PHOTO OF THE DAY: STANDING BY

These excavators stand on the property of Knodel Contractors along the east side of Highway 81 in preparation for an online auction that will take place Thursday and Friday. Here’s how The Courier is reporting on it this week:

Nearly 26 years after establishing his contracting business in his home community of Freeman, Kelly Knodel is retiring. An online auction that will feature the sale of equipment used as part of Knodel Contractors is being facilitated by Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers, Inc. Thursday and Friday, Sept. 12 and 13.

Two hundred of Knodel’s items, ranging from excavators and tractors to tires and other auto parts, will be part of Ritchie Bros.’s Great Plains Regional Event that includes just under 4,000 items in all, from locations that also include Kansas, Nebraska, Minnesota and Missouri.

The online broadcast begins at 8 a.m. Thursday and 9 a.m. Friday and is accessible through rbauction.com. Knodel expects a large number of people will be on his property itself bidding online through their mobile devices.

Knodel’s place of business and the ground on which it sits, located on the east side of Highway 81 on the eastern edge of Freeman, is not part of the auction. Both are available for rent or sale.

Knodel told The Courier he is retiring from his business that has specialized in site prep work, excavation and demolition, environmental and emergency clean up, and dirt, sand, rock and gravel hauling. He is doing so to spend more time with his family and to pursue other projects in his home community, he said.

Being part of the business community and serving a cliental both locally and regionally “has been an honor,” he says.

Watch for more on Knodel’s career in the upcoming weeks.