About

Matt McGaffee

Matt McGaffee was born in Richlands, VA. His family was involved in the coal mining industry in VA, KY and WV, and he developed a love for heavy equipment and trucks as a child.

Matt attended Western Piedmont College in Morganton, NC and worked his first job operating a wheel loader at a rock quarry. His first sales job was with Rish Equipment, a Komatsu Construction Equipment Dealer in West Virginia from 2001-2006, where he was one of the market share sale leaders for the entire company.
In 2006, Matt started his own companies, CLM Transport and Mountain Excavating in Richlands, VA and focused on mine reclamation, sitework and coal hauling.

In 2012, Matt followed his passion for heavy equipment and joined Martin and Martin Auctioneers in South Carolina, where he was the General Manager overseeing a staff of 15 and exceeded $40 million annually in auction sales. During this time, he was named top auction salesmen in the industry.

In 2018, Matt had the itch once again to own his own company – one built on integrity, honesty and market expertise. He relied on his years of knowledge and experience in heavy equipment sales/auctions and building customer relationships mindset, and he reached out to his good friends Mike Finley and Ross McMillan to form Iron Auction Group, which specializes in unreserved industrial auctions with a focus on the mining, sitework, forestry and agriculture industries. With its customer-focused core values and results-driven partners being the backbone of the company, Iron Auction Group has quickly become one of the leading auction companies in the United States with locations in St. George, SC, Charlotte, NC and Princeton, WV.

Matt’s gregarious and welcoming personality allows him to connect with customers, which is key in achieving his goals of being the best unreserved auction company in the business and treating customers like they are family.
Matt’s hobbies include following college football, especially his favorite team, the Tennessee Volunteers. He lives in Bristol, TN with his wife, Connie and son, Tye.

Mike Finley

Mike Finley grew up in a large family in Cincinnati, Ohio. He received his Bachelor of Business Administration from Xavier University in 1993 and his Master’s from Ohio University in 1995. His business career began working for the Atlanta Committee of the Olympic Games.

In 1997, Mike went to work for Gruner & Jahr USA Publishing in the sports marketing division. He helped manage the in and out operations of professional tennis and golf properties, including the WTA Family Circle Cup. In 2001, Mike spearheaded the move to Charleston, SC and oversaw the construction of the Family Circle Tennis Center and Stadium on Daniel Island. He developed the concert division of Gruner & Jahr and promoted a variety of top-level national entertainers. His accolades include helping start the Hootie and the Blowfish Homegrown concert series in the Carolinas.

In 2004, Mike ascended to the position of Tournament Director for the Family Circle Cup and General Manager of Family Circle Tennis Center, overseeing all aspects of the business, including successfully hosting the Davis Cup. That same year, the Charleston Business Journal named Mike one of the top “Forty Under 40” individuals in South Carolina.

Fueled by his continued success and entrepreneurial spirit, Mike launched Finley and Associates in 2006. Finley and Associates’ business strategy focused on the buying and selling of global construction equipment. His company flourished and managed projects for a number of construction equipment dealers in the US and abroad. He was responsible for selling and exporting equipment to over 50 countries worldwide.
Mike joined his good friend Ross McMillan Jr. in 2013 to launch 4M Iron Equipment Company, in Charleston, SC, one of the largest used equipment dealers in the Carolinas specializing in construction equipment, heavy duty trucks and trailers.

In 2018, seeing a niche in the industry for asset disposals, Mike helped form Iron Auction Group, which specializes in unreserved industrial auctions with a focus on the mining, sitework, forestry and agriculture industries. With its customer-focused core values and results-driven partners being the backbone of the company, Iron Auction Group has quickly become one of the leading auction companies in the United States with locations in St. George, SC, Charlotte, NC and Princeton, WV.

Mike plays a key role in the company’s success with his dedication to hard work, teamwork mentality and commitment to establishing lifelong business relationships with customers.

Currently, Mike lives Charleston, SC with his wife Katie and their four children – Helena, Elle, Declan and Vaughn. In his free time, he enjoys spending time with his family and coaching youth sports teams.

Ross McMillan

Ross McMillan, Jr. grew up on a farm in Allendale, SC. He was surrounded by all types of machinery and learned how to operate them at an early age. His father owned a John Deere and Massey Ferguson Agriculture Equipment dealership in the South Carolina Lowcountry.

After graduating from the University of South Carolina in 1997 with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Ross started his career with Mitchell Distributing Company, a Komatsu Construction Equipment Dealer for South Carolina and North Carolina. He spent two years as an assistant sales manager growing the bottom line and working with regional salesmen and clients to improve margins. With his success in sales, Ross was given a promotion to rental manager at Mitchell Rentals, a subsidiary of Mitchell Distributing in Columbia, SC.

In 2001, Ross transferred to the John Deere construction equipment dealer, Van Lott. With Van Lott, Ross managed a sales team in four upstate South Carolina counties. During his time at Van Lott, with his experience and knowledge, he consistently finished near the top 5% of sales volume within the entire company.

In 2007, Ross moved on to Martin and Martin Auctioneers to manage the sales team over a multi-state territory.

He again performed as the top producer for Martin and Martin for over a decade.

Using his extensive background and sales/management experience in the equipment industry, in 2013, Ross joined his good friend Mike Finley to help found 4M Iron Equipment Company in Charleston, SC, one of the largest used equipment dealers in the Carolinas specializing in construction equipment, heavy duty trucks and trailers.

In 2018, Ross ventured back into the auction business to help form Iron Auction Group, specializing in unreserved industrial auctions with a focus on the mining, sitework, forestry and agriculture industries. With its customer-focused core values and results-driven partners being the backbone of the company, Iron Auction Group has quickly become one of the leading auction companies in the United States with locations in St. George, SC, Charlotte, NC and Princeton, WV.

Ross truly embodies the motto, “your trusted equipment partner” and has led the company to record sales. He approaches business with professionalism, integrity and hard work.
Ross currently lives in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina with his wife Brantli and two sons, Ross III and Dalton. His hobbies include fishing, hunting and coaching his children.

Sam Ingram

Terry McGaffee

Larry Toto

Wayne Riffe

Joel Wingate

Candi Ashy

Meg Parkman

Kelli Gilbert