Yoder & Frey prepared for 2021 with a simple message: "We're ready for business and are the auctioneers to go with at Kissimmee #47.
"2020 was an extraordinary year for us all, as well as a year of extreme sadness for many. As the COVID-19 pandemic hit, all businesses in the U.S. were affected in some way or another, with the heavy machinery sector being no exception.
"With no real indication as to what was happening, the severity of the threat, as well as the eventual outcome, Yoder & Frey were not alone in beginning to mitigate for the new global threat.
"Yoder & Frey continued to increase its sales schedule in 2020, as well as adding to its sales team, comprising many of the best in the business in the heavy machinery sales arena. With exceptional consignments of first-class specialist heavy construction inventory selling well in 2020, Yoder & Frey is preparing for Kissimmee 2021."
Committed to the schedule of sales planned for early 2020, Yoder & Frey provided vendors with a platform on which to sell their equipment and machinery, presenting them with a lifeline that would enable them to generate much needed funds with which to maintain their businesses. As the world began to shut down in early March, Yoder & Frey was on-track to hold a planned physical sale at its "flag-ship" base in Findlay, Ohio, as well as an off site liquidation sale for Marietta Coal Company, also in Ohio.
With much uncertainty in the market, Yoder & Frey proceeded with the Findlay sale, following the newly emerging considerations on safety in line with the national guidelines for the virus, streaming the entire sale live online as well as on site with a live audience.
With severe lockdowns in place, The Marietta Coal Company was rescheduled to May.
"It was fortunate that the next date in the auction calendar was planned as a pure 'online' sale for World Fiber Technologies in Alpharetta, Georgia/Dallas Texas in April. The ability to host sales totally online enabled Yoder & Frey to fulfill our auction schedule and commitment to customers irrespective of the regulations in place," Yoder & Frey explained.
The remaining auctions of 2020 were a combination of physical and online or online only depending on customer's wishes.
Global Reach
Following the merger of Yoder & Frey with Euro Auctions, Yoder & Frey has a robust online auction platform with which to reach the home U.S. market, as well as marketing to a list of international consignors and buyers in more than 115 countries. From this position Yoder & Frey can run all sales on-line in "real time" with either live action, or by using streaming with the sale being conducted in "real time" by the team of "live" auctioneers from the Yoder & Frey Ohio headquarters.
Despite the uncertainty, Yoder & Frey hosted 20 major sales in 2020, including 12 "off-site" sales for a variety of specialist businesses with machines to sell. Predictably, due to COVID and additional global marketing reach, this resulted in a big "ramp up" in online activity, with just under 80 percent of all bids placed and almost 50 percent of all sales were via the internet, with Yoder & Frey experiencing sale on sale increases in consignors, bidders and buyer action at all 2020 sales.
Consignors are clearly confident that Yoder & Frey are the auctioneers to go with, demonstrated by the excellent consignments of new and late year machinery going over the ramp at each sale. The biggest buying market has been predictably from the USA with great interest from the UK, Canada and the Caribbean, according to Yoder & Frey.
"This has been a tragic year in many respects, with sad losses due to COVID. As a result, we are mindful that people have lost their lives and livelihoods to the pandemic. We are also mindful that many businesses need cash to pay their employees and secure the future of those businesses," explained Peter Clarke, founder and CEO of Yoder & Frey.
"We continued to offer them a solution that would support those businesses, and we saw an increase in the quality, quantity and diversity of equipment being consigned to our auctions, and this is attracting new consignors, increasing bidder turnout, which has resulted in our auctions achieving record auction results."
Yoder & Frey Expands
"In the last 18 months. Yoder & Frey has invested in enhancing its team of account managers, recruiting industry seasoned professionals, with extensive contacts who have worked for many of the biggest brands in the industry. The team includes Trent Shaftner, Chris Deason, Rodney Russell, Joe Thurston and Jayson Hutchinson. New to the team, enrolled during 2020 is Alex Young covering Florida and surrounding states, with Bryan Smith who is concentrating on Pennsylvania and surrounding north east states.
"With the right caliber manpower to cover the entire U.S., and with our global marketing reach through Euro Auctions, Yoder & Frey is poised for an exciting Kissimmee Winter Auction in 2021. Yoder & Frey is still expanding and if you have what it takes to develop good relationships with consignors and buyers and know the industry well, let's have a conversation," said Clarke.
Kissimmee Winter Auction
On Feb. 10 through 13, Yoder & Frey will host its 47th Kissimmee sale in Florida.
With a growing inventory of heavy construction machinery, dump trucks, dozers, telehandlers, access equipment, buckets and attachments, as well as commercial vehicles and a large compliment of diesel engines, Yoder & Frey is inviting more consignors who want to turn their stock into cash.
The Yoder & Frey format for Florida #47 will be a live sale, with three rings and a live ramp with buyers able to personally inspect any of the pieces of equipment catalogued pre-sale. Yoder & Frey will be insisting all visitors attending adhere to all standard COVID standard guidelines in place at that time.
"What makes Yoder & Frey different," asked Peter Clarke? "Our customers like our culture, our can-do attitude, the fact we care about our consignors and buyers, and that we do go the extra mile at all sales. If you have gear to sell, it is worth a phone call to Yoder & Frey, as we've done Kissimmee 46 times to date, and this will be Kissimmee #47."
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