Family-run auction still going strong

By JULIET BRISKIN | Central Texas Edition

A bull is released in the arena for bidding at a Thursday sale at the West Auction. -Staff photo by Briskin

December 20, 2001 -- Twenty-one years ago Ted Uptmore came home and told his wife, Adele, that he had just made an offer on the auction market that is now West Auction. Three times an auction market had opened and failed at that location along I-35 just south of West.

"I was at home taking care of five children," explained Adele. "He came home and told me what he did and I asked if he had lost his mind." According to Adele the couple did not know anything about the auction market business, but Ted assured her that someone would out bid them. "Well, nobody outbid us." said Adele.

The Uptmores purchased the market with the help of Ted's brother and thus began their lifelong adventure in the auction market business.

According to Adele it was her brother-in-law that suggested she take over the management of the market. "We had tried to hire a manager," explained Adele. "But after it (the market) had failed three times it was like someone had shot somebody here."

Adele Uptmore runs the auction market with the help of her husband and four sons.

Adele had no idea how to run a market but her brother-in-law prevailed and she agreed to give it a shot. "When I walked in the first day there was a phone on the floor and a chair," she said. "Twenty-five days later we had our first sale and about two hours before the sale we were okayed by the federal authorities and off we went."

When asked how she feels about the business Adele stated that she has truly fell in love with it. "People here are so down-to-earth and straight forward," she said. "You don't ever have to guess if someone is beating around the bush, because they don't do that. People just say it the way it is."

One thing that has helped Adele keep things running smoothly over the years is a good staff. "I have one lady, Linda Allen, that has been with me for 21 years," said Adele. "She is such a great person. It can get pretty stressful in here and she is always as cool as a cucumber!"

Staffing is a challenge in any business but even more so when you are a one day a week operation. "It is hard to get really good people on a one-day basis but we have been lucky for the most part," said Adele. "We have some people here that are just really great and then we fill in with young people."

Adele explained that hiring young people is one of the most difficult things they have to contend with right now. "To get young people to realize how serious this is can be very hard sometimes," she stated. "We watch them very carefully because we don't want anyone to get hurt."

Despite the difficulties of hiring young people, Adele swells with pride when she thinks about some of the kids that have worked for her over the years. "I have had kids that have worked here that are now doctors, lawyers and presidents of companies," she said. "When they worked for me they scooped poop! And then they went on to lead very successful lives. It is so nice when they come back and I get to see what wonderful adults they have become."

One important point that Adele makes is that the auction market business cannot run with just one person. "It runs with the complete family," she said. "If I didn't have my four boys and my husband I wouldn't have a chance."

All of her children participate to a certain degree at West Auction. The youngest, Brian, runs the back of the barn and is the auctioneer. Brian and Adele are the only full-time employees at the market. The rest work on a part-time or as-needed basis.

Adele's oldest son Ted, Jr. takes care of all the farming and hay production and serves as the trouble shooter during the Thursday sale. "Ted does everything. He puts out the fires," said Adele. "Our son Tim has his own landscape business and has undertaken the general contracting for the storm damage we suffered in the October 12 tornado."

John David ran the cafe for five years, but now limits himself to computer work and payroll. When he decided he no longer wanted to run the cafe the Uptmores sold the business and leased the space to Adele's cousins. "The cafe is 24-hours and is a lot of tough work," explained Adele. "John David had gotten married and running a 24-hour cafe was not what he wanted to continue doing."

Their daughter Cathy, who lives in Dallas, is involved with the business to a certain extent as is Adele's 87 year-old father.

According to Adele her "baby" is the registered sales held at West Auction 12 to 15 times each year. "I love those people," said Adele. "They come to have a good time and sell their cattle. They want everything clean, they want a friendly atmosphere and boy we give it to them!" The top registered sale last year was $1.7 million and was held during a drought.

In addition to an auction market West Auction is a rest facility for cattle headed to Mexico. "There are twenty-five different trucking companies that we work with," Adele explained. "These people come from all over the MidWest and stop off here for about eight hours to feed and water the cattle before heading on to Mexico."

Adele explains that West Auction's first purpose is to bring the best price on its livestock. "The people that bring their cattle here trust us with their livestock and we in turn are trying to get the best price possible for them," she stated. Its second purpose is "to treat the livestock the best way we know how." Currently the market averages 1,000 head a week.

When asked how she has managed to run West Auction so successfully Adele points out that "if you marry a German A&M graduate and have four children in five years you know something about work!"