Get FinancingAuction & Realty Company Kiko Auctioneers Sees Quick Success, Future Growth With Sandhills
There’s a variation of a well-known saying that goes: “The family that works together stays together.” This sentiment holds true at Kiko Auctioneers (KikoAuctions.com), an auction and real estate company based in Canton, Ohio.
Russ and Coletta Kiko founded the company in 1945, when they began running sales on their family farm. Still family-owned and now five generations strong, Kiko Auctioneers offers over 1,100 years of collective experience through a team of over 60 licensed auctioneers and realtors who conduct more than 1,000 auctions annually.
According to auctioneer and realtor Pete Kiko, Jr., the company’s first fourth-generation family member, the company sold approximately $220 million in real estate and $30 million in equipment in 2025.
Iron Sharpens Iron
In addition to its Canton headquarters, Kiko Auctioneers operates branch offices in Louisville and Robertsville, Ohio, as well as in Dalton, Ohio, where its Wayne County branch handles consignment auctions. The company also specializes in farmland and residential property auctions, providing a full suite of services that includes clerking, labor, setup, marketing, real estate closings, and digital and IT support.
Pete Kiko, Jr., attributes much of the company’s longevity and success to the core values his great-grandfather established: integrity, collaboration, and caring.
“Working with family members is a huge blessing and source of accountability,” he says. “My name is on the sign, along with 27 other family-member owners. We all hold each other accountable to the values my great-grandfather built the business on. Iron sharpens iron.”
Pete points to the company’s 2025 decision to join forces with Sandhills Global as an extension of those values. “Collaborating with Sandhills, AuctionTime, Equipmentfacts, TractorHouse, and Controller has equated to results for our clients,” he says.
A Partnership Takes Flight
Kiko Auctioneers’ first collaboration with Sandhills was highly successful. In 2025, at the request of a charter aircraft company owner, Kiko Auctioneers evaluated six Cessna Citation and Embraer business jets the owner was considering selling at auction. The company’s initial projections totaled $9.5 million.
In trying to determine how best to market and sell the aircraft, Pete says, “We asked ourselves, ‘What is the best avenue? Where should we advertise? How do we want to promote this? All roads kept leading back to Sandhills, Equipmentfacts, and Controller, along with our own processes.”
In April of that year, Kiko Auctioneers conducted a live sale at Akron-Canton Airport, using Equipmentfacts to allow bidders worldwide to view a simulcast and place real-time online bids. The strategy paid off, as the aircraft ultimately sold for $11.2 million.
A Huge Success
Leading up to that sale, Kiko Auctioneers ran print ads in Executive Controller magazine, a banner ad on Controller.com, and targeted email blasts to Controller’s distribution marketing list. Aircraft listings on Equipmentfacts.com and Controller.com generated nearly 1.7 million views and 50 click-to-call inquiries. On auction day, 118 unique Equipmentfacts bidders placed 172 total bids.
From contract signing to seller payment, the entire process took just five weeks. “Not many companies could pull that off,” Pete says. “It was a huge success. A lot of credit goes to our process and Sandhills’ products.”
Pete also highlights the professionalism and work ethic of Sandhills Sales Rep Ryan Rust. “That auction sparked a great partnership,” he says. “The Equipmentfacts simulcast was smooth and easy, and Controller and Executive Controller gave us the reach we needed. Both of our companies realized we needed to learn more about each other after that huge success.”
Email Blasts Deliver Results
Since the initial collaboration, the two companies have visited each other’s headquarters in Ohio and Nebraska. Kiko Auctioneers has also continued to see strong results using Sandhills’ platforms. This includes a standalone online-only sale on AuctionTime.com featuring Ford and International dump trucks and a farm equipment consignment package promoted through an email blast delivered to members of the TractorHouse marketing list.
Initially skeptical of email blasts, Pete now views them as a valuable tool, noting that “as soon as an email blast goes out, my phone starts ringing. The results changed my mind. If there’s room in the budget, I’ll use it.”
Positioned For Growth
Looking ahead, Pete sees strong growth potential for both Kiko Auctioneers and Sandhills Global, citing both Sandhills’ “phenomenal” platforms and the dedication of employees like Rust.
“Ryan is someone who will do anything he can to ensure his clients and the people he’s working with are taken care of,” Pete says. “He’ll roll up his sleeves and get in the trenches with you. In today’s business world, that’s what it takes. To me, that’s a recipe for business moving forward.”
A version of this article first appeared in Sandhills Magazine. You can find current and back issues in the Sandhills Magazine Archive.