bob hale increasing the bid after a donor raises their paddle during an auction

Testimonials

Client Testimonials

The following are unsolicited comments from clients and guests who experienced Bob's energy, professionalism, expertise, and fundraising results firsthand. Most were received within the past year and are shared in their own words. Scroll down further for testimonials from local and national celebrities Bob has received throughout his career.
"Thank you so much! You were fabulous as always, and we greatly appreciate your expertise for our largest fundraising event!"

Katie E.

Believe in Dreams

"Thank you again for doing such an AMAZING job with our event. Everyone is always amazed by the energy you bring. Thank you so much again!"

Nikki J.

Epilepsy Association

"Are you free to be our most amazing Auctioneer for 2027? We would love to have you!"

Julie L.

Hershey Montessori School

"THANK YOU for confirming the date on your calendar. We appreciate your expertise and partnership in making the fundraiser a success!"

Jeannie F.G.

Andrews Osborne Academy

"Hi Bob, thank you so much for supporting our event on Saturday! It truly helped make the event possible and special, and gave me so much relief to have a professional handle this for us!! Our guests loved the experience of having an auctioneer, and really enjoyed the energy you brought. That’s one of the reasons we’ve been told it was the best gala in 20 years!"

Lainie R.

Ohio Environmental Council & Ohio Environmental Council Action Fund

"Dear Bob! Thank you for being so fabulous to work with over the years. Some of my happiest memories are seeing you after the live auctions at Bloom every year – all the joy and energy and relief we were both feeling. You are a treasure to so many! Thank you for everything!"

Jayne E.

Recently Retired, Lawrence School

"Hi Bob: I am pleased to report that I have had nothing but positive comments on RTR this year. The auctions and Fund-a-Need were great! Nice job, my friend. Thanks again, Bob, for your many years of partnership."

Dianne H.

Creative Living Unlimited

"Good morning, Bob. Thank you again for making our event so successful. We truly enjoyed having you."

Sarah S.

Teach Haiti

"Hi Bob, we heard such fantastic comments about you and how much fun you made the live auction! We would absolutely love to have you back next year!"

Christy C.

Feeding Medina County

"Catherine, Bob, and Victoria: Yesterday, we took a bit of a victory lap after receiving countless texts and phone calls from family and friends telling us what a great event Friday night was. None of this would have been possible without the three of you. We sincerely and honestly, tearfully want to thank you for everything you have done. Your guidance made all the difference."

Dan K.

Kovacevic Family Foundation

"Hi Bob, thank you so much for your time and talent this past Saturday. Your professionalism, energy, and expertise played a huge role in the success of the evening, and we truly could not have achieved the same outcome without you. We are so grateful for all you brought to the event. We look forward to collaborating with you again in the future and are thankful to have you as such a valued partner."

Vince W.

Malachi House

"Bob, you have been a great part of the event over the past 2 years, and we appreciate all you do to generate much-needed revenues to feed our communities’ future."

Mitch W.

Hunger Network

"Hi Bob! Thank you so much for an amazing event! You did such a great job, and we have heard nothing but good feedback. Going into next year, we already have a date. If you are available, we would love to book you!"

Alexis J.

March of Dimes

"Hi Bob, thank you so much for a wonderful evening! You always do a great job! Thank you! Very Grateful!"

Tia L.

Torchlight Youth Mentoring

"Hi Bob, thank you very much for your contributions to another successful event!"

Leah D.

Goodwill Industries of Akron, Inc.

"Good morning, Bob! Fantastic! ASGA is very excited to have you join us again in 2026. Thank you for being such an important (and fun!) part of our success in 2025!"

Nathan B.

Autism Society of Greater Akron

"Hi Bob, thank you for the HUGE help you were in the success of the evening on Saturday. You made it very fun for our guests—many have said so."

Elaine T.

Transplant House of Cleveland

"Bob, I can’t thank you enough for all you did for us for the Night to Fight Hunger Gala. Your energy and enthusiasm set the mood for the successful live auction, fund-a-need, and paddle-drop. I also appreciate your advice and counsel about the program and the order in which things appeared. It made a significant difference."

Mitch W.

Hunger Network

"Bob, you were on fire! That was hands-down (paddles up?) the best auction and paddle raise I’ve ever been part of."

Kate V.

Hanna Perkins Center for Child Development

"Bob, Many thanks for your incredible work at our Dessert First event. Your energy, charisma, and skill during the live auction and Fund-a-Need were nothing short of extraordinary! Thanks to your talent and dedication, we were able to raise significant dollars that will directly support our mission and empower girls across Northeast Ohio. You helped create an exciting and generous atmosphere that inspired our guests to give from the heart, and we are truly grateful."

Julie W.

