Although Bill Freeman currently resides in Visalia, California, he is definitely a Pacific Northwest man.
He was born and raised in Baker, Oregon and he is the President of Boise, Idaho-based Internet-based livestock marketer CattleSale.com.
Freeman has been in the cattle industry for 25 years. The idea to launch the Internet company was that of his nephew.
“I believe that the company will stand the test of time. It is just a way to do what I have always been doing…a bit faster,” says Freeman.
“It’s not brain surgery. In stead of chipping away with a tack hammer…we are now using a five pound sledge.”
The site (www.CattleSale.com) features everything from a real-time bidding system and the latest info from the Chicago Board of Exchage to pics. Yes…pics of cows.
Freeman claims that he doesnt even know how to send an email…but is quite confident in how he is running the company. In fact, under Freeman’s leadership, CattleSale.com is taking its online herd into 2001 with a record month, and 2000 gross revenues of $62.5 million.
December was CattleSale.com’s best month to date with online sales of over 14,000 head of cattle for a gross value in excess of $8.8 million. This surpassed CattleSale.com’s 2000 monthly sales average by 53 percent. CattleSale.com recorded exclusive online sales in excess of 119,000 cattle in the year 2000.
“The acceptance that we have received from the major participants in our vertical market has been outstanding. Both buyers and sellers recognize that CattleSale.com is a tool to improve their business. The future is promising.”
Freeman is in no rush to meet up with the Venture Capitalists and ‘Cattlelysts’. But when the right time comes…don’t expect him to put on a suit and tie. Although his employees back in Boise follow the same dress code as any typical Internet company, Freeman wears jeans and a cowboy hat and goes horseback riding everyday.
