Frank Trunzo started a business buying and reselling antiques. When the antique business sagged, business became overstocked. A friend of Frank’s proposed a strategy for them to work together to fill an old hotel in Saxonburg, PA with antiques and hold antique auctions.
So, they did. They hired an auctioneer named Ralph. “Prior to an auction I was complaining because we were paying the auctioneer a lot of money,” Frank said. He told his friend and his friend’s wife, “I could probably do this myself.” His friend’s wife decided to have a bit of fun at Frank’s expense. To see Frank eat his words, she challenged Ralph, the auctioneer, by telling him Frank said he could do the auctioneering. The day of the auction, around lunchtime Ralph the auctioneer told the crowd, “I’m going to go take a lunch break and I’m going to hand it over to Frank Trunzo.” And Ralph gave the microphone to Frank and walked away. “Very poorly I auctioned off some of my stuff,” Frank said. “But after the auction was over, Ralph actually came to me and said, ‘Hey Frank, you want to be my apprentice?’ I said yeah I can do that. That sounds interesting.” Several people at the auction told Ralph and Frank that Frank was going to be a good auctioneer. “Sure enough, after a year or so, I started to get my wings and became a decent auctioneer,” Frank said. Beyond that he gained a reputation as a young, talented auctioneer. One thing led to another and he became owner and operator of an auction gallery near Pittsburgh PA, and later another one to which he added heavy equipment auctions.
In line with his new profession, Frank began entering National Auctioneers Association contests. While conducting estate and antique auctions, Frank cross trained as an auto auctioneer, which taught him to call auctions more quickly. “Every auctioneer will tell you if want to become a good auctioneer, you need to make time for it,” Frank said. “I was conducting a lot of auctions, so I was getting a lot of practice.” Frank continued to progress as an auctioneer and then he began winning contests. Some judges and other people complimented Frank for his pleasant voice and said they could listen to him conduct auctions for hours.
Frank and his wife, Wenda Trunzo decided they wanted to get out of northern weather, and considered Florida as a possibility. An auctioneer from Crystal River offered Frank the opportunity to interview in Florida for a job on his staff, and enticed Frank by inviting him to compete in Florida’s state championship.
The state contests are blends of the different types of auctioneers such as auto, livestock, and general, so a contestant is competing against others across all types of the auction business. On the day of the contest, several of the auctioneers came to Frank saying things like, “You’re going to win this contest and you don’t even live in the state. You’d better move to Florida.” Frank’s response, “Well funny you should say that, I am going to move to Florida.”
Frank won, and this success allowed him to take a job with a different Florida auction company. Frank says it was divine providence that moved them to Plant City. They were drawn like he was being tugged here. Within a short window of time the Trunzos found a house in Plant City that was a good fit for their family and they relocated.
“The question people ask is what it takes to be a good auctioneer,” Frank said. “The three most important things are clarity, clarity, clarity—and also a nice rhythm in that keeps people tuned in.” Frank must have these things right, because he has won win Florida State champion twice, Georgia State champion twice, Pennsylvania State champion, World Champion second place, and World Champion.
In 2008 the recession again depressed the auction business. From his view of things in Florida, Frank found a company trying a new thing, luxury auctions. “That’s what we wanted to do—conduct those highbrow auctions,” Frank said. “The way it turned out, we got traction in some really special locations in Saint Augustine; we got traction in Jackson Hole; traction in Hawaii; and it suddenly exposed itself that the market was available. We found very quickly that it’s about beautiful destinations.” Among the properties Frank has auctioned are Cher’s house in Hawaii and Kurt Warner’s house in Arizona. To date, Frank has auctioned over $5 billion in luxury properties.
Frank has conducted auctions around the world. He has taken the luxury real estate podium for Sotheby’s—traditionally the highest end private seller of fine art and jewelry. “We conducted a Sotheby’s auction in Hong Kong which was the first ever designated luxury real estate auction,” Frank said. “It took them 287 years before they held their first designated luxury real estate auction, and I’m privileged to be the auctioneer that conducted that.” An upcoming auction Frank is conducting will be the first designated luxury real estate auction to ever be held at the original Sotheby’s in London.
“I think the top privilege is knowing that the winning bidders lives have just been changed for the better when they buy these incredible, beautiful properties,” Frank said. “I had a man throw his arms around me, hug me with tears in his eyes and tell me how wonderful he feels that he was able to obtain a property where he could raise his son.”
I don’t take myself too seriously,” he added. “But I do know that I’ve been incredibly blessed.”
Frank and Wenda also own and operate the coffee shop Krazy Kup, and the restaurant Stage 201 in downtown Plant City. However, these establishments have set pricing, so you won’t have the chance to hear Frank’s auctioneer chant and to bid on your coffee or pizza.