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A family legacy Contributed photos / Jolene Jokela-Veo
Celebrating Jolene's recent Minnesota State Auctioneers Association Hall of Fame award are, from left, brother Pete Jokela and his wife Deb, son Logan Jokela, husband Dave Veo, and niece-in-law Sammi and nephew Luke Jokela.
Auctioneer Jolene Jokela-Veo honored
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Lorie Skarpness Park Rapids Enterprise
olene Jokela-Veo was inducted into the Minnesota State Auctioneers Association Hall of Fame recently. She is only the third woman to ever receive the honor. “There aren’t many female auctioneers,” she said. Jolene just finished a threeyear term serving on the MSAA board of directors. Past honors include being an international auctioneer runner-up, San Diego, Calif. and an MSAA champ in 2008. “I’m also the only woman to ever sell at the National Finals Rodeo Bucking Horse and Bull Auction in Las Vegas,” she said. “I enjoyed that. I believe I sold the highest-priced bucking horse that day for $27,000.”
Learning the business
“When my dad, Eddie R. Jokela and my brother, Randy, started auctioneering, most auctions were clerked by local banks,” Jolene said. “So, Dad suggested to my mom, Lorraine, there is no reason you can’t add a clerking service to our family business. “ At that time, clerking and cashiering an auction involved recording each item by hand with a good description, the price and the name of the buyer, as bidding numbers hadn’t come along yet. In addition to running the auction business, the couple had a farm and played at wedding dances and other events in the area for many years. “They were busy raising cattle, horses and kids, playing with their dance band on
weekend nights and running auctions,” Jolene said. “I don’t know how they did it. As their six kids were getting older with more activities, they finally had to give up on their traveling band.” Jolene started clerking when she was in elementary school. As a young girl, she never thought that she’d be an auctioneer. “I was very shy, probably the shyest of us six kids, but clerking with mom built more confidence,” she said. “And then our family needed more auctioneers at that time, as we were conducting so many auctions.” There were only three female auctioneers that Jolene had heard of then – one in Montana, one in Colorado and one in Minnesota. Jolene said she learned how to conduct an auction by watching and listening to her dad and her brother at work.
JOKELA: Page 2
Jolene Jokela-Veo has the distinction of being the only woman to ever sell at the National Finals Rodeo Bucking Horse and Bull Auction in Las Vegas. She is pictured here with announcer Randy Schmutz.
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