Imperial Auction Market is July’s Chamber-honored local business

The Imperial Auction Market was purchased by Preston Smith and his wife, Marisa, in the summer of 2014.
Smith, a 1998 graduate of Chase County High School, was born and raised in Imperial, while Marisa is from Loveland, Colorado.
“(Marisa and I) are co-owners, but we have a partner out of Dodge City, Kansas,” Smith said. “But we run the day-to-day operations.
Before moving back to Smith’s hometown, the couple lived in Dodge City, Kansas.
Smith and his wife have three daughters and a son.
The previous owners of the auction market were Lloyd and Sandy Wilson, who bought the sale barn in 1981.
Smith worked for Wilson during summers while he attended auctioneer school.
“Since working with Lloyd over the years, my dream was always to own Imperial Auction Market some day,” Smith said.
While Smith is the auctioneer, Marissa is the office manager.
The sale barn holds auctions every Tuesday from September through April, and the second and fourth Tuesdays from May until August.
For questions or to have someone come look at livestock, call the office at 308-882-5128 or Preston’s cell at 308-883-8330.