the nation’s leading auction company

In 1976

Conrad Kraft founded Kraft Auction Service to follow his dreams of being an auctioneer. Growing up going to local sale barns, Conrad was intrigued by being an auctioneer and went to Missouri Auction School. Conrad came back to start his business with the help of his family, and since 1976 has been a locally owned family business.

Early 1980s

As with all family businesses, it takes the whole family to get it off the ground and running, and Conrad was fortunate to have his family at his back to make the auction a success. Conrad's sister, Mary, was the lead cashier, Conrad's Wife, Tammy would clerk and run concessions; Mary's husbands, Phil, would help cashier and Conrad's mom, Mary Kraft, ever proud of her son and the growing business made sure to support the marketing end. Fun Fact - Mary Govert maintained her position as the lead cashier for 40+ Years and finally convinced Jonathan to let her retire from the role in 2020!!

Late 1980s

Conrad and Tammy Kraft built a business on hard work and honesty to their clients, and because of that the business grew and they started to conduct auctions for many people in the community. Hardly a Saturday went by without an auction! There was no client too big or too small for them, and they made sure to do all they could to get the most for their clients in the end. We still get calls today from people that worked with Conrad and Tammy in the 1980's!!

Early 1990s

Along comes Jonathan, a little boy who loved auctions that would grow the business beyond anything Tammy and Conrad had ever imagined. As soon as he was able, Jonathan started to help with the business - working the ring, running "sheets" (believe or not before we clerked on the computer, a clerk hand wrote EVERY item in the sale!!), talking to customers, and cashiering. Jonathan's favorite job was when he got to sell the last item of the sale on his own, a tradition he carries on today with his two boys, Jack and Hardee.

Early 2000s

Being active in the community was important for Conrad and Tammy from the beginning. They loved to take the auction topper and participate in local parades. Conrad has been passionate about the Lake County Fair and 4H and volunteered his time to sell at 4H sales in the area. Conrad instilled this passion in his son and Jonathan and his dad will volunteer their time to sell at any 4H auction to which they can make it.

2005

As soon as he turned 18, Jonathan headed to Iowa to get his auction license from the Worldwide College of Auctioneering so he could follow in the footsteps of his dad! When in auction school, Jonathan honed his "chant", built his network and came home full of ideas on how he could grow the business.

2006

One of the ideas that Jonathan came home from Auction school with was to start the "Anniversary Sale". In 2006, Kraft Auction held their first anniversary sale. This first sale was held at Promenade Hall in Merrillville, IN. The sale totaled $65,000 with the highlight item being a pair of sandwich glass tulip that brought $18,700 - which is still one of the most expensive pieces of glass we have ever sold! The Anniversary Sale has become a tradition at Kraft Auction Service, and has grown from a one day sale to 10 days over 3 weekends! First anniversary sale the 30th anniversary.

2007

Jonathan made the trip to the National Auctioneer Association convention as a young, newly licensed Auctioneer. In this first year, Jonathan won Runner-Up in the International Junior Auction Competition. Joining the NAA and winning runner-up opened up many opportunities for Jonathan including getting to sell for Ritchie Brothers, working for Kruse International, and selling equipment in the Philippines for Asia International Auctioneers.

2008

Pretty quick, Jonathan started to make a splash in the Auction business. In 2008, he was fortunate to be named Michigan Champion Auctioneer. As part of his winnings, he got a belt buckle that he still wears to this day!

2010

After winning Champion Auctioneer in Michigan, Jonathan's next target was to be Champion in his home state of Indiana. After getting runner up twice, he claimed the big prize for the Hoosier State in 2010 and was named Champion Indiana Auctioneer.

2015

After winning Champion Auctioneer, Jonathan switched his focus to leadership and was elected President of the Indiana Auctioneer Association in 2015. This was a special year as Jonathan's son Jack was a year old and got to participate in the Indiana Auctioneer Association Convention. As the president, Jonathan had the honor of giving the President's Award to an auctioneer who represents the core values of the Indiana Auctioneer Association and he chose to give the award to his father Conrad. It was a special night for three generations of Kraft Auctioneers!

2016

After conducting auctions primarily in Lake County, Indiana for many years, 2016 marked the year Kraft Auctions officially moved to Valparaiso and began conducting auctions at the Porter County Expo Center! Kraft Auctions opened our first official "office" in the apartment attached to the barn at Jonathan's house.

2018

2018 was a landmark year for Kraft Auctions and marked a true turning point in the business. On October 2018, we officially held our first auction in our new home at 48 N 450 E in Valpo. Previous to this we had operated the business out of a small home office and rented spaces. Establishing a physical headquarters quickly became a launching pad for a rapid period of business growth.

2020

2020 was a year of surprising growth and expansion. The Kraft Auction Team's ability to quickly pivot from live to online sales ignited business growth despite the Covid crisis. We started conducting auctions at two new locations - Michigan City and a partnership with the Fisher Family to reinvigorate their longtime equipment auction business in Walkerton Indiana.

2021

Demand for the equipment business grew and we were excited for the opportunity to partner with Tyler Musch to open a new location for equipment auctions in Demotte, Indiana. We conduct a quarterly sale at this location that has grown in size and popularity ever since we started!

2022

Conrad and Jonathan had a long tradition of working with the Fisher family. In 2022, They were proud to purchase the Walkerton Auction facility and build upon the strong foundation started by the Fishers. This location has become a leading equipment auction with quarterly sales topping $12M annually.

2023

As the COVID crisis subsided in 2022, the demand for live auctions returned! Jonathan realized the need to move our very popular online only sales to a new location so we could use the Valparaiso facility for live specialty sales including the Anniversary Auction, bi-annual tractor sales, summer car sales, bi-annual toy sales, and bi-annual gun auctions. We were fortunate to find a fabulous facility in Wanatah, IN that fit the needs of the online only business perfectly.In another big move, Jonathan partnered with former Kosciusko County Sheriff Kyle Dukes to open up a new location in Syracuse, Indiana. This location has quickly become a leader in the area with regular online only, live and real estate auctions.

2024

In 2024, after 18 years of conducting the Anniversary Sale, Jonathan and the entire Kraft Auction team were excited to have a milestone year for the Anniversary sale, breaking $10M in sales for the first time. Furthermore, the team traveled across the United States to meet with sellers and buyers and conducted auctions in 17 states.

Today

Today, Kraft Auctions is proud to serve customers from around the country and around the world. With 7 locations and a team of 60, we are ready to serve customers with any auction need!