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DirectBuy of Little Rock

DirectBuy of Little Rock rises to the top, wins top awards at DirectBuy’s International Conference

LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS…

For the more than 1800 attendees at DirectBuy’s 2010 International Sales & Service Conference – held in Dallas, Texas, May 23-26 – the three days of awards, education, and team-building sessions were informative, inspiring, and energizing. But for the 20 representatives from DirectBuy of Little Rock, the 2010 Conference proved magical, as the club not only took home DirectBuy’s most prestigious honor, Club of the Year, but they also wrapped up the company’s Rising Star award, presented to new franchise owners who demonstrate excellence in their first year of ownership.

Never before in company history has a franchise taken both honors in the same year, and to top it off, DirectBuy of Little Rock also earned Top 5 Sales Club of the Year honors and a 5-Star Customer Service Rating award. “Conference was wonderful beyond all of our wildest dreams – we knew it would be exciting, but it was very meaningful and humbling to share it with our staff,” said Phil Schmidt, owner of DirectBuy of Little Rock. “We achieved what we did as a team, and it was an incredibly emotional experience for all of us.”

To earn Club of the Year honors, a DirectBuy franchise must demonstrate excellence in customer service, business operations, and membership sales. Since taking ownership of the franchise in April of 2008, franchise owners Phil and Paula Schmidt and Rand Falbaum have shown unbridled enthusiasm and dedication to helping families through DirectBuy. “Without a doubt, Little Rock, the franchise owners, and their staff have earned these awards through hard work and commitment,” said DirectBuy Corporate Executive Vice President Bart Fesperman. “They are true go-getters and innovators and have a passion not just for helping members, but also their community.”

DirectBuy of Little Rock is now preparing for the year ahead, setting their sights high for personal achievements and team accolades at next year’s International Sales & Service Conference. “We’ve worked hard to become a successful club by making sure our members’ experiences exceed their expectations,” said Paula Schmidt. “We always invite member feedback, and will continue implementing improvements and additional benefits as our members let us know what they want.”

Since opening in 2008, DirectBuy of Little Rock has helped consumers enjoy savings on home furnishings, home improvement items, entertainment and outdoor products, flooring and accessories, by providing an avenue to purchase directly from manufacturers or their authorized suppliers. Conveniently located at 10303 Colonel Glenn Road, Suite 1-0, Little Rock, DirectBuy Club offers consumers a comfortable setting where members finally have the financial control of buying direct.

About DirectBuy Club

Consumers interested in joining DirectBuy are encouraged to attend an exclusive Open House event, which is designed to educate families about DirectBuy’s business model and the benefits of buying direct. The Open House also helps consumers better understand how DirectBuy members avoid traditional retail markup when purchasing brand-name merchandise.

Since 1971, DirectBuy Club has been showing hundreds of thousands of consumers unparalleled ways to save as they shop for virtually everything for in and around their homes – from furnishings, home improvement and flooring, to entertainment and outdoor products, accessories, and much, much more. With more than 150 locations in North America, DirectBuy offers its members access to more than 700 brand-name manufacturers or their authorized suppliers in the United States, and more than 500 in Canada.

For more information on a DirectBuy Club membership, visit http://www.directbuycares.com.

Consumers interested in seeing DirectBuy Club’s savings, service, and selection up close may obtain a Visitor’s Pass to attend an Open House by visiting www.directbuy.com or www.directbuycares.com.

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DirectBuy of Little Rock makes local efforts for long distance disaster.

 LITTLE ROCK, AR…

Why is it that “no good deed goes unnoticed?” Sometimes it’s because the effects of that good deed will have forever altered the lives of those involved. And that’s why the service staff at DirectBuy of Little Rock donated their time and efforts on March 27, 2009 to help fill 4,000 disaster relief buckets for the recent flooding in North Dakota.

Ferncliff Disaster Assistance Center in Arkansas coordinated local relief efforts for the flood disasters in North Dakota. The buckets contained essential items for residential cleanup like: garbage bags, sponges, scrub brushes, masks, gloves, and detergent. Little Rock’s service staff helped fill and palletize close to a hundred extra large buckets before returning to work that day.

“Our service staff participates in community outreach every month,” said co-owner of DirectBuy of Little Rock Paula Schmidt. “We’ll be back to help fill First Aid kits anytime there is a disaster.”

Months of rain and bad weather caused the Red River that runs through eastern North and South Dakota as well as western Minnesota to swell and spill over its banks. Floodwaters that made it through the levee damaged roads, public buildings, businesses, and homes.

A week after record flooding in North Dakota, cleanup efforts were under way. Thanks to the help of Ferncliff Disaster Relief Center, residents and businesses were prepared for immediate cleanup as relief buckets were sent on Saturday March 28, 2009.

In order to obtain high levels of service, DirectBuy of Little Rock has service trainings 3 days a week. Once a month, the staff reaches out to the community as part of those trainings. Little Rock’s Catalog Updater Eden Carroll introduced the staff to the relief center where her father serves as Director.

“Although the Red River is out of immediate danger, the river is still roughly 37 feet above flood stage. Should the river flood the area again, and we pray that it doesn’t, we would be more than willing to contribute further efforts in the relief of North Dakota,” said Service Manager Joey Sammons.

DirectBuy clubs across North America are active contributors to many local non-profits and charities. Some of the more notable beneficiaries of DirectBuy’s generosity include the Boys & Girls Clubs, Salvation Army, Habitat for Humanity, Homes for Our Troops and Children’s Hospitals.

About Ferncliff Disaster Assistance Center

Ferncliff has a 10,000 sq ft Disaster Assistance Center (DAC) that works in cooperation with Church World Service (CWS) and Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA). The warehouse receives CWS Gift-of-the-Heart kits from churches around the country. Churches west of the Mississippi are invited to send their completed kits to Ferncliff. Churches to the east are asked to send their kits to the CWS national warehouse in New Windsor, Maryland. Kits received at Ferncliff will either be consolidated and sent in quantity to Maryland or can be sent directly to disaster sites.

About DirectBuy

For 38 years, DirectBuy has been showing thousands of consumers unparalleled ways to save as they shop for virtually everything for in and around their homes – from furniture, carpet and flooring, and custom window treatments, to kitchen and bath cabinets and fixtures, appliances and much, much more.  DirectBuy enables members to purchase products from several hundred manufacturers at more than 160 clubs across North America.  To learn more about DirectBuy, visit www.directbuy.com or www.directbuycares.com.

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