Hawaiispeakers.net
* Joe Teipel is Hawaii’s premier emcee and one of the best professional auctioneers in America. Have him bring a lot of fun to your group’s awards banquet or wrap-up session and let him raise money, via his auction method, for your company’s or association’s favorite in-house or national charity. He can also auction off prizes donated by your suppliers or from convention attendees. It’s a lot of fun and can be the highlight of your Hawaii meeting.
hawaiispeakers.net, Hawaii’s Premiere Speaker’s Bureau
Superferry Auction Sells Out – Maui News
KAHULUI – By the time the Hawaii Superferry auction was over Saturday morning, everything from the tent over 
the bidders’ heads to benches under their bottoms was sold.
Hawaii Superferry’s nearly $90 million high-speed ship Alakai roared into Maui’s central harbor amid a cacophony of protest almost two years ago. It departed in March, perhaps for good, after the state Supreme Court ruled that state leaders failed to properly conduct environmental reviews before the service was launched.
Although Hawaii Superferry put 50 items up for sale Saturday – the most expensive being a backhoe that went for $18,400 – the company’s president said that doesn’t mean that the only car-and-passenger ferry service in Hawaii won’t be back. Still, it looked doubtful to bidders.
“It’s a shame to see it come to this point,” said Norman Vares of Kihei, who was bidding on some portable toilets for a piece of rural land he owns. “From here, it doesn’t look like they’re coming back.”
Auctioneer Joe Teipel and Pacific Bid Hawaii sold everything from dozens of concrete and plastic jersey barriers to a couple crumpled boxes of Superferry clothing and even an office coffee maker. There wasn’t a lot to choose from compared to most auctions, event veterans said, but the final purchase prices were often just pennies on the dollar.
Most of the serious bidders represented construction companies, churches and entertainment venues – parties that could put to use yield signs and flashing traffic lights.
About 200 people showed up at the auction, which took less than two hours. All who were interviewed said they were Superferry proponents. Although excited by an auction atmosphere, most still called it a glum day. Many people, though, expected Superferry to return in a couple years after the legal wrangling has run its course.
“It’s a sad, very sad day,” said Stephen Swift, who owns a recycling company and bid on some floodlights and an office trailer. “We’d like to see the ferry still running.”
A few bidders said losing the ferry was a bust for local small businesses and farmers and a boon to Superferry’s competitors, namely the airlines and two remaining shipping companies.
“It’s the end for now, but I don’t think it’s done,” said Karl Calleon, who unsuccessfully bid on the backhoe.
However, Superferry opponents have said that the ferry endangered the island’s rural lifestyle as well as its natural environment and the safety of whales.
Last week, the state’s high court rejected a request by Gov. Linda Lingle and the attorney general’s office to reconsider its decision, which had invalidated the special session law that allowed Superferry to operate while the state Department of Transportation put together an environmental impact statement for ferry-related harbor improvements.
Sanitation company owner Bert Ito of Honolulu blamed both the Democratically controlled Legislature and Lingle for the Superferry debacle.
In an e-mail Saturday, Hawaii Superferry President and Chief Executive Officer Tom Fargo said: “We continue to believe there is a clear need for a high-speed interisland ferry system.”
The state is responsible for the environmental impact statement, and Transportation Department spokeswoman Tammy Mori on Saturday said the full environmental impact statement will be done by the end of this year. It was supposed to be completed this month, but it was sidetracked by the court rulings, and transportation officials decided to review the private contractors’ work done to date.
An environmental impact statement is required by law since the state invested $40 million in changes to Kahului Harbor in order to accommodate the Alakai and its sister ship, the Huakai, which was supposed to be finished this spring.
Both ships are docked in Austal USA’s Mobile, Ala., shipyard. It’s unclear what the state’s plans are for its equipment, such as the floating loading ramp that was battered several times by high winds and waves in Kahului Harbor.
A second, much-larger auction of Superferry equipment will be held Saturday at Honolulu Harbor.
