SLO County News BlogGolf, Wine, Real Estate, Business & Travel NewsKompolt Online Auction AgencyWednesday, September 07, 2005Jenny Kompolt is the engine behind the ultimate flea market.As the owner of Kompolt Online Auction Agency in San Luis Obispo, she manages sales for some eBay auctioneers. Using a combination of creative energy, celebrity clients and high-stakes philanthropy, she helps raise millions of dollars for charitable organizations. In four and a half years, her auctions have brought in almost $5 million for such groups as the Jackie Robinson Foundation, America's Second Harvest and Tsunami Relief. In July, she ran an auction that raised $351,000 for the Glide Foundation, a San Francisco church program for the homeless. The prize? A lunch with billionaire investor Warren Buffett. Now, Kompolt is working with "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" on an upcoming auction of a celebrity-signed Harley-Davidson motorcycle. The proceeds will go to Hurricane Katrina relief. The auction starts Sept. 19 and closes Sept. 29. Behind the scenes of the auctions, Kompolt provides graphics and marketing expertise, and processes government paperwork and bidder prequalifications. Success, she says, lies in her pre-promotion since eBay only allows 10 days for an auction. Kompolt's work isn't just for charitable groups. She's expanding into the automotive for-sale-by-owner market and hopes that her already established reputation will help to capture part of that market on eBay. The Tribune recently spoke with her about her business and why she relocated to San Luis Obispo in April 2004. The conversation is excerpted here: Big names, bigger profits The Tribune, Jeanne Kinney Learn more about Kompolt Online Auction Agency at www.kompolt.com To see more of The Tribune, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to www.sanluisobispo.com. (c) 2005, The Tribune, San Luis Obispo, Calif. Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News. Read More
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