Girl Scouts of North East Ohio

"Hi Bob, thanks again for a wonderful event! So many wonderful comments…can’t thank you enough for the many ways you contributed to the event's success. Reaching out to see if you have availability to once again join us as our emcee and auctioneer."

Gina G.

Neighborhood Family Practice

"Thanks, Bob! Things did go smoothly. Thanks for all that you did to add to the fun and success!"

Jean T.

Jennings

"Hi Bob: Excellent job last week; you are always a pleasure to work with! Thank you for working with us and supporting NFP’s mission!"

Joyce N.

Neighborhood Family Practice

"Hello Bob, thank you for a fantastic job yesterday! Everything ran so smoothly. The live auction generated $XX,100 and the Fund-a-Smile raised an additional $XX,450. That’s incredible and far exceeded our prior fundraisers!"

Jen K.

Smiles with Style

"You were a huge hit!"

Andy T.

May Dugan Center

"Thank you, Bob Hale!! You did a fabulous job!! You worked the crowd with incredible finesse. You opened a few additional wallets, and you had the crowd laughing! Thank you for helping our nuns with their renovations!!"

Sharon D.

Poor Clares of Perpetual Adoration Foundation of Canton, Ohio

"Hi Bob! What a fabulous night! Thank you so much for your hard work and all the ways you built enthusiasm in the room. It was a wonderful night, and you did a fabulous job for the school! Thank you again for all you did to make Bloom a great night for Lawrence."

Jayne E.

Lawrence School

"Hi Bob—You did an amazing job! I’ve heard nothing but glowing compliments from guests, staff, and board! Thank you for helping us to have a fabulous event! Julie and I appreciated how easy it was to work with you. We were delighted with your work. Thank you so much. We have lots of wonderful comments! We would love to book you again for next year’s gala."

Yvonne T.

Hershey Montessori School

"Wonderful and thank you…Thank you for confirming that we are on your calendar. It’s not an event without you with us!"

Jeannie G.

Andrews Osborne Academy

"Good morning, Bob: Thank you so much for the kind words and emceeing Friday Night on 55th. You played an instrumental role in making our event a success! It was a pleasure working with you, and thank you again."

Jenia T.

Vocational Guidance Services

"Hi Bob, thanks for reaching out! We have always appreciated the energy and excitement you bring to our events."

Olivia P.

Great Trail Council, Boy Scouts of America

"Hi Bob, we sent our guests a survey, and they loved the energy you and Lindsay brought to the event and the way you incorporated the teachers. Not to mention that we also loved working with you, so we are hoping you will come back next year! Can you please put us in your calendar? We accomplished my wish and broke records! Thank You!"

Maria S.M.

Rocky River Education Foundation

"Hi, Bob! You were—and are—terrific!"

Deborah F.J.

Our Lady of the Elms School

"God bless you, Bob. Thanks for all your help. You are such a great blessing!"

Father Bob S.

St. Ambrose Church

"Hi Bob! It was a fun night!!! Thanks for the great experience!!!"

Fr. Steve

St. Hilary School

"Hi Bob, thank you for being so wonderful to work with. Our group had a fabulous time, and you did a great job keeping people’s attention throughout the night. I know that this required a lot of work, so we are grateful for your help."

Catey B.

St. Hilary School

"Bob, thank you again for making magic happen for AOA on Friday night! Thank YOU for your leadership and expertise!"

Jeannie F.

Andrews Osborne Academy

"Hi Bob, listen, they absolutely loved you. My daughter is still raving. You brought energy into the room. Thank you so much."

Anita B.

Northern Ohio Recovery Association

"Bob, a very BIG Thank You from us here at the office. The Poor Clare nuns Gala was a success. You did a wonderful job on the LIVE Auction and the Fund the Cause. We appreciate you, your talent, and the equipment you had to bring. God bless you."

Andrea S.

HALO Foundation

"Good morning, Bob. Thank you again! You were amazing."

J. Rita M. D., Esq.

Signal Ohio

"Hi Bob, thanks for letting me know! I also wanted to mention that so many people have spoken highly of you as we’ve explored various venues. We’d love to have the Bob Hale experience for one of our future events—maybe for our 2026 event!"

Haylee K.

Mark Kalina Jr. Foundation

"Good morning: again, thank you for all your help with the Signal Cleveland birthday party auction last week. We were all amazed, and so were our guests."

Lacey R.

Signal Cleveland

"Hi Bob, thank you again for all your help in making the event a success! We are looking forward to having you back again next year!"

Jennifer A.

St. Anselm School

"Thanks so much, Bob! It was fun, and we appreciate your guidance in helping to make it so successful!"

Mary Ann M.

Womankind, Inc.

