As if teaching full time, farming and raising two boys with a third child on the way was not enough, Justin and Livia Doyle of Mineral Point have also found their niche in the auction world.
The Doyle’s farm between Mineral Point and Hollandale, Wis. They raise more than 50 red and black Angus cows and background calves until they are around 700-800 pounds.
“We are getting a little bit more into the purebred red Angus side of things selling some bulls and some seed stock,” Justin said.
They also crop soybeans and alfalfa in conjunction with Livia’s parents who raise around 200 bottle calves a year until they are up to 700 pounds.
Between farm work, Livia is a fourth-grade teacher in the Mineral Point School District, and Justin teaches agriculture and technical education in the Darlington School District.
While their schedule does not leave ample time to run an auction business, the Doyles founded On Point Auction Service LLC in 2012 with another couple they met studying at UW-Platteville, Dakota and Gretchen Bockenhauer.
“It just kind of happened that we had the same interest,” Justin said. “After a couple of years out of college, we went to auction school, and we started the auction business. It has grown ever since.”
Justin, Livia and Dakota attended the World Wide College of Auctioneering in Mason City, Iowa in 2012 to better learn how to establish the energy of an auction setting that involved interacting with bidders and getting the best value for the seller.
“I wanted to be an auctioneer ever since I started going to the auction barn with my grandpa and listened to my great-uncle who was an auctioneer,” Justin said. “It’s a big battle of managing our time to run everything, but we do have a lot of fun.”
A specialty that fits well with their schedules is to work benefit auctions. The Doyle’s admitted they were not quite sure what to expect, but once they established their ground, On Point became booked for benefits year-round.
“We enjoy raising money for organizations,” Justin said. “We travel quite a bit, and it works well with our schedules too because we don’t have as much planning involved in it. We have some fun, and we’re the entertainment as well. We rely heavily on our family our friends to help us out. It’s not your regular auction. We like to run around and make the most of it.”
Working with benefits has given them the chance to sell some pretty unique items in their careers. Justin recalled selling an airplane as a highlight, but it was a church benefit that stood out to Livia.
“We auctioned off a reserved parking space for Christmas Eve mass,” Livia said. “People are so creative and clever, and you just never know what you’re going to sell at these benefit auctions, so it really is fun. They all go to a good cause, so people are happy, and they want to support the organization.”
Recognizing that there is a place for young auctioneers to still get in the business, Justin noted it can be challenging to become established in the industry.
“We decided to make our way in and create our business,” Justin said. “It’s not just the auction here. It’s the business, so we cashier here. We clerk. We have all of our own equipment, so it’s the one-stop-shop. If you’re just an auctioneer, it’s hard to find and get those options if you don’t have all the equipment to do it.”
Other opportunities that have proven well for On Point Auction Service included specialty auctions for the agriculture industry as well as estates and business liquidation.
-Kaitlyn Riley
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