Tim Harty, The Business Times

On the heels of four consecutive top-five finishes, with a best showing of third place, it appeared Graig Medvesk’s bid to become the Colorado Auctioneers Association’s state champion auctioneer was just a matter of time.

And experience.

“The old saying,” Medvesk said, “is you can’t buy experience.”

But the 32-year-old who owns The Auction Team in Grand Junction has been an auctioneer for 12 years now, doing the things that judges at the state competition consider when selecting a champion.

There’s the auctioneer’s chant, salesmanship, presentation, spotting bids, working the crowd, all things Medvesk has done over and over. Then, the judges ask each contestant questions about the industry.

On Jan. 11, Medvesk’s mastery of skills and answers to the judges’ questions were deemed the best, making him the 2025 Colorado State Champion Auctioneer.

“It’s a really big honor,” Medvesk said. “I believe I’m the first auctioneer on the Western Slope of Colorado to win it, and I’m a Western Slope Colorado native. I grew up in Hayden, Colorado. … So, to come from the Western Slope and compete against those guys from Denver and other parts of the state that have sale barns and automobile auctions regularly, to be able to compete against those guys and win, it’s a big honor.”

He also won the rookie state championship 12 years earlier, and Medvesk said the auctioneers who have won both titles are rare.

“Being in the auction industry for 12 years now, I’ve learned so much along the way that helped me in the championship, from answering the questions and being able to be a clear auctioneer,” he said.

Medvesk said he worked in commercial insurance for three years right out of college before he switched careers.

“I branched out and started my own auction company, and then from there I acquired The Auction Team,” he said. “And since then we’ve been able to really expand our endeavor throughout the Western Slope of Colorado.”

The Auction Team does live and online auctions. The latter has become the majority of what The Auction Team does, as Medvesk estimated it at 80 percent.

“It’s just as the world changes, you have to adapt with it,” he said.

But there are still live auctions, where his chant and working of the crowd take center stage.

Medvesk said he was drawn to auctioneering at a young age. He worked for his uncle, Will Montieth, who was a custom farmer.

“I learned a lot about equipment. … I learned a lot of the agricultural business from him,” Medvesk said.

He also participated in 4-H, which each year had a junior livestock auction, and Medvesk gravitated to it.

“My personality fits it,” he said. “I’m kind of a Type A personality. I’m outgoing, and I really love the auction business side of it.”

Medvesk still loves it, and he thinks that is what separates him from a lot of the other auctioneers.

“It’s not just the chant,” he said. “It’s the business. It’s the relationships that I have with my buyers and my sellers. I just really enjoy the business from start to finish.”

MORE ABOUT GRAIG MEDVESK

NEED AN AUCTIONEER?

The Auction Team, 2912 Hill Ave. in Grand Junction, does live and online auctions. If you’re interested in having an auction or have questions and would like a free consultation, call 970-245-1185 or email graig@theauctionteam.com. For more information about The Auction Team, go to its website: theauctionteam.com.

MORE THAN A STATE CHAMP

Calling Graig Medvesk the Colorado state champion is actually selling his prowess a little short. Auctioneers from other nearby states compete as well, making Medvesk a multi-state champ.