Elwin Swartz "Bud" Van Berg was born and raised near Aurora, Nebraska. The Van Berg family was in the auction business, with the first sale barn in Columbus, Neb., and the second in Sterling. Bud and his family moved to Sterling to manage the Sterling Livestock Commission in 1958. Since that time, Bud has become the "go-to guy" for area benefit auctions, including junior livestock sales, FFA chapter events, the American Red Cross, the Hospice Foundation the Northeastern Junior College Foundation, and many others.