Frank Imholte, Nat'l Auction Association Hall of Fame inductee, proud to see family following in his footsteps

ST. CLOUD, Minn. — For over 40 years, Col. Frank Imholte has sold it all in the real estate and personal property auction business: farm machinery, tools, antiques, guns, furniture. He has been calling bids with family by his side.

"He went to auction school in 1979, when I was pregnant with our first child Andy," said Peg Imholte, Frank's wife, and co-founder of Black Diamond Auctions.

He was driven to the craft by seeing his childhood school bus driver auctioneering.

"My bus driver went to auction school. I thought auctioneers were just born that way. And he went there, and I thought, if he can do it, I can do it," he said.

Indeed you can, when you have a voice that can do heavy lifting.

"(My voice) is supposed to be clear. People are supposed to understand. And we keep it on the money. We're not pulling bids out of the air. We're starting it where the people start it. When the bidding comes to a stop, we sell it," Imholte said.

"As he's selling, he's smiling. He always says, 'When you're smiling, people are going to have a lot more fun," son Andy Imholte said.

Part of the fun for the Imholtes was getting their five kids involved at an early age.

"They got to meet with people. They missed their Saturday morning cartoons, but they were doing something that we thought was a lot more important for their growth and development," Peg Imholte said.

For the oldest son Andy and his siblings, the work only got harder as they grew.

"My job as a 5-year-old was to take these sheets of tickets and run them so that people could pay for and buy the items," he said. "I didn't want anything to do with auctions. When I graduated high school, I was tired of all the work."

But he came back from college with a new appreciation for the family business, Black Diamond Auctions. He became an auctioneer in 2004. Their second son Joe followed four years later, then Katie and Michael. The last sibling John is also involved.

"It's truly the blessing that I never expected to have, my kids involved in the business like they are," Frank Imholte said.

This summer, Frank Imholte was the second Minnesotan ever inducted into the National Auction Association Hall of Fame in Oklahoma City, which was also a family affair.

"When I got up to walk up there I thought, "I only have Andy and Katie and Michael at the conference. I don't have the other two kids there." We get up on stage I turn around and here's everybody. We had 21 people on stage," he said. "It was a total surprise. I really never expected it."

At 69, he doesn't plan to step down yet. But as he steps back, he's humbled by the recognition.

"I never expected to get it because there's a lot more deserving than me, everyone came up to me and said you're the everyday auctioneer," he said. "The guy that inducted me said your feet won't hit the ground til Thanksgiving."

Frank Imholte is also an afternoon radio personality for WVAL, a classic country station serving St. Cloud. Black Diamond also has a benefits division that focuses on charitable fundraising.