From a modest beginning in 1960 at Fort Macleod, Alberta the Fort Macleod-Highwood Auction Company Ltd. rose to the position of leader in all aspects of agricultural auction, livestock, land and machinery. That original company was founded by Ken Hurlburt, a well known southern Alberta Auctioneer.

The company was reorganized in 1974 after a fire destroyed the Fort Macleod sales arena. Two key employees, Bob Dyck and Harvey Bourassa, along with Mr. Hurlburt and a group of private investors banded together to rebuild the auction complex.

In 1983 the company embarked on a major expansion, building the new Highwood Livestock Auction south of Calgary. With 1984 being the first full year of operation for the new Highwood division, the company handled over 160,000 cattle, making it one of the major private livestock marketing agencies in western Canada.

The land auction service developed by the company started in the spring of 1977 with the first sale consisting of a 320 acre irrigated farm and 2300 acres of grassland. This successful sale, the first major land auction in western Canada, created a great deal of interest and in a short time the company booked another major sale that fall. On October 2, 1977, the historic 9100 acre Roundup Ranch was sold at unreserved auction for a price of $1,751,000. The concept of selling land by auction took hold.

Since that eventful sale Fort Macleod-Highwood has handled over 100 separate real estate sales ranging from a rural home and acreage in the Cherry Creek development near Kamloops, B.C. in the west, to 6500 acres of farm and grassland near Brandon, Manitoba in the east. To the north, two major sales of farmland have been held with the Allarco Sale in the Fahler District undoubtedly being the largest sale of land by auction in Canada at that time. Fifty seven hundred and forty acres were sold at this sale in April 1981, for a total of $2,885,000. In 1984, the company topped this sale with the unreserved sale of the Verdant Valley Ranch east of Drumheller, 18,000 acres sold for just under three million dollars. Two large sales of farmland in Saskatchewan in the spring of 1985 added 14,000 acres to the growing list of successful land auctions that Fort Macleod-Highwood Auction Company conducted.

The sale of the King Brothers Estate Ranch for $6,325,000 in 1997 was a landmark event for the Fort Macleod - Highwood Team. The Kirk Ranch at Radium Hot Springs, BC for $6,325,000 was another milestone sale.

In the mid 1990’s the Fort Macleod-Highwood Company joined with the Vold-Jones & Jones of Ponoka and combined one of mankind’s oldest professions with the latest in space age technology to start Canadian Satellite Livestock Auction.

In January of 2000 the three major livestock markets were sold. After a few weeks of wild rumours and speculation, the announcement came that Allan Lively, whose association with the Fort Macleod-Highwood Auction Company went back 16 years to when he was 14 years old, was heading up a group who purchased the Highwood and Pincher Creek markets.

In addition, Brant Hurlburt purchased the Fort Macleod market from the parent company. This market was also recently purchased by the Lively group.

With the sale of the markets, the name change to "The Auction Company Ltd." came about.

The Auction Company is now solely owned by Bob Dyck. Brant is still involved on a contractual basis, and together they have the ability to handle all types of agricultural auctions with the same expertise they have displayed over the years. Even though they incorporate all the latest technologies of the 21st century, they are proud to maintain the western values that are the foundation of this successful business, honesty, integrity and a dedication to the community.