Area Development
Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers, a global industrial auctioneer, began construction on its new regional auction site in Hooksett, New Hampshire, a town located between Manchester and Concord. Its 54-acre property at 39 Hackett Hill Road will serve as the Company's first regional auction site in the state of New Hampshire, and as a replacement auction site for Ritchie Bros.' 15-acre regional auction site near Hartford, Connecticut.

Established in 1958, Ritchie Bros. is a seller of used equipment for the construction, transportation, agriculture, material handling, energy, mining, forestry, marine and other industries. With a strong customer base in the New England market, Ritchie Bros. officials said the company has been actively searching for a central and easily accessible property in the New England area for nearly a decade.

"The new regional auction site in Manchester, NH is conveniently located for our buying and selling customers," said Stephen O'Duggan, Regional Sales Manager, Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers. "It is directly off of Interstate 93, just 15 miles from the Manchester-Boston Regional Airport and 58 miles north of downtown Boston, allowing for easy access from a transportation perspective."

"The first phase of construction is expected to be completed later this year and it will include substantial earthwork improvements to develop the property into a working auction site of 25 acres," said O'Duggan. Approximately 18 of the 25 acres will be used for displaying equipment prior to an auction. The remaining acreage is engineered to allow for future expansion which will include more display space and the construction of new auction facilities and services.

Auction facilities planned as part of the first phase of construction include a temporary large auction tent with full in-person and online bidding capabilities and seating capacity for more than 300 people, an equipment check-in building, equipment washing facilities with closed loop water recycling technology and a paved parking area for customers.

"The Town has been working with Ritchie Bros. for nearly two years to get to this ground breaking, so it is an exciting day for all of us," said Hooksett Town Administrator, Dr. Dean E. Shankle. "Their business is international in scope, they have an excellent reputation in their field and we are very pleased to have them become part of the Hooksett business community."