After 47 years in the construction industry, Joe Engler and his business partner, Melvin Joyce, have decided to embrace retirement. The two friends are calling it quits and selling all the assets from the company they built together — Commercial Construction Inc. (CCI) — at a one-day, unreserved public auction in Lincoln, Neb., Nov. 9.

"While we were growing CCI, we built up our fleet buying used equipment through auctions, specifically Ritchie Bros. auctions, so it makes sense to sell it all that way at the end," said Engler. "When we were at our largest, we had more than 90 employees and 100 pieces of equipment. Over the past several years, as we've prepared for our eventual retirement, we have downsized, selling a bunch of assets through Ritchie Bros. events. They're a great company to deal with and they deliver great results."

More than 100 items, including motor graders, dozers, excavators, truck tractors and trailers, will be sold for CCI at the Nov. 9 auction, which will be held on the CCI property at 555 W South St., Lincoln. All items will be sold to the highest bidders, regardless of price.

"We've always taken great care of our fleet. I always say, ‘If you take care of your equipment, it will take care of you,'" said Engler. "Our fleet is a mix of items we purchased new and through auctions. We made sure everything was well maintained and upgraded through the years.

"I started as an operator at the age of 19; worked my way up to foreman, superintendent, estimator, vice president and then headed out on my own with my colleague and friend Melvin," he added. "As CCI, we focused mainly on heavy highway construction, but also did some bridge construction work."

CCI worked on several big Nebraska highway projects over the years, including the widening of Interstate 80 and Highway 30.

"CCI has been a great contractor in Nebraska for a long time," said Mike Schure, regional sales manager, Ritchie Bros. "We've held several auctions for them in their yard over the past few years. They've also been a great partner to the local contractor community, welcoming equipment from other contractors to be sold on their property along with theirs. We're very excited to hold their final auction for them on Nov. 9. Local and international contractors should be excited at the opportunity to purchase some great gear from an excellent Nebraska-based company."

In total, more than 400 equipment items will be sold in the Nov. 9 auction for more than 50 contractors.

For more information on the auction, visit rbauction.com.

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