Wailuku businessman Vernon Lindsey was Saturday’s big buyer. He said he spent $30,000 on seven items, including the 56-by-100-foot tent with a 22-foot-high roof. Lindsey said he bought it in the heat of the moment for more than $12,000 and may donate it to a church – or maybe sell the tent back to Superferry when it returns.
Superferry had used the tent as a passenger terminal at Kahului Harbor.
Traffic control signs are among the items auctioned off Saturday morning by Hawaii Superferry.
Construction companies, churches and entertainment venues purchased most of the equipment used during the company’s less than two years of operation at Kahului Harbor.
By CHRIS HAMILTON, Staff Writer
POSTED: May 17, 2009
Tesh Teshima
“You are the best Announcer and Master of Ceremony in Hawaii”.
Tesh Teshima, Hawaii sporting events volunteer and photographer
Dr. Wayne Cordeiro
“He’s the best auctioneer I have ever seen or heard!”
Dr. Wayne Cordeiro, Senior Minister of NewHope Christian Fellowship
Gary Saito
“I think it goes without saying that you were the highlight of the evening. You were able to wake everybody up at the time of the evening when many people are thinking about making quiet exit. I had numerous comments on your segment from all kinds of people. It was our privilege to have had your agreement to help us. My sister was in attendance and she told me today that you kept her husband in stiches all the say. Mahalo for fantastic job of helping us to rise much-needed money for our programs.”
Gary Saito, Honolulu Boy Choir
Doane & Joe Triggs
“Hoorah! Your great manual arrived, just filled with excellent material. We have our action meeting comming up and I have gone through and marked some innovative ideas we may be able to implement. You efforts are so appreciated and we sincerely thank you for sharing your expertise.
Have a happy Thanksgiving!”
Doane & Joe Triggs, North Hawaii Community Hospital
Jeremy Ng
“On behalf on the Habitat family, I would like to thank you for the excellent you did at our annual luau and auction. It took us a lot of hard work and effort to acquire the items, who better to auction them off than you. Your humor was perfect, and your talents evidently clear by the success of our action.
We look forward to have you showcase and auction off our products for the next luau. Our organizations opinion is that you are by far the most entertaining and skilled auctioneer we have had helped our family.
May you and your ohana experience all of the cheer that the holiday seasons have to offer. Mele Kalikimaka and a Hauoli Makahiki Hou!”
Jeremy Ng, Enterprise Representative from Kaneohe
Wendy King & Victor Vega
“Thank you so much for doing such a great job at our reception! I didn’t get to say that to you that evening, and I apologize. Our guests had a great time and you helped us out big time!!
Have a great weekend and thanks again”
Wendy King & Victor Vega, A Happy Married Couple from Honolulu
Kehau Kali
Aloha,
For the past fifteen years, I have created, produced and managed special fundraising events for nonprofit organizations both in Hawaii and on the Mainland, including producing the First Annual Taste of Honolulu, YWCA Downtown Decadence, YWCA Leader Luncheon, annual meetings, silent and live auctions, jewelry auctions, Challenge4Charity Live Auction, golf tournaments, black-tie dinners, Olympic Weekends and more.
I have hired Joe Teipel a few times and attended many charity fundraisers here in Hawaii featuring a live auction where he was the auctioneer. I was impressed with his professionalism, support team and ability to increase the average bids, number of competing bidders and overall increased net profit. In addition to positively impacting the net profit, and more importantly to me, as the professional fundraiser, participants left the event with an appreciation and enthusiasm for the charity and the event itself, generating long-term goodwill and monetary support from donors.
I was also impressed to learn recently that in addition to being the live auctioneer, he also provides pre-event consulting about auction creation and implementation and provides his clients with a “How To” guide, which includes templates and systems for every aspect of auction special event management.
I recommend hiring Joe Teipel to nonprofits that currently have live auction events as well as those without because he simplifies the event management, lessens stress and anxiety and makes it fun again!”
Kehau Kali, President of HO`IKE ENTERPRISES, LLC
