The Original Handshake Man
By Lee Pitts

Click here to read Lee's monthly columns:
"The Auction Advocate" and "It's The Pitts"

        Travel the rural roads of the west and you'll no doubt hear the 
stories. One of the most widely circulated being about the time our hero of
this story jumped through all the hoops to get a load of butcher cows
consigned to his auction sale. The cattle were promised and promoted but on
sale day the slaughter run came and went without any sign of the truck
delivering the cows. Too bad too, for it was a good sale. 
      As the feeder run was about to commence here came the load of slaughter
cows. But much to the chagrin of the auction operator the cow buyers had
already vacated the sale pavilion. Thinking fast, our protagonist announced
that the feeder sale would be a little late in starting. Then he flew out the
door, got in his well worn car and started up the freeway speeding past
Porsches and even logging trucks. He knew by habit where his cow buyers were
headed. 
        The first buyer was caught simply with blinking lights, blaring horn
and a "slight" bump on the bumper. But the second buyer was tougher to "turn"
and had to actually be forced off the road into a ditch bank before being
"persuaded" to return to the sale. By daring driving and dialing on his
cellular our man was able to round up enough competition so that the cows
eventually brought the "promised" price. 
       This is just one of many stories about this person's dedication to his
customers. A man, people in these parts, speak of in the hushed, reverent
tones usually reserved for pastors, priests and padres. The man they refer to
is Ellington Peek and the shrine where they worship is the Shasta Livestock
Auction. 
        Whatever a legend is supposed to look like, Ellington Peek definitely
does NOT resemble one. In fact, after you've heard the stories you might be a
little disappointed upon first inspection. He's the man standing in the sale
ring to the right of the auctioneer, looking like a hired hand. He's probably
wearing a ball cap, his shirt tail is hanging out, his Levis look like they
might fall down to his scuffed boots at any minute and he's probably begging
bidders to give a dime for a cow of questionable character. 
       "This is Ellington Peek?" you ask. "The best friend a cattlemen ever
had?"
       But after watching him work his magic for an afternoon you'll see what
others long ago saw in him. A well worn, likable man who loves cows and
people and every combination thereof. In studying Ellington Peek you'll see a
simple man with a simple secret. His magic is that he is one of us...only
better.
         Ellington shows us that important people didn't have to be pompous
and arrogant. 
      He is living proof that the expression you wear is much more important
than the clothes you wear. 
      Ellington Peek reminds us that successful people don't have to be hard
nosed, cruel and preoccupied with their net worth.....they can also be nice
and fun loving.
       By his actions Ellington gives us all hope that we too, can survive in
this tough business without sacrificing our family, our sense of values or
our character. 
       Ellington Peek is simply an uncomplicated man who runs an auction
yard. To some who don't know any better, this might seem like making a big
deal about someone just making a living like the rest of us. Nice, but
wouldn't it be more fitting to record in print the deed's of a charitable
benefactor, of a person who influenced many lives, left a lasting impact or
made a community a better place to live?
      Yes, it would. And thus begins our story. 
      In a tough, competitive business Ellington Peek is a rarity.... a
market man with a heart. And, please understand, having a big heart is not
one of the mandatory requirements for being in this business. In the hard
nosed world of competitive livestock marketing the measure of a man is not
what your friends say in print but what your competitors say about you behind
your back. Mention Ellington's name to his competitors and they'll probably
smile and offer a kind word.  
      It is difficult to put a finger on Ellington's secret to success. It is
certainly not his fancy clothes or his eloquent vocabulary. Ellington simply
has an indefinable gift. He can walk into a room where he knows no one and
within twenty minutes he'll be swapping stories and cattle. If they own any
he'll be trying to buy them and if they don't he'll be trying to sell them
some. He's been known to walk on an airplane or into a restaurant and within
minutes be speaking to the people on a first name basis. He's been observed
buying a round of ice cream cones for the hired help. When he leaves a room
people are genuinely sad to see him go.  Ellington would have made a great
 politician if he weren't so honest and hard working.
       A little pedigree work is probably necessary at this juncture.
 Ellington was born in 1928 in Stockton, California, and was an athlete of
local renown. He attended college at Oregon State and the College of the
Sequoias and served his country in Korea. The livestock marketing business
was in his blood. He started out in the business following his father,
Ellington Sr. who was an order buyer. Interestingly, his grandfather had been
a gold miner, although Ellington will assure you, the two occupations don't have
anything in common.
       With a $3,000 loan Ellington started in the auction business at
Anderson, California. After leasing the sale barn there for three years he
built the Shasta Livestock Auction in 1966 with the help from a few of his
friends and customers. He could not have picked a better spot. There is just
something in the water that produces good cattle and people. Shasta Livestock
Auction became a mecca of sorts on Friday where the livestock industry came
to hobnob. It became a cultural center as well as a marketing one. The buyers
came to buy the large  runs of Mountain cattle in the Fall and the Sacramento
Valley grass cattle in the spring. Under Ellington's tutelage Shasta became
the largest volume livestock auction west of the Rocky Mountains. It's not
unusual for Ellington and his friendly staff to handle 150,000 cattle a year
through the yards and at least that many in the country. In his  35 years of
creating competitive marketing opportunities Ellington has  merchandised well
over three billion dollars worth of cattle and has truly become of the
livestock market industry superstars.
