Able Auctions: The Ultimate in Recyling and Sustainability
Publish Date: August 2009
Jeremy Dodd remembers feeling chills as he listened to the radio announcement declaring Vancouver as the chosen host city for the 2010 Winter Games. And now, six years later with the Games fast approaching, the Chief Operating Officer of Able Auctions is closer to the action than he could have anticipated, having won a contract to provide used office furniture for Olympic Broadcasting Services Vancouver (OBSV).
Able Auctions is a liquidator and auctioneer for a variety of products ranging from furniture and office equipment to electronics and industrial equipment. The company specializes in purchasing overstocks and discontinued products from major manufacturers and importers, then reselling smaller quantities of the merchandise to retail chains, smaller resellers, and to the public.
Not only is Able Auctions both a business-to-business and consumer auctioneer, but the company conducts auctions live and simultaneously broadcasts them over the Internet. In fact, this Coquitlam-based auctioneer recognized early on the value of the Internet as a tool in the auction industry. It was the first company in North America to take the process online. And it continues to commit resources to online auctioneering in the Metro Vancouver market.
Having broadcast over 300 live auctions online, Able Auctions has developed state-of-the-art broadcasting technology. The company now provides this technology, along with related services, to auction houses looking to expand online.
In preparation for the Games, Able Auctions will purchase approximately 11,000 pieces of used office furniture from broadcasters around the world, to be used by broadcasters of the OBSV. The company will then be responsible for disassembling and reselling the furniture within a two week period following the closing of the Games.
Dodd credits much of Able Auctions’ success in securing the contract to the hands-on nature of the company’s management style and auction coordination.
“The ownership of Able Auctions is involved in every step of the auction process,” says Dodd. “That includes preparing and presenting the proposal, setting up the auction, advertising, managing the auction itself and supervising the removal process.”
Given Dodd’s enthusiasm for the Games, it is also fitting that the work of Able Auctions gives other small businesses a sense of being indirectly involved in this international event. By reselling the office furniture used by the Olympic broadcasters to local businesses after the Games, companies that may have otherwise been unable to afford such pieces can purchase high quality furniture with a Games legacy attached.
Even better, the buying and auctioning process means that office furniture is recycled and reused – demonstrating social consciousness and environmental sustainability.
“We are the ultimate in recycling,” says Dodd proudly. By reselling bulky items, Able Auctions helps minimize contributions to local landfills. The high quality furniture that they provide through the auction process far outlasts the cheaper pieces that cash-strapped businesses would normally buy. This alters the cycle of throwing out old furniture and lessens the impact on landfills.
When asked what advice he would give other local businesses for successfully winning bids, Dodd emphasizes the importance of participating in the bidding process. “The worst that can happen is you don’t get the deal, but the odds are very good that you will learn a lot by taking part.”
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