steel609
07-31-2008, 10:35 PM
While surfing the net, I found a very interesting article on http://www.friendsofnra.org/National.aspx?cid=151 ....Seems that even the industry leaders want to get thier hands on Charles Daly firearms!!!
Bad Situation Gone Good
By Kyle Weaver, Managing Director of Field Operations
For those of you that have ever participated in a fund-raising banquet, you know most events can be considered “controlled chaos.” Between raising money, feeding, entertaining and educating the attendees, and making sure everyone is having fun, many unplanned situations can arise. In most cases, good volunteers and experienced staff make each event appear as though everything went smoothly all night. However, on occasion, circumstances arise that are beyond damage control and disgruntlement ensues. The NRA Foundation National Event at the Annual Meeting and Exhibits was no exception to this rule.
The National NRA Foundation Banquet in St. Louis this year ended successfully because of the hard work of many tremendous volunteers and the generosity of many donors.
The night ended positively for everyone involved. Pictured here (from left to right) with the Charles Daly firearm set are former NRA President Sandy Froman, Charles Daly President Michael Kassnar, Advancement Officer Dave Bundesen, Frank Brownell of Brownell’s, Toni Stevens of Leupold (holding the quarter used in the coin toss), and NRA Foundation Executive Director Wayne Sheets.
http://www.friendsofnra.org/images/national/articles/Brownells-national.jpg
With a crowd of more than 900 attendees, and hundreds of items up for auction as well as prizes, it turned out to be an excellent evening for all. We raised over $130,000 for the future of the shooting sports and everyone was enjoying the event—that is until it came down to the last item of the night in the live auction. We saved a very special set of Charles Daly firearms for the final piece in the live auction. This set included a Charles Daly lever action rifle and single action pistol, gold plated, both numbered No. 1 of the set and displayed in a handsome wooden case. The set opened, quickly moved into the $10,000 bidding range, and eventually narrowed down to just a few bidders. The auctioneer kept pushing and the bid kept rising—$12,000, $13,000, $14,000—and was finally sold for $17,000 to a gentlemen sitting up front.
As the evening came to a close, we began to shut down the event. I noticed an attendee who was upset over something; as the director for the division in charge of the event, she was sent over to see me about her complaint. Agitated that the auctioneer did not see her bidding in the back of the room on the Charles Daly item, she wanted something done about it. She had witnesses that saw her screaming, waving a napkin, jumping up and down, and still no one had noticed her. As I looked further into the situation, I discovered that she was correct. The spotter for that section of the room, which was way in the back, had left his post and she was indeed overlooked. I was a bit baffled at first, because the auctioneer has final say in matters such as these and he had already sold the item.
Luckily, the winning bidder was someone I know, one of The NRA Foundation’s best donors and owner of the gunsmithing and firearms accessories supply company Brownell’s, Frank Brownell. Upon further investigation into the matter, the rattled attendee turned out to be Toni Stevens of the Leupold and Stevens Company, a retail company that offers optic merchandise for hunters and other outdoors sportsmen. So here we have two industry giants, both huge supporters of the NRA and The NRA Foundation, going head to head in a really tough situation. We discussed several options, trying to open the floor for negotiation; let me tell you that Toni Stevens is tough. She and Frank continued back and forth—sometimes heatedly and, perhaps, borderline not repeatable—but finally a decision was made. NRA Board Member David Bennett oversaw the situation and had both parties agree to a coin toss. The winner of the toss would be allowed to purchase the coveted set for $20,000. Imagine winning the right to spend $20,000 on an item—$3,000 more than the original bid! Being the gentleman that he is, Frank allowed Toni to call it in the air. She called “heads” and indeed heads it was. Frank was a most gracious loser and Toni was extremely happy. Because of great volunteers, donors, staff and supporters, this situation ended perfectly. Frank and Toni became friends and stood for a photograph with all of the people involved. Throughout it all, the real winner that night ended up being The NRA Foundation and the Charles Daly Youth Endowment, which are where the net proceeds from this auction item will be deposited.
