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David Ritchie

Founder & Chairman Emeritus, RB Global, Inc.

Search every verified David Ritchie interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote — each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. David Ritchie, co-founder of Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers, has reflected on the company's origins and his career in interviews and award-related appearances. He recounted that the business began in 1958 out of financial necessity, following a suggestion to auction surplus furniture from the family's store in Kelowna, British Columbia. He described the early auction's mixed results, noting that an item purchased for $50 sold for only $5, while a piano expected to fetch $100 sold for $275. Ritchie also discussed the company's later expansion into heavy equipment auctions and its early adoption of the internet in the 1990s, stating that while some considered the investment in online infrastructure risky, it became a foundation for the company's growth, with online sales now accounting for a significant portion of its business. In a 2011 video produced for the Alberta Roadbuilders and Heavy Construction Association, Ritchie received the organization's Honorary Lifetime Membership Award. In the video, colleagues and industry figures described him as fair, honest, and generous, with one anecdote recalling him helping shovel wood chips at a rainy auction site in Brisbane. Ritchie himself expressed satisfaction with the company's global standing and credited his success to supportive colleagues, family, and friends, adding that he has had a "wonderful life" and that the company's continued reputation is what matters most to him.

Recent appearances

  • Dave Ritchie

    July 15, 2024 · 📺 Oh Boy Productions

    Loyalty and integrity are two traits synonymous with Mr. Dave Ritchie. Right from the start of his childhood in Kelowna, BC his steadfast ethics instilled the characteristics that would propel him through an amazing career and lead him to the position as one of BC’s top leaders in business. From the first auction Mr. Ritchie and his brothers would conduct to save the family business, O.K. Used Furniture Store, he was viewed as a visionary and a man of fair play in the business world. The success of the first auction in 1958 helped Mr. Ritchie and his brothers recognize an opportunity that wou…

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  • Dave Ritchie and the founding of Ritchie Bros.

    November 30, 2011 · 📺 Ritchie Bros.

    Find out more about Dave Ritchie and the founding of Ritchie Bros. company. Dave Ritchie is the co-founder of Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers (http://www.rbauction.com), the world's largest industrial auctioneer. On November 18, 2011, the Alberta Roadbuilders and Heavy Construction Association (http://www.arhca.ab.ca) presented Mr. Ritchie with the 2011 ARHCA Honorary Lifetime Membership Award for his service to the Alberta construction industry. Credit goes to the ARHCA for creating and allowing this video to be shared. #DaveRitchieandthefoundingofRitchieBros. ▬ Contents of this Video ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬…

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  • David E. Ritchie- 2006 Horatio Alger Award Recipient

    September 17, 2008 · 📺 Horatio Alger Association

    A decorated entrepreneur, David E. Ritchie counsels that "[y]ou will learn that the more you try, the easier it gets. It's a simple philosophy. I believe that when you work hard, you pave the way for luck to find you."

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The summary and quote tags on this profile are produced with AI assistance from verified, first-person interview transcripts, then checked by our team to confirm the speaker's identity and the accuracy of every quote. See how we verify →