About Us
Ivan Walker – Founder
Frank & Jennifer Walker
In 1978, a long-time farmer and cattle dealer, Ivan Walker, and his son, Frank, started an auction business with the help of a good friend and great auctioneer, Pete Robinson, at our current retail facility on County Highway 21 in Franklin, New York. Ivan remained active in the business until his death in 2001.
Although Ivan and Pete have both passed away, they are still fondly remembered to this day by customers, friends, and family. Folks still remember Ivan blowing the horn on the auction truck and shouting, “Are we having an auction today?” to get the auction started. Frank and his wife Jennifer still run the business with the same old-fashioned values that Ivan and Pete believed in.
Frank became active in the business after graduation from Franklin Central School. Back then, he farmed and dealt cattle and equipment on a daily basis. Frank graduated from Missouri Auction School in 1985. In 1990, the Walkers purchased the Luther Livestock Auction in Central Bridge, New York, which was renamed Frank Walker Livestock. The livestock market thrived, and equipment auctions were still held on a monthly basis in Franklin. In 2001, Frank and Jennifer returned to Franklin after selling the livestock market to Empire Livestock. Once again, Frank farmed, dealt cattle and equipment, and held bi-monthly auctions at the yard. In 2003, Catskill Tractor, a CaseIH and Massey Ferguson dealership, was acquired in the village of Franklin. The equipment auctions were then moved and consolidated into the Catskill Tractor operation. Frank sold Catskill Tractor to White’s Farm Supply in 2013 and returned to the home farm, concentrating on the used farm equipment business.
In 2020, Frank and Jennifer purchased the former Susquehanna Stables property on River Road in Unadilla and began expanding the auction portion of the business by adding online bidding and utilizing the indoor arena. This new, convenient location proved to be a huge asset, and the retail portion of the business was moved to Unadilla during the summer of 2022
A solid, long-term strategy was created when Don Garrison joined the company in 2016. Don grew up on his family’s dairy farm in Davenport where his brother still farms today. After graduating from high school, Don went to work at Cole Truck Parts for several years. He then drove truck before returning home and going to work at Catskill Tractor. Don was an honest, motivated employee that showed an interest in having a stake in the business. Today, he is a partner in Frank Walker, Inc. His background, knowledge, and dedication make him a key player in the future growth of the company.
The used farm equipment business has modernized considerably since the 70s. Computers, the internet, cell phones, credit card machines, and email have all played a role in improving the process. All in all, product knowledge, honesty, and working hard for a fair market value are still paramount to our success, as they always were to Ivan and Pete. We feel strongly that these values should be of significant importance to both buyers and sellers in the marketplace of today.
Don Garrison
