Hurley captures auctioneering kudos

A local auctioneer and his business have brought home accolades from regional competition.

Matt Hurley and Hurley Auctions made lots of noise at the 65th annual Pennsylvania Auctioneers Association (PAA) Convention held earlier this month in Harrisburg.

Auctioneers from across the Mid-Atlantic region met Jan. 9 to 11 to participate in the convention, including the Auctioneers Championship held at the Pennsylvania Farm Show. Over 300 auctioneers attended to participate in educational seminars, compete in contests, and network with other auctioneers.

Hurley Auctions of Greencastle won seven awards including the two highest awarded by the association. Among them were first place in Residential/Farm Real Estate, Personal Property Estate, Commercial/Industrial and Auction Firm Promotional. The business also received the Auctioneers Choice Award as well as Best of Show, which was awarded for its  website. Marjorie Hartman is the primary person responsible for Hurley Auctions marketing materials. She is a graduate of Cal-Poly State University and has been with Hurley Auctions since 2000. She oversees the daily operations of the office and has participated in over 1,000 auctions.

The day only got better as owner Matt Hurley competed in the Champion of Champions bid calling competition and claimed the top prize.

This competition is held only once every five years and is open only to past State Champion auctioneers. The State Championship contest began in 1980 and to date Pennsylvania has named 34 State Champions. Nearly 30 of the past champions returned to Harrisburg from as far as Florida to compete for the coveted title of Champion of Champions.

Judges included the state director of each of the six PAA chapters. Contestants were judged on five categories: clarity and articulation; salesmanship and attitude; professional appearance; ease of listening pleasure; and overall general impression. Each contestant sold three items to a crowd of nearly 300 attendees. At the end of the evening, when all of the judges scores were tallied, 2004 State Champion Matthew Hurley was awarded the prestigious Champion of Champions trophy.

Hurley has been in the auction business since 1993. His company specializes in real estate, estate and business liquidations. It has conducted over 1,000 successful real estate auctions and annually conducts over 200 auctions and appraisals.