Summerlin-area resident uses fast-talking talent to assist charities

What do you get when you mix the art of auctioneering with the pizzazz of Las Vegas? You get Jeff Manning, whose theatrical approach to presenting auction items takes things to a whole new level.

Best of all, many times, it’s a charity such as the Ronald McDonald House that benefits from his unique style.

“My mom had suffered with (various) auto-immune diseases,” he said, “so, I know what it’s like to have a family member with an incurable disease and how it impacts your family.”

From September 2014 to February, he did eight charity auctions. He brings in props and costumes that make his stage time like a production. A recent auction, for example, included dinner for six by chef Aaron Going, a graduate from Le Cordon Bleu in Austin, Texas. To highlight the prize, Manning had a local actress scurrying to follow a recipe as Manning rattled off the ingredients faster than a five-speed blender. Yet another event saw Nieve Malandra, who performs with Zowie Bowie, singing Adele’s “Skyfall,” after which Manning auctioned the Seamaster James Bond Edition designer wristwatch she wore.

Manning’s approach ups the ante for bids. Last year, an auction to benefit the Green Beret Foundation at the Westgate was expected to bring in $3,000. Manning appeared in a Peyton Manning jersey and energized the crowd with his Super Bowl spiel, complete with a cheerleader and a referee. His seven-minute stint ended up raising roughly $35,000.

Lest one thinks Manning, a Summerlin-area resident, gets more out of the deal as well — most auctioneers are paid a percentage of what they bring in — he does charity auctions for a flat fee or pro bono.

Growing up near Seattle, Manning attended auctions with his dad, Jeff Sr., mimicking those he heard there.

“I said I can count; I can do that,” he said. “I had a little microphone, and I practiced all the time.”

At 9, a professional auctioneer heard him and included him on stage a couple of times. He studied cassette tapes from the National Auction School, running them on a loop all night as he slept.

“I can count backwards from 100 to zero by … halves,” he said, launching into full-speed auction mode. “One hundred, do I hear 99 and a half? Now 99, how about 98 and a half? …. If I ever got pulled over by the police, I would never want them to ask me to do the alphabet. I would rather offer to count backward (from 100) because it’s a lot easier.”

When he was 13, news spread of a school board member who’d developed a blood clot in his brain. The family required funds for surgery. A musical fundraiser was organized and held in Everett, Wash. Manning was selected as the auctioneer. He donned a tuxedo, took the lectern and proceeded to raise “a ton of money. In today’s dollars, it’d be about $50,000,” he said.

Active in art, drama and acting, he presided over auctions for 4-H, his school, church and community groups, honing his skills. In his 20s, Manning got the acting bug, appearing in commercials and two TV pilots. He also had a small role in “The Strip,” a show that survived four episodes. Recently, he was tagged to be in a Nicolas Cage movie, though he said he can’t reveal any details. He’s also shopping around a reality show on his auctioneering career.

Carrie Carter Cooper, founder of BESTAgency in Las Vegas, said she’s known Manning since 1997, when he came in for acting lessons that gave him “stage presence and confidence and helped his ability to interact with individuals or a crowd. He has a really fun, outgoing personality, and he’s a natural at it. His style of autioneering is very unique in that it entails entertainment … so, people aren’t just listening to someone talk 100 mph.”

Since 2007, Manning has run his own real estate/construction business, ABG Builders. But being an auctioneer will always be in his blood, he said, as will using production elements to entertain the audience.

“I combined all these skill sets — the project management, the acting, art and live performance and auction skill sets — and created a Vegas-style auction segment that keeps people engaged,” he said. “I come out with a whole act, and people go, ‘Whoa.’ They weren’t expecting that.”

For more information, visit manningauctions.com.

To reach Summerlin Area View reporter Jan Hogan, email jhogan@viewnews.com or call 702-387-2949.