Today we’d like to introduce you to Ellen Curran.
Ellen, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
My father, Joe Tedesco started the business in 1973. He spent fourteen years selling and repairing garage equipment all over New England and then he met an auctioneer who introduced him to the business. Joe immediately fell in love with auctioning and one of the first auctions he did was at a Chrysler dealership in Medford Mass which turned out to be a huge success. From that point on he continued to get more and more dealership and automotive auctions. To this day he continues to be known for his extensive knowledge of auto repair machines, tools as well as his way with people. As a teenager I used to assist and watch my father auction and always had an interest in it, but still ended up going to college to study something totally different. I received my Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology with minor in Sociology and upon graduation immediately entered the human service field. For fifteen years I worked as a Mental Health Counselor, Social Worker for DCF, Case Manager and Community Relations Director of an adult day health facility. After my first son was born eleven years ago, I realized that I needed a job that allowed me more flexibility and far less stress. I began working for my father and right away knew that auctioneering was what I wanted to do. I love every aspect of the work. My background of helping those in need combined with love of people and strong work ethic is what has kept me going. When I was little my father always used to call me “the boss” and I always somehow knew that someday I would like to be in charge of managing a business. I just never knew that it would be auctions.
Although I am running the company, my father is still very involved. Joe spends a lot of time on the phone and on the road maintaining customer relationships that we have had for 44 years now. He also helps us to get items sold that don’t always sell at the auctions. He continues to teach me what he knows and is a huge support with everything I do. Even though we don’t always agree, for the most part, we work well together. I am happy to have him by my side.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
The auction industry is a very hard business to break into. Getting jobs has been the biggest struggle. You don’t always know where your next paycheck is coming from so money management is important. We have certainly grown a lot over the years and now we have steady work coming in, but it was not always like that. The other challenge is there is really no set work schedule. We cover all of Mass and New Hampshire and we never know when jobs are going to come in or exactly when sales will happen.
Also juggling raising two young active boys and running a business is not easy. With the help of my family it makes things a lot more manageable.
Please tell us about Tedesco Auctions.
Tedesco Auctions is a business that auctions and liquidates automotive repair equipment, tools, office furniture etc. Although our company has done many different kinds of auctions ranging from estate sales, machine & transmission shops, motorcycle shops, an electrical & mechanical company, salvage yard etc. our specialty remains automotive service centers. We spend a lot of time building relationships with clients and buyers, appraising items, organizing/cleaning/inventorying items to be sold, studying the market and figuring out how to best advertise for maximum turnout of buyers.
We are known for our extensive knowledge and expertise in the automotive industry. There is a lot of time spent setting up the places in which we conduct auctions. I often tell clients that the goal is to transform the place to look like a store rather than a shop. The better it looks, the better it sells. Much attention to detail is spent with figuring out exactly the best places to move the items in the room so that they bring the most money possible.
I would say that we are most proud of the relationships that we have built with both our clients and buyers as well as our reputation. Most of our business is from word of mouth and we are blessed to have so many loyal customers that refer us work. We can do any type of auction.
What sets us apart from others would have to be our expertise in auto repair and body shops. Also, we genuinely care about the people that we are working for, and never end a job until we have done all we can do to make sure that all items are sold and clients are happy.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
Looking back, if we had to start over I think that we would have done more marketing and advertising. We have just always really relied on our referrals from previous customers.
Contact Info:
- Website: tedescoauctions.com
- Phone: (508)468-8256
- Email: tedescoauctions@gmail.com
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