Ashley auctioneer Randy Ulmer knows not only his bread-and-butter trade, but also other businesses.
He runs a farm and ranch operation, along with a crop spraying service and an equipment/trailer sales firm on the side.
“I was doing (auctioneering) as a child,” Ulmer said. “My brother, Russel, chased cows into the barn. I stood in the feed bunk and auctioned them off."
Ulmer, owner of Ulmer Auction Service, has pursued auction work as a profession since 1978, when he graduated from the Western College of Auctioneering in Billings, Montana.
“I started in Ashley selling a lot of pies and wedding garters and I still like to do that. I love to do charity auctions as well."
Ulmer broke into the auction world with the help of a friend.
“My buddy, Harold Fregien, took me under his wing. I still miss him.” (Fregien died in a vehicle accident a few years ago.)
Ulmer’s second-best break has been experience: “That’s why I can answer my (clients’) questions.”
The past several years have gone well, Ulmer says.
The secret to his succcess is a simple one: “I’m established now. I am fair and honest with the people.”
An Ashley native, Ulmer employs six part-time workers.
