For Your Small Business Through The CARES Act

by Brian Thompson, Forbes

(Updated: April 2, 2020. This post was updated to reflect the most recent SBA guidance. If you still have questions after reading this, check out this piece with frequently asked questions about these small business loans.)

As an advisor who supports small businesses and runs in a lot of small  business circles, I’ve seen a lot of pain, fear and anxiety these past few weeks. A lot of you are hurting and simply can’t find support right now. You’ve tried your best to prepare for slow downs —  saved some emergency cash, got a line of credit, etc .— but you couldn’t have imagined going from 100 to 0 in a matter of hours, leaving you with a lot of bills to pay including rent and payroll.

The median business holds cash reserves to cover 27 days of expenses, according to Chase. But even if you’re well-prepared with a three- to six-month buffer for your business, you still need to plan for what happens if that runs out. No one knows how long this will last. What you need right now is cash.

The government has stepped up to help. But with three stimulus bills already passed, the last of which was 800 pages, it’s hard to know where to focus. Today, I’ll explain the main two ways your business can get cash now that the CARES Act is law. We’ll also discuss the steps you need to take to make sure you can get your money as efficiently as possible.

APro.bid Relief Fund:

Free Auction Listings For 2 Months!

his is not a misprint!  APro.bid is offering a Relief Fund, in these tough economic times. Post your auction, send us an email if you need relief for that auction, and we will refund the cost of your auction post. No questions asked, strictly confidential.  We as a community want to see you and your business stay strong and healthy.


MEMBERSHIP MONDAY!

Respond to the following and send us a direct message on Facebook or an email with your photo!

  • Name:
  • Family:
  • Awards:
  • Company & Location:
  • Specialties:
  • Years in the auction business:
  • Favorite auction memory:
  • Best part about being a member of the GAA:
  • Favorite Auction education topic:
  • How/when did you decide to become an auctioneer:
  • Who introduced you to the GAA and when:

2020 Board Members

  • Perry Walden, President
  • Sherry Spence, Chairman of the Board
  • Todd Spence, Vice-President
  • John T. Rowell, Treasurer
  • Colton Moore, Director
  • Rick Sammons, Director
  • Tim Yoder, Director
  • Scott Pinson, Director
  • Bo Benton, Director
  • John McMurry, Director

We look forward to seeing you in 2020!

Please let us know if there are any education topics that you would like for us to consider.

-Cali Crissup & the GAA Board-

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