Company History

The late Larry W. Benton, Sr., founded Auctions by L W. Benton in Macon, Georgia, in 1995. His father, William I. Benton, who was the owner, operator and auctioneer of the Kite Stockyard in Johnson County, Georgia, introduced Larry to the auction industry at a young age. After leaving the Army, Larry moved to Macon and went to work for a finance company and then WCRY Radio as a sales manager. Five years later, Larry opened the first swimming pool retail/distributing company between Atlanta and Jacksonville, Florida. After 28 years as an entrepreneur, he sold Aquaquip, Inc. to a British company. Unable to sit still in his “retirement”, however, Larry attended the Missouri Auction School in 1995 and soon founded his own auction company. While he was known for his straight-forward and no-nonsense dealings, Larry quickly earned the reputation as a fair and honest businessman in the auction industry.

Larry W. “Bo” Benton Jr., President, began working with his father in 1995, while still living in Athens. A 1998 graduate of the University of Georgia with a degree in Agricultural Economics, Bo went on to attend the Missouri Auction School like his father. In late 2002, Bo moved to Gray, Georgia, to work full time with his father. Just a few months later, Larry lost his bout with cancer and Bo took over the direction of his father’s company. In January of 2004, Bo formed a new corporation, L.W. Benton Company, Inc., a full service Auction and Real Estate Company. Bo is proud to be a third generation auctioneer and is fortunate to have earned the respect of his peers in the auction industry in such a short amount of time. Under his guidance, the company went from conducting 8 auctions in 2003 to 113 auctions in 2012.  The company continues to expand and grow despite today’s economy.

L. W. Benton Company, Inc. specializes in Real Estate, Auto Auctions, Firearm Auctions, Business Liquidation, Government Surplus, and Estate Auctions. The Company conducts auctions at its 18,000 sq.ft. Facility and 5 acre sales yard as well as off-site locations and online only. The Company is located on Hwy 49(Jones County), just 10 miles outside of Downtown Macon.                

In 1998, the company opened its doors to a new era by going online. Through its website at www.bidderone.com, the company provides information on upcoming live auctions. In 2005, L.W. Benton Company started developing online bidding as a part of its auctions. Today all L.W. Benton Company auctions have some form of online bidding.

 Since 1995, the company has conducted a broad range of auctions including real estate, estates, government surplus, automobile, restaurant, firearm, hardware stores, salvage yards, business liquidations, lottery licenses, court ordered and seized assets.

The company has a proven track record of consistently attracting qualified buyers and obtaining maximum results for its clients. The Company has the requisite size and experience to meet the demands of conducting large auctions, yet it is small enough to give unmatched personal service while doing small auctions.

We judge our success by the success of the clients we serve. Our philosophy is solidly based on offering the best services possible. The values of honesty and integrity are the most important characteristics that have made our company successful and help us continue to grow.