"Thank you, Bob. You always do such a great job!"

Judith M.

Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Parma

"Dear Bob, you were fabulous, as usual. We heard lots of positive comments about the auction and about you specifically. And of course we want you next year! The committee wants to choose a date and book it now, so as soon as we have one, I will let you know"

Marlenn M.

West Bloomfield Area Rotary Foundation (Michigan)

"Hi, Bob: Thanks again – it was a spectacular evening, and we very much look forward to having you back next year. I wish we took some video of you in action."

Jan G.

Hudson Community Foundation

"Hi Bob, thank you so much for a delightful evening. I’ve been getting so much great feedback about how fun and entertaining you were during the live auction! I enjoyed meeting and working with you. Thank you for being a part of our event! Thank you again!"

Christine D.

Foundation for Geauga Parks

"Thank you, Bob!!! Thanks for making our event awesome! You were a game changer! What an amazing night!!!!"

Sara C.

Food Strong

"Hi Bob, thank you so much for an incredible auction yesterday evening! The live auction, and particularly the raise-the-paddle, exceeded our expectations. Everyone had a great time, and you made the auction a blast."

Erin H.

Apollo's Fire Baroque Orchestra

"Hi Lisa! Absolutely! His name is Bob Hale. I copied him above… He’s wonderful!"

Referral Email from Jayne E.

Lawrence School

"CONFIRMING that AOA would love to have you as emcee and auctioneer. It’s going to be another fabulous fundraiser thanks to working in partnership with you!"

Jeannie G.

Andrews Osborne Academy

"Good morning, Bob. Thank you for all your time, energy, and help! You played a key role in making our event a success! Can you please check your calendar for next year? We need to finalize the date this week, but I would love to book you again. Again, thank you!!!!!!! GREAT JOB!!!"

Jenia T.

Vocational Guidance Services

"Thank you so much for all of your time and efforts to make our winter benefit a success! We loved having you there and look forward to working with you in the future. Thank you again!"

Kaitlyn O.

Menlo Park Academy

"I just wanted to start by saying thank you so much for joining us this past weekend for our Second Annual Deck the Halls Holiday Fundraiser. Having you there made the event 1000% times better! Thank you so much again!"

Alyssa D.

The Kendall Foundation

Celebrity Testimonials

The following are written and verbal testimonials received throughout my career from local and national celebrities, as well as from writers covering special events and special event coordinators who conduct them.

"Truly, thank you so much for being so easy to work with and amazing! I appreciate you so much. It is looking like we are going to have a BIG year. Thanks again!"

Sarah Kay

94.9 WQMX Program Director/ Morning Show Host: Scott and Sarah in the Morning

"Your positive energy made such a difference – it was very fun, engaging, and successful!"

Deborah (McVay-McKinney) Williams

Time To Spare, LLC Event Management

"It was an absolute pleasure working with ya again. You’re the best in the biz for a reason…and helped raise a ton for a wonderful cause. Hope to do it again soon!"

Jon Doss

Sports Anchor, News 5 Cleveland

"I want to thank you again for the amazing work you did at the Cleveland Hearing & Speech Center’s (CHSC) gala earlier this month. The work you do is critical to the success of an event’s most precious moment in the program."

Gail L. Palmer, CSEP

Chief Event Organizer, Palmer Event Solutions LLC

"I have seen many auctioneers at charity events, and you are absolutely the best!"

Kelly Stevens

On Air Personality, WHOT-FM (Hot 101 Youngstown)

"I’ve seen Bob many times. He really is the best!"

Mark Shapiro

Former President, Cleveland Indians/Guardians

"…I absolutely LOVE working with you, and I was so thrilled we got to do it again…I think we make a great team, but more importantly, I’m amazed to watch you bring the magic: you are a true professional; I have a lot to learn from you…"

Heather Burns

Former On-Air Personality, 91.3 The Summit

"You did a wonderful job. Your energy is incredible!"

Henry Winkler

Legendary Actor, Producer, Author

"Everyone is raving about you!"

Jen Toohey

Formerly Q104, Now Star 102

"I turned to Cheney and said this guy can float a battleship on a raindrop!"

Retired Wyoming State Senator Alan Simpson

to Former Vice President Dick Cheney about Bob’s talents

"I had heard so many great things about you, and they were true!"

Jan Jones

Cleveland TV and Radio Legend

"I wanted to thank you very much…I think you did an exceptional job. I was impressed with your ability to connect and manage the room with limited AV."

Mary Beth Lee

JOBEE

"You are impressively skilled as an auctioneer, a great entertainer and possessed of inspirational energy! I know how grateful everyone at Lawrence is for the enthusiasm you bring to your work, and it’s my privilege to work with you anytime. Have a great summer yourself, and see you again soon."

