Unity-based auctioneer Mark Ferry named Pa. auctioneer of the year

A Unity-based auctioneer has received the top award from the Pennsylvania Auctioneers Association.

Mark Ferry was named auctioneer of the year by the state organization during a yearly conference and meeting in Harrisburg. Ferry was awarded the honor for his leadership, high ethical standards, willingness to share with others and participation in the community.

“I was dumbfounded, at a loss for words,” said Ferry, 65. “I didn’t see it coming.”

Ferry has been in the business for 45 years. After graduating high school, Ferry apprenticed in the auction business, becoming state licensed in 1979, according to his website. Ferry noted that he is a first-generation auctioneer in his family.

“I enjoy the business. I enjoy people,” said the owner of Mark Ferry Auctioneers, which conducts about 50 sales per year. Ferry also is a licensed auctioneer in Ohio and Kentucky.

He has been involved in several noteworthy auctions across Westmoreland County, including the January 2020 sale of hundreds of lots of sports memorabilia — from photographs, trophies, signed cards and jerseys — owned by Pittsburgh Pirates Hall of Famer Bill Mazeroski.

Months later, Ferry handled the sale of Mazeroski’s Hempfield home.

Ferry recently auctioned the contents of the Ramada by Wyndham Greensburg Hotel and Conference Center, which was razed this year to make way for Menards, a Wisconsin-based home improvement store. The hotel quickly became a community staple after its 1978 opening.

The auction drew a large crowd hoping to get a piece of the former hotel, which played host to thousands of events, weddings and fundraisers.

Ferry has handled the appraisal for golfing legend Arnold Palmer’s estate, conducted a sale at the former Mountain View Inn and sold several historic homes, farms, businesses, antique collections and classic cars.

In addition to auctioning commercial and real estate properties, Ferry has been active in benefit auctions for several organizations, including the American Red Cross, the March of Dimes, the Epilepsy Foundation of Western/Central Pennsylvania, the American Heart Association and several others.

Over the years, he has received several awards and was named the Pennsylvania Bid Calling Champion in 2000. In 2014, he served as president of the Pennsylvania Auctioneers Association, of which he has been a member for 37 years. Four years later, he was inducted into the association’s hall of fame.

“Thank you to my fellow auctioneers for this special recognition,” Ferry wrote on his website. “It is a true honor to accept this award.”