ThoughtLeadership|&utm_term=|eNewsletter-Editorial-NAT(eNewsletter)|"> Auction.com, was recognized by a major organization. Freidman was named Internet Person of the Year by the Internet Marketing Association at its IMPACT14 conference in Las Vegas last month.

As GlobeSt.com reported last week, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Orange County, a nonprofit organization that provides children facing adversity with professionally supported, one-to-one mentoring relationships, has recognized Friedman's philanthropic efforts toward the organization. The nonprofit presented Friedman with the Joel K. Rubenstein Award at its 50^th Annual “Gourmet Dinner” black-tie gala on Oct. 23 at the Balboa Bay Resort in Newport Beach, CA. As we also reported last week, GlobeSt.com spoke exclusively Friedman about his and his firm's philanthropic activities and what they represent.

The IMPACT Awards exemplify best-in-class creativity, expertise and results achieved by Internet marketing professionals across every business segment. With this recognition, Friedman and Auction.com join past prominent Internet persons of the year including Mark Zuckerbeg, CEO of Facebook; Justin Choi, founder of Nativo; and Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos.

According to IMA chairman and founder Sinan Kanatsiz, “Rob Friedman utterly embodies the total vision of the Internet entrepreneur—the drive, the vision, the innovation, the risk taking. Combine that with his commitment to his community, employees and the development of the highest professional standards for the Internet marketing industry, and the selection of Rob as 'Internet Person of the Year' was a decision that was impossible not to make.”

IMA awarded Friedman the award for his hands-on approach to create a marketplace through the Auction.com platform, where buyers and sellers can benefit from the transparency and efficiency the platform provides. According to the firm, Friedman's ingenuity and innovative thinking has helped Auction.com implement new ways users can interact with the platform, including the introduction of Auction Finance, a new division created to facilitate financing for commercial and residential real estate investors, as GlobeSt.com reported earlier this month.

“To receive this award is such an honor—and a testament to Auction.com's success in providing Internet users with the most seamless process possible for transacting real estate,” says Friedman. “With more than $26 billion in residential and commercial properties sold through our platform, Auction.com is indeed 'where real estate is moving now and into the future.' ”