Community Corner

Local Businessman Wins Harley-Davidson Auction ... Twice

That's two motorcycles in two years with the money going to charity -- and no, he doesn't ride.

A San Juan Capistrano businessman walked away Sunday with a Harley-Davidson after winning a charity auction in New Orleans this weekend, but what’s even more remarkable is that it’s his second such win in two straight years.

Joe Verde, president of the Joe Verde Sales & Marketing Group in San Juan Capistrano, bid $27,000 for a 2013 Heritage Softail Classic Anniversary Edition at the National Auto Dealers Association annual convention.

Last year, Verde paid $26,000 for 2011 Harley-Davidson Fat Boy at the convention held in Orlando, Fla.

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Money raised by the auction benefits the Wounded Veterans Initiative of Oceanside-based Canine Companions for Independence, a nonprofit organization that provides highly trained assistance dogs to people with disabilities, in this case, specifically for veterans.

“I’m a veteran. My dad was a veteran, and my son and grandkids are all veterans,” said Verde in a NADA press release. “I appreciate everything all the men and women in the armed forces do for all of us.”

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Verde is still in New Orleans, so Verde Group Marketing Manager Heather Flower fielded some questions.

No, Verde doesn’t ride motorcycles, she said. The Laguna Niguel resident actually returned the motorcycle to the auctioneer so it could raise even more money for Canine Companions, Flower said. The subsequent online auction raised another $11,900 for the cause.

See video of Verde bidding and winning the 2013 auction here.


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