Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • March 2018
21
REAL ESTATE & CONSTRUCTION New public car, truck auction business to open this fall in Pasco Truck & Auto Auctions, a Musser Bros. affiliate, plans 8,000-square-foot facility BY KRISTINA LORD editor@tcjournal.biz
Tri-City car and truck buyers can kick back in theater-style seats to bid on vehicles at a new Pasco auction business this fall. Trucks & Auto Auctions, a Musser Bros. Inc. affiliate, is building a new 8,000-square-foot facility just off Argent Road near Columbia Basin College. Cars, trucks, SUVs, ATVs and RVs will be offered at auction to the public and dealers. “It’s a great opportunity to buy cars and save money, and buy at auction prices,” said CEO Scott Musser. Located on 4.5 acres at 3135 Rickenbacker Drive, the new building will house offices and an auction room. Vehicles will be driven through the auction room onto a stage for bidders to see during the live auctions. “Auctions will be held as frequently as once a week on Tuesday nights, depending on the volumes,” Musser said.
Trucks & Auto Auctions is a separate company from Musser Bros., which specializes in auctioning real estate and construction equipment, but they share resources and expertise, Musser said. Since 1956, Musser Bros. has been serving Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana and Wyoming. The company operates a Trucks & Auto business in Nampa, Idaho, where about three auctions a month are held, attracting an average of 550 online and on-site bidders, Musser said. The Idaho facility employs 24 staff and when the Pasco site opens, total employment will number 50, Musser said. The new facility will be managed by owner/operators Jake and Josh Musser. Both men were involved with the launching of Idaho’s Trucks & Auto. “We are a family-owned and operated company and we attempt to treat all of our customers, both buyers and sellers, like family,” Jake Musser said. “Buying a car or truck at auction is exciting and
Musser Bros. Inc. CEO Scott Musser stands at the construction site of Trucks & Auto Auctions, a Musser Bros. affiliate. The company is building a new 8,000-square-foot facility just off Argent Road near Columbia Basin College in Pasco. Vehicle auctions will be open to the public.
exhilarating, and we’re excited to bring this to the Tri-Cities.” Scott Musser said the Tri-Cities used to have a wholesale auction dealer more than 25 years ago that serviced the needs of dealers and moved 500 to 600 cars a week. “Our difference will be it’ll be a public auction, not wholesale auction. We
will sell for dealers, municipalities and the public,” he said, explaining wholesale auctions are open to licensed dealers only. MH Construction of Kennewick is the general contractor for the new building, valued at $947,900, according to public building records.
uMUSSER, Page 22
FOR LEASE - Brantingham Business Park Phase II 3025 Travel Plaza Way, Pasco
Commercial/light industrial located in King City. 395 Freeway frontage
509-430-7609 3120 Travel Plaza Way Pasco, Washington
Building Amenities • 9,600 sf warehouse space • 1,200 sf office space
• $7,200/month NNN • Fully fenced & gated