By Mari Radtke
Rich Vander Werff was a 19-year-old who ventured to an Auction School in Iowa. At the time, official licensing was not a requirement. He returned to his native Sanborn after that schooling and made a deal with Howard and Joy Langstraat. Howard and Joy owned the Sibley Sale Barn. The offer from Rich was to “hone his skills” on Saturdays, late in the day. Saturday auctions at that time would typically start at 9:00am and go until late in the day. Rich started auctioning pound cows. Those were late in the day with few buyers still there. Rich recalls that after 6 or 8 months he began getting paid. Rich did that work for 7 or 8 years then moved into household auctions.
“I always had a passion for auctions,” Vander Werff explained. “Grampa Elgersma and my dad had cattle business together. My dad rented breeding bulls. My grampa went to 4 auctions a day, 4 days a week buying bulls. The auctions were at Sheldon, Worthington and 2 at Spencer. When I was young I would go to the sale barns with Grampa. I loved listening to the auctioneer.” Rich recounted how the dime he would get from his grampa would get him a candy bar and pop. “That triggered my interest in auctions. I went with Grampa for a lotta years.”
Looking back over the 50 years Rich recalls his first non-livestock auction. It was an event known as a “Box Social.” The first one he conducted was for the “Sanborn Young People’s Society.”
For those who don’t know what a “Box Social” is you are not alone. Rich explained it this way: “The girls would put together a meal and box it. The boxes would be decorated and displayed. The boys would bid on the boxes. The maker [of the box] and the winner of the auction for that box would eat (the boxed meal) together. He did that for several years for First Reformed Church. “I even participated myself!”
Getting started, Rich didn’t have backing. To make ends meet he held other jobs. One Rich remembers was with Don Faas and his dad. Rich remembers them being very generous with time. Rich also gives a similar shout out to Carl Ruby, from the John Deere dealership in Hartley.
Rich married in 1975 and got involved with Ray Youngers and Ron Rensink with what was then Rensink – Youngers Realty, Inc. The business did real estate and insurance business. Rich explained that he sold, but was never an insurance owner. He did have ownership in the realty corporation. This opportunity allowed Rich to quit his part time jobs and focus all his energy on real estate and auctions.
During this part of the Vander Werff and Associates journey, before it was Vander Werff and Associates, Rich credits Verla Elgersma as the main insurance agent and Hubert Schultz as his mentor. Rich describes Schultz as a philosopher. Rich reminisced how they would just sit and talk.
In time, Verla bought out the business, having 5 partners, and each went their own way. The insurance company became Elgersma Agency. Rich stayed, rented the building and changed its name to Vander Werff Auctioneer, Inc. This happened somewhere in the late 70s or early 80s.
Rich recalls it was a secretary and himself. He also notes that during this time it was standard for banks to do the clerking for auctions. He says there came a time that it simply made sense for auction companies to do their own clerking. The 80’s and 90’s was a time of change for auction companies in a lot of ways. Appraisal services became part of the offerings of Vander Werff Auctioneering, Inc. during this time.
Licensing for appraisers began in 1991. Appraisers were blamed for the economic events of the 1980s. Rich was one of the first certified appraisers in the state. He began with farms and houses in the local area. That business grew. He added complex properties. The cattle feed operations. Hog operations became part of the skill sets of the business. Complex agriculture, residences and finally commercial appraisal became part of the He helped test a pilot program in 6 northwest Iowa Counties with FMHA, now FSA. The program was successful and began being used across the state and nation. He has worked with FSA ever since.
The appraisal service has been part of the business for about 40 years now. He reminds us that back then, portable PA systems were not available. Vander Werff and Associates started with very basic tools. Today, Rich holds the highest possible appraiser certification – Certified General Real Property Appraiser.
It’s the commercial appraisal that allowed outward growth. In late 2021 Vander Werff and Associates performed appraisals in all of Iowa’s 99 counties. This had been a company goal. The last 2 Iowa counties for the company to work are in the southeast and were FSA granted. Beyond Iowa, the company can perform appraisals in 14 states including Minnesota, Nebraska, South Dakota and Iowa. They now can do funeral homes, grain elevators and specialty appraisals. The company has performed work in Wyoming, New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont and Mississippi. All of this adds credibility to the organization. Appraisals are often necessary for court decisions.
National Auction Association offers specialized Certified Auction Institute certification that is administered b Indiana University where Rich spent time obtaining the necessary education and testing. It’s a 3-year program with combined attendance and correspondence.
Today, Rich estimates that Vander Werff and Associates employs 15 full time and 10 part time people. The staff includes 7 certified appraisers and 4 auctioneers including “newbie” Shannon Rydberg. Todd Hattermann has been part of the auction business for “30 or 35 years.” JRB Rentals is called an off-shoot of Vander Werff and Associates. Here, Rich says, “Looking back, all praise and glory to God for making it all happen. There have been plenty of ups and downs, but we wouldn’t bee where we are without Him.”
In addition to the busy real estate and auction business, and the continuously growing appraisal service Rich has a cow calf and cattle operation. As time goes by he likes spending more time with the cattle. “I have a great staff. The staff made it successful and made it great,” Rich says of Vander Werff and Associates. “I have great people. We’ve been together a long time.
As Rich looks to the future he reflects again, that he has been blessed adding, “after 50 years I still have a strong voice. I hope to continue auctioning a long as the Good Lord allows.”
The look forward can’t help but recognize the single biggest change in [his] business is the internet. “Online auctions are the biggest change. It’s allowed small auction companies to compete with any auction company. The local audience is now international. Machinery can be sold across the country. Internet allows us to compete and we’re getting better prices. The pandemic hastened local acceptance [of online auctions].” He explained how tricky live and online auctions are to do together.