CARMEL, IN- An ownership buy-out which began four years ago has culminated in a seamless transfer of all shares of stock in Wickliff & Associates Auctioneers, Inc., to Darin Lawson, now President and Owner of the company.
Sue Wickliff, who started the company in 1989, remains on the board as Chair Emeritus, and beginning in 2011, will be a full-time employee, continuing in the daily operations of the enterprise. Darin’s wife Angie, is Auction Administrator- managing inventory, consulting with clients and supporting seller settlement.
“Angie and I are pleased to continue the tradition of service for which Wickliff Auctioneers has become known,” said Lawson. “The words in our company logo, ‘expertise, quality and integrity’, aren’t just a slogan for us, and we’re mindful of the foundation that was laid for this company based on that mantra. We are charged to continue to operate with the same attention to detail and quality upon which the company’s reputation has been created.”
Sue Wickliff has continued in certain roles with the company during the transition, including client consultations and working at the auctions. So, for many of Wickliff Auctioneers’ customers and clients, it’s been business as usual. “I am enthusiastic to return to the auction business in a full-time position,” said Sue Wickliff, “and continue to utilize the expertise I have gained in a vocation that has been my passion for many years.”
Lawson acknowledges that the current economic situation, combined with changing buyer tastes and demographics, has created some challenges along the way, but says that the company is meeting those challenges head-on. “This company has always been a leader in the auction community, and we’re always thinking of effective, new ideas and changes that will meet the needs of both buyers and sellers.” Lawson points to Wickliff’s recent first-ever, Friday evening auction of fine art, stating that the response was very positive, resulting in a large crowd at the gallery, including many new faces, and a record number of bidders-per-lot online registrations. “We’ll still have auctions on Saturdays, of course, but for certain specialty auctions, attracting as many buyers as possible and reducing their options for alternate activities are motivation for changing the Saturday model on occasion.”
The company’s international reputation is now more established, based on their increasing sales of items to bidders worldwide over the last two years. Lawson states that antiques and art have been sold to buyers in such places as Russia, England, Spain, Taiwan, China, Canada, Italy, and the United Arab Emirates, among others.
“We’re seeing more aggressive international bidding on certain items, particularly if the item is indigenous to that area,” stating that a recent painting by an Italian artist had bidding from two, competing Italian bidders, one of whom eventually won the bid.
Previously of Columbus, IN, Lawson has been working with Wickliff since 1996, and relocated to Carmel in 2004 to assume the position of Vice President and Senior Auctioneer. Lawson has a B.S. in Journalism from Ball State University, and is a second-generation auctioneer who has been licensed since 1989. Prior to his full-time position at Wickliff, he conducted auctions for individuals, small businesses and Fortune 500 companies across the United States and in Europe. In addition to operations at Wickliff, Lawson consults with charitable organizations, and conducts live auctions for high-profile fundraising events, primarily in Central Indiana.
Wickliff Auctioneers specializes in the sale of fine art and fine jewelry at auction, conducting catalogued sessions which include decorative arts, period and period-style antiques, fine contemporary furnishings and more at their Carmel, IN, gallery, located 12232 Hancock Street. Auction items can be previewed online well in advance of the auction events, and the entire catalogue is broadcast live via www.liveauctioneers.com for remote, online bidding. More information about upcoming auctions and information on buying or selling at auction, is available by calling 317-844-7253 or by visiting www.wickliffauctioneers.com
