We were duly impressed with the results of the 2014 Sonoma Wine Country Weekend event and reached out to auctioneer Scott Robertson to secure his services for our 2015 gala. This was the first time in the 23-year history of the event – Dinner Under the Stars – that Becoming Independent hired a person who makes a full time career of auctioneering. Happily, this shift resulted in a significantly elevated experience from beginning to end. Scott was consistently accessible and responsive, bringing added value from our first point of contact through the event’s de-briefing. He’s a consummate professional and my team and I were particularly appreciative of his holistic approach to donor relations and event management. Scott provided us with wise counsel throughout, was very supportive of our audience development efforts, and was in top form the night of the event. Our experience with Scott, and the record-breaking event results, convinced us of the wisdom of investing in a full-time professional auctioneer for our annual gala. We’ll be using Scott again next year and recommend him highly in all regards.