 and Blaine Huston (right).jpg)
Three auctioneers from Gladstone Auction Mart walked away with major accolades at the 2025 Canadian Livestock Auctioneering Championships, held May 9 at Heartland Livestock Services in Virden, Manitoba.
The event brought together 39 of the best auctioneers from across Canada as part of the Livestock Markets Association of Canada’s annual convention.
Tyler Slawinski earns Reserve Champion title
Tyler Slawinski, head auctioneer at Gladstone Auction Mart and longtime competitor, placed as Reserve Champion—his best finish yet after more than a decade of competing.
“That’s probably my favourite convention that we’ve had,” Slawinski says. “I placed probably the highest that I’ve ranked in the past thirteen years that I’ve attended.”
“It was very, very much more comforting that it was on home ice this year,” he adds. “Being right here in Manitoba…it was a lot more familiar for me to be able to conduct my sale in front of the buyers that I saw through every week.”
“You really got to make sure you bring your A game,” he continues. “It’s Canada’s best at work here.”
Blaine Huston takes People’s Choice Award
Blaine Huston, manager at Gladstone Auction Mart, was selected by his peers for the People’s Choice Award—an honour voted on by fellow auctioneers for leadership, professionalism, and support.
“We have such a great crew here,” Huston remarks. “When you can have all three of us go to a contest like that and be recognized that way, it’s just amazing.”
Josh Unrau places top five in interview
Josh Unrau, who has been with Gladstone Auction Mart for just over three years, placed in the top five in the interview portion of the competition. The interview tests each auctioneer’s industry knowledge and public speaking ability—key qualities for representing the livestock auction profession.
“It’s a neat experience,” Unrau notes. “There’s a lot of good auctioneers there and you kind of get to compete with some of the best.”
“It’s kind of neat that you can kind of do that kind of thing with people you work with every day and to be well represented,” he continues.
“I practiced a lot in my tractor driving up and down the field, cutting hay or whatever,” Unrau says. “You’d sell fence posts or, you know, just a lot of practice.”
Team effort leads to national recognition
All three auctioneers credit their teamwork and daily collaboration for helping them succeed at the national level.
“We work as a team at the market and we kind of we stick together when we’re out competing as well,” Slawinski says. “We try to give each other constructive criticism and just try to help one another out, as we always do.”
“It just makes it even better,” Huston remarks. “I’m just so proud of the other two and the runs that they have at the contest.”
With the 2025 championships now wrapped, the trio from Gladstone is already looking ahead to next year’s competition, determined to keep building on their success.
- with files from Jared Thiessen