Ohio man wins 2014 ‘Super Summer Slam Down’ bid calling championship

ANN ARBOR, Mich. —  Peter Gehres, of Hilliard, Ohio, was named 2014 bid calling champion June 11 at the “Super Summer Slam Down” bid calling championship, part of the Midwest Auctioneers Roundup, held in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Gehres is a regional sales manager for Ohio Real Estate Auctions, and the owner of Belhorn Auctions, an auction firm specializing in American art pottery. He is also an auctioneer and ringman at Mike Brandly, auctioneer, and the Akron Auto Auction.

The Super Summer Slam Down competition, unique in that it only included bid calling, was open to any member of a state auctioneers association. All contestants had two minutes to sell items they had brought to the competition.

The competition featured 22 contestants from five states vying for the title and prizes.

Rounding out the top five finalists were Junior Staggs, of Puryear, Tennessee; Art Smith of Cedar Springs, Michigan; Carl Gilbert of Martinsville, Indiana; and Wade Leist, of Boyne City, Michigan.

String of wins

In 2012, Gehres was named Michigan Ringman Champion, Indiana Champion Auctioneer in 2011, the 2010 Michigan Auctioneer Champion, and the 2006 Ohio Junior Bid Calling Champion.

He has been a finalist in the International Auctioneers Championship and regularly competes in the World Automotive Auctioneer Championship.

A native of Van Wert County, Ohio, Gehres earned his bachelor’s degree in agriculture at Ohio State University and is also a graduate of the Ohio Auction School and Hondros College.

A trustee of the National Auctioneers Association’s Educational Institute, Gehres also teaches at the Ohio Auction School and has been an instructor at the Certified Auctioneers Institute and Reppert School of Auctioneering.

Gehres currently serves as the vice president of the Ohio Auctioneers Association and has served on the board of directors of the Michigan Auctioneers Association.