Richard F. Kruse is the President of Columbus, Ohio based Gryphon USA, Ltd., the parent company of United Country Ohio Realty & Auction Group.

Since 1996 Mr. Kruse has acted in the capacity of an asset purchaser in multiple local and nationally scoped bankruptcy cases, represented the interests of borrowers and creditors as liquidating agent, wind down advisor, broker, property manager and auctioneer as well as held engagements as court-appointed receiver in both liquidating and operating scenarios.

He specializes in high value residential assets, commercial sales, distressed / troubled properties and auction transactions.

Mr. Kruse has been involved in transactional business since 1989 as an investor in residential, commercial and land development projects and has been a licensed real estate sales agent in multiple states for almost 15 years.

He holds auctioneer licenses in Ohio and other states and has received designations as an appraiser with focus on commercial equipment. In previous employment, he was responsible for multi location and multi state asset acquisition and resale analysis.

Mr. Kruse is a member of National and Ohio Associations of Realtors, National Auctioneers Association, American Bankruptcy Institute and Turnaround Management Association, where he formerly sat on the board of the Ohio Chapter. He has been a speaker at the National Auctioneers Association, Columbus Bankruptcy Bar Association and Alexandria Bankruptcy Bar Association, has been an instructor for the Lorman Education Institute and is a graduate of the 2005 - 2006 Leadership Columbus Program.

Melissa M. Kruse is a co-founder and partner of Columbus, Ohio based Gryphon USA, Ltd., the parent company of United Country Ohio Realty & Auction Group.

Mrs. Kruse oversees the daily operations of the company, taking the lead on managing Gryphon’s office operations, financials, marketing and business outreach. Before founding Gryphon, Mrs. Kruse was a White House aide, focusing on international presentation of US policy to domestic and foreign government officials, trade negotiations and international business outreach to US and foreign corporations, as well as media and public relations coordination for various White House departments.

Mrs. Kruse applies her expertise in negotiation and networking to Gryphon’s corporate restructuring and wind down, asset recovery and auctions and real estate services, forging strategic relationships with corporations, creditors, trustees, legal advisors, accountants and consumers to manage and streamline the sale of business assets, real estate and personal property. Mrs. Kruse also directs the evaluation of distressed opportunities and surplus assets, overseeing the execution of acquisition and rehabilitation programs in consumer and commercial real and personal property.

Mrs. Kruse is the former Chair of the Corporate Partnership Committee for the Columbus Jr. League, and participated in the 2004-2005 Leadership Columbus program designed to encourage and promote community activity and expand local leadership growth in Ohio and beyond. She is active in local and national politics.

Mrs. Kruse holds a B.A. in Journalism from Baylor University and is working toward an M.A. with an emphasis in Public Policy from Georgetown University.

Peter D. Gehres, CAI, CES is a first generation auctioneer and Realtor who specializes in selling both personal property and real estate at auction for clients in Ohio and the Midwest. Peter has called at over 500 auctions and has experience with traditional, auction and online property transactions. Gehres is a graduate of The Ohio State University with a Bachelors Degree in Agriculture. Gehres is also a graduate of The Ohio Auction School and Hondros College (Real Estate).Gehres teaches at The Ohio Auction School, Reppert School of Auctioneering, Certified Auctioneers Institute and has spoken at various state and national auctioneer associations. Gehres is the 2010 Michigan State Auctioneering (Bid Calling) Champion as well a member of the Michigan State Auctioneering Association’s Board

Dan Armbruster began his real estate career in 1971 and before joining the Gryphon Organization, worked for several prominent Central Ohio firms including Banning & Pickett, Carey / Falor and Skilken Realty. Dan joined the company in January 2009 to expand the commercial sales department. He has a significant background spanning the commercial sales and leasing spectrum, however over recent years has chosen to focus on retail, restaurant and land development / selection projects. From 1982-1995 Dan operated his own business which built and/or owned a number of restaurant sites and operations including 7 Wendy’s locations in upstate New York. Some of Dan’s past business clients include PPG Industries, Tim Horton’s, GFS Marketplace, Damon’s, Rally’s & Applebee’s Restaurants, Walgreen’s Drug Stores, Monro Muffler & Epcon Properties. He is also a past member of the Dublin Ohio School Board and current member of the Dublin Youth Athletics Board and a Youth Athletics Baseball / Basketball Commissioner.

John Dreiman joined the organization in 2008 and brings a fresh and unique perspective of younger executive’s to the business. He earned a bachelor of arts in Consumer Affairs from the Ohio State University in 2005 and began his real estate career almost immediately.

John specializes in tenant/landlord representation, as well as industrial and office sales. Over the past year, many of his transactions have involved court and bank influenced transactions of office buildings, large flex space and apartment complexes in both low and high income locations.

He was born and raised in Columbus Ohio and put himself through school while working in hotel industry and holding management positions with a variety of local pub’s and eateries.

Anne Arline joined the Gryphon, USA team in the spring of 2009. She brings with her almost 10 years of professional experience in sales and management. She has a diverse background ranging from radio to packaging. Prior to her work at Gryphon, Anne was most recently the Midwest Regional Sales Manager for an international packaging company. Anne’s goal is to provide helpful information to all parties and make the most informed decisions with each project. She’s committed to utilizing her past work experiences to find common ground in most situations, and at the same time eager to expand her skill set.

Whitney Davis began with the company when it was a small home based business and is an integral part of its’ growth and prosperity. Ms Davis assists the Gryphon team with general accounting responsibilities by maintaining and recording business transactions, balancing ledgers, and reporting. She has 5 years experience in the financial field including experience as an Executive Administrative Assistant with a focus on financial reporting and analysis. She also has background as the Office Manager for a small construction business.