Lee Jordan

Cleveland Legend and Former Newscaster, WEWS NewsChannel 5

"Every time I see you at a benefit auction, I let them know they’ve hired the best auctioneer in town! It’s true!"

Kathryn Riddle

Former Writer Covering Special Events

"Bob Hale is a master auctioneer."

Rebecca Wilde

Q104 Wilde & Fee Show

"Your lively style and auctioneering skills made the Legacy of Hope reception a whole lot of fun. Thanks so much for being such a big part of this successful evening for MDDO. Hopefully it will grow to become a big part of the success of this effort to promote community service."

Hope Taft

Former First Lady of Ohio

"I go to so many events every year and you really are the best auctioneer in Cleveland."

Monica Robins

WKYC Channel 3 News

"You did a great job, again. Thank you very much!"

Al Roker

NBC’s Today Show Weatherman

"You were fabulous!"

Barbara Adams

Legendary Celebrity Morning Show DJ, 98.1 WKDD

"You are the best! You are the best!"

Larry Morrow

Legendary Cleveland DJ and Personality

"Thank you so much. You were great! That was fun! You really have a God given gift."

Joy Swinea

Multi-Platinum Songwriter (Nashville, TN)

"I want you to know that because of our business, we go to a lot of benefits throughout the year. We see a lot of Auctioneers, and you really, really are the best! And I wouldn’t say that unless it were true."

Art Thomas

Former Writer Covering Special Events

"I just wanted to say thank you for your help at the Flavors of Northeast Ohio event. We had a ton of fun, and the auctions did great!"

Rachael Stentz-Baugher

SB Consulting, LLC

Featured Testimonials

"You are a treasure in the community."

Guest

The Joseph and Florence Mandel Jewish Day School

Note from Bob: After a benefit for the Joseph and Florence Mandel Jewish Day School, a guest came up to me, thanked me, and said the above. I humbly post it in honor of my father, who passed in 2009. My father saw something in me I didn’t even know existed, and suggested I become an auctioneer. He was extremely proud and supportive of my career. I love you and miss you dearly, Dad.

"It was our good fortune to secure Bob Hale as our auctioneer 7 years ago and he has done an absolutely great job for our organization in professionally conducting the live auction. As a result of Bob’s boundless enthusiasm and classy presentation we have been able to maximize and optimize charitable support from our auction as part of our annual golf outing. Prior to having Bob partner with our celebrity auctioneer, Bill Wills, Morning Drive Host on WTAM 1100 AM, we were raising $3,000 from our live auction. Thanks to Bob and his excellent working relationship with Bill Wills, we have increased our net proceeds from our live auction each year. This past year we raised more than $36,000 alone from our live auction. It was Bob who had the brilliant suggestion of offering our audience to purchase assistance packages for our clients at $500 each after the live auction. In our first year we hoped to secure 10 assistance packages. Bob raised 20 for us. This past year Bob helped us secure 40 assistance packages totaling $20,000. Bob is a true professional and a joy to work with. In the 7+ years with Bob as our professional auctioneer I have never had one complaint from any of our auction donors. If you are looking for a professional auctioneer for your charity event I highly recommend Bob Hale. Feel free to contact me if you would like to know more about our great experiences with Bob."

Alex S. P.

Former VP of Advancement, Guidestone

Note from Bob: Immediately following a golf event, a wonderful gentleman came up to me and congratulated me on a great live auction and Fund-a-Need program. He said if I ever needed a written testimonial, he would be more than happy to write one. I politely thanked him, saying that I never solicit testimonials. A few days later, the following arrived via email. I was blown away. And Alex, I am forever grateful to you for putting your trust in me.

"I am writing this letter to express my gratitude and my profuse thanks to Bob Hale and Benefit Auction Services…I really needed some guidance from someone who I could trust and who would work with me long distance. I found Benefit Auction Services in the Yellow Pages. When I spoke to Bob Hale, I was immediately impressed by his professional and compassionate tone. Without any concern as to whether or not he would even get the business, he took over 30 minutes just to explain to me several options that I had…I knew right away I found the right person.

…he explained everything to me in great detail… I could not be more satisfied with him, and with Benefit Auction Services. I am so glad there was Bob Hale to help me…I highly recommend Benefit Auction Services… As a health care professional, I appreciate the thoroughness and dedication Bob applies to the task at hand. As a person, I am grateful for his kindness and his sincerity…I am thankful Bob was there to help me."

A.S.

Pittsburgh

Note from Bob: The following is a testimonial I received many, many years ago. You can tell it’s old as it references the Yellow Pages! I keep this one on my site because it was the very first time I realized my services made a difference in this world. I excerpted the above passages from a long letter.