Dear SCAA Members,

Let me begin by telling you how excited and honored that I am to be the President of the South Carolina Auctioneers Association (SCAA). One of the smartest things that I did after becoming an auctioneer was to join the SCAA and the National Auctioneers Association. I needed all the support that I could get as I began my auction career. The state and national associations delivered and really helped with my professional needs.

As my career advanced, I soon learned that the more that I was involved and contributed to the associations, the more that I received in return. Therefore, I want to encourage each member to get more involved and help build an even better SCAA for the benefit of ourselves as auction professionals and for the entire auction industry in South Carolina.

Why have a trade association like the SCAA anyway? To answer that question, I consulted the source of all kinds of useless knowledge on the Internet--Wikipedia. According to Wikipedia, the purpose of an industry trade group includes networking, public relations, advertising, and education among members of a particular trade. These are important goals for any industry and we are fortunate to have the SCAA to help the auction profession in South Carolina accomplish these objectives. So how can you help?

Whether a member is new to the profession or has been calling auctions for 30 years, SCAA functions, like our conventions and Fall Picnic, are great opportunities to network. These functions allow members to discuss the latest challenges and opportunities for the industry, make referrals, and learn from fellow auctioneers.

Our functions are getting better each year. I hope you will consider attending the next one. We need you there to make it a success. Also, encourage other auctioneers in our state that are not members to join our association and come to these events. There is strength in numbers and we can accomplish even more if we can grow our association.

The SCAA also focuses on providing education to its members. These classes are useful not only to satisfy continuing educational requirements, but are also an excellent way to learn about the latest industry trends. Help make these classes beneficial to our membership—let us know what topics are of interest to you and your business.

You are reading one of the other sources of education for our members “The Bid Caller.” This is a forum to share your expertise and insights as an auctioneer with your fellow auctioneers. We need your help. Please consider contributing an article or news to the Bid Caller. Advertise your services or brag about your new grandchild. Send a funny story, cartoon, or interesting fact. Together we can make “The Bid Caller” a must-read for our members.

Our website at www.southcarolinaauctioneers.org is a valuable tool for our association and a valuable marketing tool for our members. Members can post their auctions and the public can search for an auctioneer by name, location, or specialty. Please post your auctions to our website and make sure all your contact information is current on the website so potential clients can find you.

Remember, the success of an association correlates directly to the willingness of its members to serve and participate. Make 2008 the year that you make a difference for your profession and let’s have a wonderful year! Feel free to contact me at Matt@AuctionSC.com or 1-800-554-4306 if you have a suggestion for the next year.

--Matthew Holiday, CAI, BAS
President, South Carolina Auctioneers Association