OMB Annual Events
"When in Rome"
Auction a Huge Success
Stacey Genzlinger,
Director of Member Events
The Olympia Master Builders (OMB) presented their 21st Annual Auction Friday, June 1 at the Red Lion Hotel in Olympia.
According to Auction Chair, Debbi Boyd, of Jan Henry and Associates, "This was the best year ever! Procurement was up, attendance was up - we expected a great night for the Association. And it was a great night, indeed."
This year's auction, which was sponsored by Lumbermens (Main Event Sponsor) and Little Creek Casino (Wine Sponsor) featured over $105,000 in procured items.
The night started off with the Preview Party and three Silent Auctions. Guests were treated to complimentary beer, wine, and appetizers as they mingled around the room and bid on the nearly 200 Silent Auction items.
The Master of Ceremonies for the evening, Olympia City Councilman Jeff Kingsbury kept guests apprised on how much time was left on each Silent Auction, and reminded them to purchase raffle tickets and get their complimentary souvenir photo taken at the photo booth in the lobby.
One by one, each Silent Auction came to a close and guests were eager to see what items they had won.
The Live Auction began with Auctioneer Jeff Stokes of Stokes Auction group, giving a brief, but lively orientation of Auctioneering to the record crowd of 297 people. Stokes also made sure guests knew what to do with their bidder numbers, and had everyone practice raising their numbers up high.
Moving forward at a quick pace, the Live Auction got really exciting when it came time for The Olympian's advertising package to be auctioned off. This package had a face value of $7,000. Two bidders were competing against each other when the bidding reached the full value amount. At that time, John Winn Miller, Publisher for The Olympian, who was in attendance that evening, agreed to donate an additional package.
OMB President Mark Shaffer commented that, "this gesture sent each bidder home with a complete advertising package, and made a tremendous impact on our fundraising efforts this evening. We certainly appreciate the generous support of The Olympian."
In all, the combined sales of Live and Silent Auction items generated $75,349. This represents a 71.4% value of procured items, which is remarkable.
The success of this auction is due to the generosity of all the companies who donated items. Please be sure to click the "2007 Auction Donors" button for a complete list of all these companies.
There was also a Fund-A-Need appeal during the Live Auction, where guests pledged certain dollar level amounts to specifically go towards Olympia Master Builders' scholarship fund. The Fund-A-Need generated $8,650 - the most ever raised in one night for OMB scholarships.
Thank you goes to the 2007 Auction Committee members: Chair Debbi Boyd of Jan Henry and Associates, Linda Mosier-Vaudt of Lumbermens, Todd Stringham of Signs by Tomorrow, Bonnie Webster of Jan Henry and Associates, Paul Muldoon of Edward Jones Investments, Jackie Ashley of Hydro Physics, Karen McClennen of The Olympian, Erich Brown of GMAC Mortgage, and Jamie Lehew of Washington Federal Savings.