Bad Situation Gone Good
By Kyle Weaver, Managing Director of Field Operations
For those of you that have ever participated in a fund-raising banquet, you know most events can be considered “controlled chaos.” Between raising money, feeding, entertaining and educating the attendees, and making sure everyone is having fun, many unplanned situations can arise. In most cases, good volunteers and experienced staff make each event appear as though everything went smoothly all night. However, on occasion, circumstances arise that are beyond damage control and disgruntlement ensues. The NRA Foundation National Event at the Annual Meeting and Exhibits was no exception to this rule.
The National NRA Foundation Banquet in St. Louis this year ended successfully because of the hard work of many tremendous volunteers and the generosity of many donors.
The night ended positively for everyone involved. Pictured here (from left to right) with the Charles Daly firearm set are former NRA President Sandy Froman, Charles Daly President Michael Kassnar, Advancement Officer Dave Bundesen, Frank Brownell of Brownell’s, Toni Stevens of Leupold (holding the quarter used in the coin toss), and NRA Foundation Executive Director Wayne Sheets.
http://www.friendsofnra.org/images/national/articles/Brownells-national.jpg
With a crowd of more than 900 attendees, and hundreds of items up for auction as well as prizes, it turned out to be an excellent evening for all. We raised over $130,000 for the future of the shooting sports and everyone was enjoying the event—that is until it came down to the last item of the night in the live auction. We saved a very special set of Charles Daly firearms for the final piece in the live auction. This set included a Charles Daly lever action rifle and single action pistol, gold plated, both numbered No. 1 of the set and displayed in a handsome wooden case. The set opened, quickly moved into the $10,000 bidding range, and eventually narrowed down to just a few bidders. The auctioneer kept pushing and the bid kept rising—$12,000, $13,000, $14,000—and was finally sold for $17,000 to a gentlemen sitting up front.
As the evening came to a close, we began to shut down the event. I noticed an attendee who was upset over something; as the director for the division in charge of the event, she was sent over to see me about her complaint. Agitated that the auctioneer did not see her bidding in the back of the room on the Charles Daly item, she wanted something done about it. She had witnesses that saw her screaming, waving a napkin, jumping up and down, and still no one had noticed her. As I looked further into the situation, I discovered that she was correct. The spotter for that section of the room, which was way in the back, had left his post and she was indeed overlooked. I was a bit baffled at first, because the auctioneer has final say in matters such as these and he had already sold the item.
Luckily, the winning bidder was someone I know, one of The NRA Foundation’s best donors and owner of the gunsmithing and firearms accessories supply company Brownell’s, Frank Brownell. Upon further investigation into the matter, the rattled attendee turned out to be Toni Stevens of the Leupold and Stevens Company, a retail company that offers optic merchandise for hunters and other outdoors sportsmen. So here we have two industry giants, both huge supporters of the NRA and The NRA Foundation, going head to head in a really tough situation. We discussed several options, trying to open the floor for negotiation; let me tell you that Toni Stevens is tough. She and Frank continued back and forth—sometimes heatedly and, perhaps, borderline not repeatable—but finally a decision was made. NRA Board Member David Bennett oversaw the situation and had both parties agree to a coin toss. The winner of the toss would be allowed to purchase the coveted set for $20,000. Imagine winning the right to spend $20,000 on an item—$3,000 more than the original bid! Being the gentleman that he is, Frank allowed Toni to call it in the air. She called “heads” and indeed heads it was. Frank was a most gracious loser and Toni was extremely happy. Because of great volunteers, donors, staff and supporters, this situation ended perfectly. Frank and Toni became friends and stood for a photograph with all of the people involved. Throughout it all, the real winner that night ended up being The NRA Foundation and the Charles Daly Youth Endowment, which are where the net proceeds from this auction item will be deposited.