Trent Ferris
SVP Auction Events | Auction.com
Inspired by my uncle, Calvin “Cal” Ferris, who flew 200 types of aircrafts, I enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in June 1985. Originally, I enlisted as an E-1 and rose to E-5, and I was then commissioned as an Officer of Marines attaining my final rank at retirement in 2005 from the Corps as a Major.
During my tenure with the Marine Corps, I had some truly diverse positions, both during peacetime as well as wartime. And in each position, the two things I learned most was the importance of mission accomplishment and troop welfare. One must always have a clearly defined mission and the right people around you to succeed. And, this is such a bigger topic, however. It comes down to perseverance, adaptability, acceptance of other ideas, and working towards a common goal.
One of the positions I held was as an Aviation Ordnanceman. In fact, I was the first U.S. Marine selected as the Ordnanceman of the Year. I also served as an Air Traffic Control Detachment Commander and led a team of Marines focused on training and readiness for remote ATC operations. As a Facility Watch Officer for ATC Deployment I served in Support of Operation Restore Hope in Somalia, Mogadishu.
Senior Positions
Later, I was selected as a team Member for OAG (Operational Advisory Group) Command and Control Systems planning for future conflicts and events. As is often required in an officer’s career, I was also a Recruiting Station Operations Officer, Executive Officer and on a second recruiting tour, the Western Region Operations Officer.
After my recruiting tour, I became the Air Traffic Control Facility Officer at MCAS Miramar and served as the COMCABWEST Operations Officer for Airfield Inspection and Licensure as a dual role.
All military veterans have memorable events that occurred during their careers. Mine was participating in Operation Restore Hope. Operation Restore Hope was a combat mission.
“I’m Not in Kansas Anymore”
Leaving the U.S. for the first time to an unknown part of the world, Somalia, only a few weeks from Christmas, was quite memorable. As one of the senior officers, I was responsible for the well-being of 39 fellow Marines and most of the deployment equipment. Delays in Dover, Delaware, coupled with landings in several other countries enroute and then landing at Mogadishu in the early hours was dynamic.
What made it more dynamic was that later that morning, less than 72 hours after leaving my family at home, I was in a Humvee with several other Marines headed to the former U.S. Embassy compound when a “Technical” vehicle pulled in front of us.
We were in the basic, un-armored Humvee and there we were, staring down a mounted machine gun in the back of some tribe’s Nissan pick-up. That was really my, “I’m not in Kansas anymore, am I?!” moment. The Rules Of Engagement at the time did not allow any action and as we approached the embassy compound, the technical turned off the main road and we went our own way.
Beginning with Auction.com
When I retired in 2005 as a Major, I went looking for a job that could utilize my military lessons and skills. I obtained my start at Auction.com largely on the faith of one of my military peers, Walter Skrzynski.
Walter told me to go see him after my retirement before I accepted any other position. As it turned out, Walter, who had retired nearly a year earlier, had been in a key position at the original company that eventually founded Auction.com.
I recall going in to meet with Walter and the CEO, Jeff Frieden, and within 5 minutes, based largely off Walter’s recommendation and Jeff’s faith in the work ethic of U. S. Marines, I had an offer.
I also recall that the next 55 minutes were spent with Jeff telling Walter how I would not be working for him, but on the auction side of the company at the time. My first year with the Company we conducted 18 auctions; we did 15,500 auctions last year; and in total over 85,000 auctions in my time with the Company.
I am currently the SVP of Live Auctions. I lead a team of approximately 400 associate members with the goal of bringing buyers and sellers together through the auction sales model pioneered by Jeff Frieden and Rob Freidman, our original founders. Foundationally, I have the responsibility to ensure that all my team members are executing auctions within the
applicable compliance standards. However, beyond that we are a sales team. My goals with the company are to expand our technology resources and grow our overall presence as the nation’s leading foreclosure auction company through data-driven, customer-focused resources.
Finally, in real estate, there are multiple aspects of a process in flight at any one time. My ATC background really helps me understand how to prioritize and manage multiple tasks while never losing site of the goal. And while being deployed to such far away distant places such as Okinawa, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Kuwait, I realized that the lifestyle we have in the United States is something that I will always appreciate. It is from these past events that I passionately believe that our country, the U.S.A., is the best place to live.