      But don't be misled by mention of the almighty dollar. Although he can
write a check for millions Ellington never was about money. He's made several
fortunes in his life, making them in the good times and giving them back in
the bad.  Paul Engler once said that in the cattle business your net worth is
determined only by what stage of the cattle cycle you are currently in. He
must have been thinking of Ellington when he said it. 
      In the trail driving days they referred to an  honest man as a
 "handshake man." Again, they were probably referring to Ellington Peek. A
few years back Ellington got into a fray with the P & S over the way he did
business. Don't get nervous...no one ever was cheated out a dime dealing with
Ellington. It was just the way he did business. He still used drafts and his
customers knew they were as solid as the dollar...probably more so. But the P
& S said you could no longer operate on the basis of just a man's word.
Obviously, they didn't know Ellington Peek. Eventually the P & S levied a
heavy fine and threatened to shut down Shasta for a few weeks. But the P & S
also underestimated the loyalty of Ellington's customers who,  without being
asked, paid the fine and raised such a ruckus the P & S backed off. That says
more about the love and respect people have for Ellington than anything.
Somebody said at the time that you could trust him with your wallet and your
wife.
       Ellington has always been appreciative of the people who helped him
along the way. Giving back is what he is about. His heart is full of sadness
when he disperses another old friend and he bubbles over with joy when their
cattle bring three cents over the market. He has stood on principle on many
occasions when it could have cost him his business and his career. That is
why people love Ellington Peek. That is indeed the magic of the man.
      There is a lot of talk today about moving forward in this business of
ours into the 21st century. We are urged to follow the packers and the
academics but Ellington's customers would rather follow him into the future.
Just as he did early in his career when the terminal markets were popular and
people were reluctant to go to the auction with their cattle, Ellington
convinced them to sell and buy to the sound of an auctioneer. He is still
helping  revolutionize livestock marketing with video cattle auctions. In
1990, along with John Rodgers, they started  Western Video Market in an
effort to expose their customer's cattle to an even wider buying crowd. Now
the second largest video livestock marketing company in the country, Western
Video Market has has been a phenomenal success, marketing hundreds of
thousands of cattle annually.
        It's been said the best place to find a helping hand is at the end of
your own arm  but in the west the best place to find a helping hand has
always been Shasta Livestock Auction. Just ask Water for Life, Range Magazine
or nearly anyone who needed a little assistance so they in turn could help us
all. Shasta has sponsored a Little League team for over 30 years, donated
$10,000 to the Redding YMCA, contributed to the Cottonwood Community Center
and has purchased numerous FFA and 4-H animals at county fairs. For years the
special sales conducted by Shasta have contributed hundreds of thousands of
dollars to county cattlemen's associations, in many cases providing the major
funding for their year. 
       Ellington has been recognized for this generosity by being honored as
The California Chamber of Commerce Livestock Man of the Year, the Western
Heritage Award, 1986 Tehama County Farm Bureau Businessman of the Year, 1972
Tehama County Cattleman of the Year and the 1980 Tehama Cowbelles Father of
the Year. Groups as diverse as the Pork Producers and Little League have
recognized Ellington's contributions. 
       Ask Ellington and he'll tell you it's not the money or the plaques you
collect in life that matter most but your family and friends. In both cases
Ellington is wealthy beyond dreams. Three generations of cattlemen have
trusted Ellington to bring home their one big paycheck of the year. And
Ellington has been blessed with a wonderful family that includes wife, Betty,
and their children Andy, Callie, Laurie and Brad. To the Peek family it must
have seemed at times that the money went out almost as fast as it came in
when Ellington gave too much for some cattle to a family that needed it or
wrote a big check for a good cause. 
       Perhaps Ellington's most lasting contribution has been his dedication
to keep competitive livestock marketing alive. There's been a lot of "tickle
talk" about "value based marketing" lately but Ellington Peek practices it
every  Friday at Shasta.  He has traveled the country buying cattle and
representing his customer's best interests. After one such trip to a
cattleman's convention  Ellington was standing in the baggage area at the
airport with a group of his customers and friends when his well worn suitcase
came down the ramp. It was broken, missing a handle and came on the carousel
in a cardboard box provided by the airline. The suitcase was not an Armani or
Louis Vuitton but the man who carried it quietly proves every day that real
"class" is not measured by the brand on your cowhide luggage. Ellington Peek
is living proof that nice guys really do finish first. That courage and
 character count more than coin. That family matters and loyal friends are a
lasting legacy.  
      Ellington was not embarrassed in the least about his luggage publicly
falling apart that day. Instead he grabbed that box, laughed at himself,
gathered up his things and went back to work. No doubt the next day you could
see him at the Shasta sale doing his usual thing. Oh yes, he was the one with
the shirt tail hanging out, the mud on his boots and the smile on his face
attempting to coax another dime from a buyer for a cow well past her prime.