Like most of you, over the years I have worked at a variety of jobs. At an early age I worked as a carpenter’s clean up boy, moved up (or down) to irrigating for a farmer, then found what I thought was my true calling as a ranch hand/ cowboy. An odd twist of that job landed me a job at a livestock auction. I was 14 years old and totally hooked by the excitement of the sale barn business. It became my passion.

My career started on the very lowest end of the business, sorting, feeding, chopping ice and driving cattle into the sale ring. A little twelve year diversion of college and a...