When Paul Wengerd was first offered 18 acres and several buildings on Nauvoo Road in Middlefield Township in 2016, he didn’t take the proposal seriously.
When Paul Wengerd was first offered 18 acres and several buildings on Nauvoo Road in Middlefield Township in 2016, he didn’t take the proposal seriously.
“The owners wanted me to buy it. I said it was impossible. I almost took it as a joke,” he said.
Within the year, the Amish owner of Pine Craft Storage on state Route 528 was reconsidering.
“I needed a place to move my business to,” he said.
He and four partners formed Stewardship Visions and bought the property in 2018, including some retail operations located there. They immediately began changing the landscape.
The first order of business was to build a production facility and retail space for Pine Craft on the property, Wengerd said during a recent interview at Heritage Marketplace.
“We turned some storage buildings into retail buildings,” he recounted.
In 2019, Heritage Trailer moved into one of the emptied structures. By 2021, the owner, one of the partners, outgrew the original structure and built a big addition.
As improvements were made, more businesses arrived.
“We have grown. Every building is rented out,” said partner Jerry Miller during the interview.
The expansion includes seven buildings, some with multiple tenants, and the Marketplace Mall, with two floors of retail booths, Jerry Miller said.
The auction hall/event center stayed busy and the variety of uses expanded exponentially. The basketball courts became occupied almost every evening by teams of Amish players and it soon became clear more space was needed to accommodate twice-a-week auctions, athletics, seminars and various events, such as weddings, church services and reunions.
“The event building was not big enough for what the community needed,” Wengerd said.
As COVID-19 was ramping up, the partners — including Nathan Stutzman, Robert Miller and Jerry Elliott — decided to add onto the event center. Construction started in 2021 and continued through a memorably wet winter.
“Who could forget all that mud?” Jerry Miller asked.
The 6,000-square-foot addition opened in 2023 and provides space for volleyball games and a loft over the entrance for storage of auction items.
Ping pong tables and cornhole games are popular, as well.
While keeping the business side of the complex going and growing, the partners pursued a farther-reaching vision to benefit the future of the growing Amish community.
“We want to provide a safe place for our young folks to come and have fun and fellowship on weekends — to give them a different option than partying,” Wengerd said. “That’s happening.”
Jerry Miller, who holds the title of administrator, is in charge of scheduling events and it keeps him busy.
“My phone keeps ringing. It’s hard for me to shut it off,” he said, adding he took care of maintenance until a handyman was hired.
“We waited a year too long on that,” Wengerd said.
Jerry Miller has been working with Atlee Raber Auctions to set up a high-end antique auction at the event center Feb. 26 — one of a list of consignment auctions scheduled for Monday evenings.
“Most Friday nights, we have benefit auctions to support nonprofits and people in need,” he said.
Wengerd noted the large kitchen has a fully stocked, walk-in freezer and plenty of counter space.
“Everything is here — all you do is bring energy,” he said.
On Mondays, some of the retail stores stay open late so visitors can shop, then eat at the Farmer’s Grill and stay around for the auction that starts at 5:30 p.m. with local auctioneer Aaron Mast at the podium, Wengerd said.
“We want to be a service to the community. We didn’t begin it to make a big profit. This needs to support itself so we can support the community,” he said. “We’re headed in the right direction. We’re not where we want to be, but we keep making improvements and making it better.”
