Going, Going, Strong

JillMarie Wiles doesn’t mind being labeled a fast talker—it helped her win a trophy.

The 38-year-old auctioneer from Canby, Ore., (pop. 8,983) won the women’s division of the 2001-2002 International Auctioneer Championship, a competition sponsored by the National Auctioneers Association. With the title came a silver trophy, a cash prize and, most importantly, the opportunity to use her year in the spotlight—and her auctioneering skills—to promote charities near to her heart.

“Ten years ago I had no idea I would become an auctioneer. I didn’t even know what one did,” Wiles says with a laugh. Then one evening in 1994 she attended a consignment auction and became intrigued. She understood the auctioneer’s motives completely, she says, because they were identical to what she did in her retail management job.

“We both were bringing buyers and goods together, but he was making buyers compete for the highest price with this sense of urgency. I said to myself, ‘This is a brilliant method of marketing,’ and then I thought, ‘I could do this.’”

After graduating from auction school, working as an apprentice auctioneer and continuing her education at Indiana University’s Certified Auctioneers Institute, Wiles opened her own company, Beneficial Auction Services, which specializes in benefit auctions.

As for nailing down the chant—that sing-song rhetoric all auctioneers use to coax higher bids—well, that took hours of practice. One helpful drill utilized a tape recording of her husband shouting “yep” at short intervals. After a while she was able to fill in the pauses with high-speed, fluent banter.

“I learned right away that it doesn’t matter how fast you go; if the audience can’t understand you, they’re not going to bid,” she says.

Fellow auctioneer Mike Jones, a past men’s division winner who witnessed Wiles’ presentation at the competition, says she wowed the judges with her rapid-fire chant and rapport with the crowd. “Her enthusiasm really shows through,” Jones says. “JillMarie exudes an air of self-determination and confidence that so many people in our business would love to have. She makes it look easy.”

As champion, Wiles traveled the country making personal appearances, giving speeches and showing off her bid-calling prowess. The best part of it all, she says, was being able to help raise awareness and money for children in need.

“I love working with the kids,” she says. “It’s not work. The tradeoff of doing something good for somebody else and learning something about yourself in the process has been very fulfilling. Winning the championship and working with these charities, it makes you feel you can make a difference.”

One of her career highlights occurred at a charity event in Memphis, Tenn., where she officiated a toy auction held at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. “The kids were given play money and they got to bid on toys. Those kids were some tough bidders,” she says. “That was one of the best auctions I’ve ever conducted. The energy in the room was amazing.”

“She really has a soft spot for children,” says friend Kendra Mikulec, adding that Wiles is a big supporter of Doernbecher Children’s Hospital in Portland, Ore. “She is totally selfless and always puts others before her. She is a soaring spirit.”

The two friends teamed up in 2002 to form Ponytail Roundup, which raises funds and awareness for Locks of Love, an organization that provides hairpieces to children who have lost their hair due to cancer treatment or other medical conditions. In fact, one year Wiles raised $450 by auctioning off the chance to clip Mikulec’s waist-length curls at a chamber of commerce meeting. The two have since collected more than 630 ponytails to help the cause.

Although Wiles’ championship reign has long since ended, she’s still busy offering her services to help others, and is already booked through the end of the year. As for being a role model for auctioneers and an advocate for St. Jude and other children’s charities, well, JillMarie Wiles is still going ... going ... strong.

Veda Eddy is a freelance writer in The Villages, Fla.

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