Air Works Auction returns to Mt. Hope

The three-day annual Air Works Consignment Auction and Mt. Hope Showcase events are set for Feb. 19-21 at the Mt. Hope Event Center on the Mt. Hope Auction Grounds in Mt. Hope.

“We are excited about the growth of both the auction and Mt. Hope Showcase this year," said John Wengerd, CEO of the newly restructured Air Works Auction Company. "With the building expansion, it has opened so many more opportunities for everyone."

The auction will start each day at 8:30 a.m., and the Mt. Hope Showcase trade show, hosting nearly 300 vendors, will open at 8 a.m. each day.

More than 30,000 items will be sold over the three days in more than 20 rings at the Air Works Consignment Auction. Item categories include heavy equipment, sawmill, woodworking, attachments, metalworking, power units, industrial equipment and antiques.

There are special programs on both Thursday and Friday evenings in the Beachy Arena located on the auction grounds.

At 6 p.m. Thursday, the Air Works Auction will host an Amateur Auctioneer Showcase approved by the Ohio Department of Agriculture, the governing body of auctioneer licensing in Ohio. The contest will feature various rookie auctioneers who wish to try their hand behind the auction block. Interested individuals are invited to register in advance by calling Mattie Troyer at 330-988-4408. The contest is limited to 30 contestants.

Special items auctioned off by contestants are donated items including a live Highland cow, hand tools, hunting equipment and more. The proceeds from the items sold by the amateurs will be distributed to various charitable causes.

The auction contest also can be heard live on the conference line by calling 925-500-9068 ext. 1. Select Air Works Auction and ext. 2. If support is needed for the conference line, call 812-787-1908.

The Friday evening program will start at 7 p.m. and will feature a seminar panel presentation by Larry Troyer and Gary Graber on the topic of Restructuring a Small Business for the Second and Third Generation. The panel will be followed by a presentation by guest speaker Duke Duvall and a cappella singing by the Lehman family from Ashland.

Thanks to the expansion of the Mt. Hope Auction Event Center, Mt. Hope Showcase — the trade show held concurrently with the Air Works Consignment Auction — now features an additional 33,000 square feet, plus an extra 8,000 square feet of mezzanine space, allowing it to accommodate nearly 300 vendors, up from nearly 200 last year.

This year’s auction has more than 30,000 items consigned, selling in more than 20 rings. For details on specific items, check the website at www.airworksauction.com.

Air Works Consignment Auction was founded by Reuben Troyer, who owned the Air Works store along Route 250 near Apple Creek, where he sold and repaired small engines and turned gas-motorized pieces into pneumatic equipment, which made it more suitable and accepted for conservative Amish groups.

Auctions run deep in the Troyer family. That legacy began in 1948 when Reuben’s father Eli Troyer took a job at the Kidron Livestock Auction, clerking sales and spending one or two days a week in the auction world. His sons grew up immersed in that environment, laying the foundation for what was to come.

More than 30 years later, Reuben Troyer sought a way to sell quality, well-maintained rental equipment from his growing Air Works business east of Apple Creek. Staying true to the Troyer spirit, he turned to the auction process. The Air Works Consignment Auction was born, with the first sale held in 1990 alongside auctioneer Steve Andrews at a neighboring farm.

As the auction grew, so did its needs. After three years the sale moved to the Kidron Auction Grounds, where it thrived for more than two decades. The partnership provided a dependable, well-equipped location that supported continued growth, no matter the weather.

In 2015 the expanding sale moved to Mt. Hope to accommodate increased volume and more indoor selling space. The new location allows the auction to begin Thursday and conclude by midafternoon Saturday, giving buyers more flexibility and reducing weather-related delays during unloading week.

As Reuben Troyer reminisced and reviewed the dynamics and experiences of the past 37 years of the Air Works Consignment Auction, he said, “We are blessed many times over. I am not the most organized fellow, but the chaos and energy that comes with an auction — it’s who I am, and it makes me come alive.”

With the continued growth of the auction, Reuben and different members of his family have taken various responsibilities over the years.

“I feel extremely grateful that our family is intimately involved, as well as the many friendships that have come through the auction. It’s truly incredible to experience,” Troyer said. “I wish I would have a whole week the night before the auction to talk to all the people who attend.”

Over the past several years, the Troyer family has been in conversation about transitioning the business from a founder-led operation to a family-owned corporate structure. That process formally began as the family sought a long-term framework that would provide clarity, stability and continuity for future generations. Guidance throughout this transition came from the Anabaptist Financial Business Advisory team, whose support helped shape the structure and direction of the company.

As a result Air Works Auction Company was formed, bringing together Reuben and Mattie Troyer, along with most of their children. In August 2025, John Wengerd, formerly with Flextur of Dalton, was hired as CEO, allowing the company to move forward with experienced leadership. This also enables the Troyer family to focus on governance, strategy and growth opportunities under the new parent company structure.

With the added leadership, the newly formed Air Works Auction Company continues to offer business liquidations and dispersals. Since this transition the auction company also offers agent services for reselling turnkey industrial businesses. Since August two turnkey businesses have been sold, and the one company listed and available as of this writing is Daystar Lighting Systems.

The Campbell Hill, an Illinois-based company, manufactures natural lighting tubes connecting the roof to the ceiling and is popular among Plain people, requiring no electricity and extending daylight hours every day of the year.

Air Works also hosts monthly equipment consignment auctions at its Dalton warehouse, which is open to outside consignments and has several loads of imported equipment each month. See the Air Works Auction website for the monthly auction dates, as well as all the early consignments for the Feb. 19-21 auction.

Auction hours are 8:30 a.m. each day until the item areas are sold out.

Mt. Hope Showcase trade show hours are Thursday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Friday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon.

For more information on the Air Works Consignment Auction or Mt. Hope Showcase, visit www.airworksauction.com or www.mthopeshowcase.com or call the Air Works Auction office at 330-845-8485.