Tulare County officially welcomes Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers to the community of Tipton

County Supervisor Peter Vander Poel helps cut Grand Opening ribbon at multi-million dollar auction
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Tuesday, February 16, 2010

TIPTON, CALIFORNIA – Tulare County Supervisor Peter Vander Poel joined CEO Peter Blake, Area Manager Jeremy Martella and a crowd of about 1,300 people at the multi-million dollar Grand Opening auction conducted by Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers (NYSE and TSX: RBA) in Tipton, California last Friday (February 12, 2010). Supervisor Vander Poel helped cut the Grand Opening ribbon to officially open the third Ritchie Bros. auction site in California.

More than 1,800 people from 16 countries, including 26 U.S. states, registered to bid in person or online on almost 1,300 agricultural and industrial items being sold in the auction, which was held on the 65-acre auction site formerly operated by the Martella Auction Company. Ritchie Bros. acquired the agricultural and industrial auctioneer in December 2009.

"On behalf of Tulare County, it is my pleasure to welcome Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers into the community," said Supervisor Vander Poel. "It is great two see two companies of this caliber and that hold similar business values bringing their services to our community."

Peter Blake, Ritchie Bros. CEO, said: "Both of our companies share the same belief in unreserved auctions and putting customers first. Today we celebrate the joining of forces of two great companies that will work together to provide global reach with a local presence for buyers and sellers of agricultural and heavy equipment in Tipton, the County of Tulare and around the world."

Jeremy Martella, Ritchie Bros. Area Manager in Tipton, added: "The community of Tipton and our loyal customers present here today have brought us their business and friendship over the years. Today we honor their commitment as we look into a future of being able to provide them a more global reach with the same commitment and dedication that we have been providing for the past 35 years."

ATTN MEDIA (Photos): Grand Opening ribbon cutting and auction photos are available for you to download at www.rbauction.com/media.

About Ritchie Bros.
Established in 1958, Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers (NYSE and TSX: RBA) is the world's largest industrial auctioneer, selling more equipment to on-site and online bidders than any other company in the world. The Company has over 110 locations in more than 25 countries, including 40 auction sites worldwide. Ritchie Bros. sells, through unreserved public auctions, a broad range of used and unused industrial assets, including equipment, trucks and other assets utilized in the construction, transportation, agricultural, material handling, mining, forestry, petroleum and marine industries. The Company maintains a web site at www.rbauction.com and sponsors an equipment wiki at www.RitchieWiki.com.

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For more information contact:
Vicki Cunningham, Corporate Communications Specialist, Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers
Phone: +1.604.329.7663 or email vcunningham@rbauction.com
or
Jeremy Martella, Area Manager, Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers
Tipton auction site tel: +1.559.752.3343