Custom Fabricators Liquidation Auction
4427 S 139st, Omaha, NE. 68109
Friday May 15, 2009 10:00 AM 

Background
Custom Fabricators was a locally owned and operated granite counter top manufacturer. It had been a family business for 15 years. Because the business had become unprofitable during the economic downturn, the owners decided to sell the real estate and then liquidate the remaining business assets at auction. They called us once the property  had a pending contract.

Challenge
This auction would be challenging in that the equipment for sale was very specific to the granite countertop industry and recent market conditions have caused the housing market to crash, resulting in much less new construction.

We would have to develop a marketing plan to attract attention to a very specific audience in a very short period of time. In addition to the market being thin for this equipment, the owners had sold the building and it had to be clear in 3 weeks for the real estate closing.

Our Auction Solution
Our recommendation was to conduct a live onsite auction with an internet simulcast of selected high value items. Then we developed an advertising and marketing program for the business that included the use of an internet simulcast as well as a detailed marketing plan to draw attention to the items at auction.

The equipment included a 7 ½ ton overhead crane, Park Industries granite saws and shaping machines as well as polishers, finishers, hand tools and office items. Many of the high value items were very industry specific, causing this to be a particularly difficult sale to market.

The marketing plan was designed to capitalize on the internet advertising by using email blasts to industrial equipment buyers along with web postings on auction specific, as well as, industry specific sites. In order to further penetrate the market, we sent direct mail sale flyers to all of the like businesses in the country and to our database of industrial equipment buyers. The final component of the campaign was to place targeted, trade specific print ads and newspaper advertising in selected publications including local, regional and national publications.

We set the live auction up for 3 weeks from our contract signing because of the real estate close date and went to work marketing this equipment through these various means.

Results
The Auction netted more than expected dollars. There were nearly 100 buyers at this auction and over 300 lots were sold. We were able to meet the seller's 3 week deadline up to and including having the equipment moved out of the building prior to the real estate closing. With the property ready to close and a great rate of return on the equipment, we had a very successful auction.

Bahnsen's Ski and Sport Liquidation
7407 L St. Omaha, NE
Saturday January 29 2005 11:00 AM 

Background
Bahnsen's Ski and Sports was seeing a decline in business. The family was ready to liqudate the business and move on to other things.

Challenge
The challenges with this liquidation were several. The inventory had been under liquidation for months. The left overs were not the first choice items. There were racks full of snow skis and boots as well as some very special equipment designed to maintain and repair snow skis. Much of this inventory was odd sizes and old stock.

Our Auction Solution
Our solution was to schedule an auction for 4 weeks out and then to begin the cataloging process. We lotted out the skis and boots in large lots aimed at resellers. We planned the marketing campaign around resellers by marketing to other sporting goods shops regionally and advertising on the web with an international presence. This auction was conducted with selected lots simulcast and items that would sell well locally in a separate auction ring, selling to the live crowd.

Results
We had a great turn out for auction day with well over 250 registered bidders live and online. The specialty equipment and goods sold very well with over 30% of the cataloged itmes selling to buyers on the internet and the rest of the items selling locally. We were able to exceed the sellers expectations of the sale.

Mr. C's Liquidation Auction 
Sat. 10-6-07 10:00 AM
Wed 10-10-07 10:00 AM
5319 N 30 ST, Omaha, NE

Background
Mister C’s was an Omaha Tradition. This Icon of Omaha went on the auction block in October of 2007. It would be the last chance for people to own a piece of this Historic Omaha Establishment.

The property at 30th and Fort was sold. Mister C and family decided to retire from the restaurant business and let this Omaha Icon fade to memory. This auction was the largest collectible and memorabilia auction of it’s kind, rivaled only by the liquidation of Peony Park many years ago.

At auction was the entire restaurant, from the beautiful wrought iron fence around the parking lot to the decorative lamp posts and awnings as well as the statuary surrounding the property and one of a kind stained and leaded glass windows, to the Lladro Don Quiote scenes in the lobby and the Elvis collection, right down to the kitchen equipment, tables, chairs, bricks and more. This was a very unique auction. 

Challenge
Our challenge was to liquidate this historic business in a relatively short period of time. We were only to have 6 days of preparation time between the final day of business for the restaurant and the first auction.

Additionally we had a very diverse mix of product. We had very collectible items like Lladro figurines, Elvis memorabilia, Nebraska football memorabilia, Ak-Sar-Ben memorabilia as well as the famous Mister C’s memorabilia plus a variety of restaurant equipment in several locations, for both the indoor and garden sections of the restaurant.

This auction would prove to be quite challenging and the family expected a spectacular event. We made sure they would not be disappointed.

Our Auction Solution

After careful consideration, and weeks of planning and preparation, we determined that we would conduct two separate auctions with two selling rings at each sale. We broke the merchandise down into four groups, The first was the indoor memorabilia, the seond was the outdoor memorabilia like the stained glass and iron rails around the property. The final two groups were the restaurant equipment and the outdoor items like building lighting, fencing, etc.

We decided that the memorabilia would be sold using a live internet simulcast in the indoor ring at the Saturday auction. The internet bidding component would serve two purposes, the first was to allow bidders out of town to attend the auction. The second function, was to give the auction national exposure.

Prior to the restaurant closing, we cataloged and published our simulcast items and did as much preparation as possible, knowing we were going to have only a short time to prepare, once the restaurant was officially closed.

During the period of time after the auction was announced we promoted the the sale using a variety of advertising including press releases run by the local TV stations, signage in the restaurant and outdoors, a huge internet capaign, targeted direct mail and print advertising.

Results

The results of the auction were nothing short of fantastic. The Saturday Memorabilia Auction began at 10:00 AM on Saturday morning, in two rings and lasted until 7PM that evening. There were over 600 bidders live and online for these auctions with over 2500 lots sold and an auction total exceeding $90,000.00 

Background
Atlas Motors was a foreign car repair shop in Bellevue Nebraska. The owner was ready to retire and liquidate the business. This Auction was to be a complete auto shop liquidation there was a huge foreign car parts inventory, tools, shop equipment and cars.

Challenge
There was a large collection of cars, parts, shop equipment and tools that was collected over many years and housed in two buildings and a large open storage lot. This business had a rather unique market in that many of the inventory items and vehicles were quite old. The feature item of this auction was a 1969 Jaguar XKE that was in fair condition.

Our Auction Solution
We developed an advertising and marketing program for the shop and cars that included the use of an internet simulcast for the shop equipment and some of the parts and cars. This would be addtionally complex because there was no internet connection point in the building that housed the majority of the shop equipment. We ran our own phone line from one building to the next and connected to the internet through a dial up connection.

Our marketing progran included a sale bill mailed to our database of auto enthisiasts and shop owners as well as emails sent directly to 1500 of our customers, web site advertising on multiple sites, and newspaper advertising.

Results
The Sale at Atlas Motors was a great success. All of the items on the auction were sold in two auction rings on a Saturday afternoon. Over 200 bidders attended and the feature item in the auction, The Jaguar XKE, sold for over $20,000.00