byline:  Michael Prentice
source:  The Ottawa Citizen
date:  Thursday, April 27, 2002

Jozef Straus, chief executive of JDS Uniphase, has a $3,000 price on his head.

That's the sum a bidder agreed to pay in an online auction for a date with the technology executive.

Mr. Straus turned out to be the top prize in the latest round of Executives on Auction, in which bidders competed for a date with a well known member of the community. The $3,000 goes to the charity of Mr. Straus' choice: the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario. The successful bidder gets to go on an outing with Mr. Straus. The choices include an Ottawa Senators hockey game and a performance at the National Arts Centre.

"It's always a pleasure to have the opportunity to help a great cause and have some fun in the process," Mr. Straus said.

The auction raised more than $15,000, all of which goes to charity. Auction organiser John Ernst, managing director of FrontierStrategies.com, said: "We seek to provide a new quality networking opportunity that benefits charities, and we will be working with other regions of Canada to expand the program."

 
Large photo of Dr. Jozef Straus, with headline: He's easy, but he doesn't come cheap
Caption:  JDS Uniphase chief executive Jozef Straus will accompany the unidentified successful bidder in the Executives on Auction charity event on an outing that could include a Senators game or the NAC.