by FCNews staff
FUN(D) RAISING: By all accounts the 9th Annual Alan Greenberg Charity Golf Tournament was a rousing success. Not only did it bring 158 industry personnel together for a day of friendly competition, more importantly, it raised $140,000 to benefit the Floor Covering Industry Foundation (FCIF). Held at Barnsley Gardens in Adairsville, Ga., the event brought together people from every level of the industry and across the country who contributed to FCIF through the Alan Greenberg Memorial fund. With such a diverse group participating, Rick Bennet, co-CEO of host CCA Global Partners, said the event does more than raise money; it “creates awareness and encourages others in the industry to donate to FCIF. It is important to us that we continue to provide assistance to those in our industry who need it.”
A LITTLE MORE: Held in honor of CCA’s co-founder, the Alan Greenberg Charity Golf Tournament has raised over $1.2 million for FCIF in its nine years of existence. FCIF is the industry’s non-profit organization set up to assist industry personnel who are experiencing catastrophic illnesses, severe disabilities or other life-altering hardships. Founded in 1981, the foundation has issued in excess of $3.5 million in grants and has helped everyone from mill people to installers. To find out more about this special organization, or to make a tax- deductible contribution, visit fcif.org.
GRAND PROMO: A grand slam home run is usually a game changer in any baseball game. But, Josh Hamilton’s fourth-inning blast on Sept. 14 for the Texas Rangers did more than help propel the team to a win over the Cleveland Indians. Thanks to a clever promotion by CC Carpet & Floor Design in Arlington, the shot proved to be a windfall for a multitude of lucky customers, as well as the company which got more publicity than the man who hit the home run. Owner Steve Fitzgerald ran a Grand Slam Payout promotion where if Hamilton hit one between Aug. 29 and the end of the season, anyone who had purchased flooring or countertops would get a full refund. “How could you go wrong?” he asked in his ads. To which his daughter, Morgan, replied, “Dad, are you crazy?” As an added enticement, if no grand slam was hit consumers would have been given five years to pay off their purchase.
SAFE BET: Fitzgerald figured he was making a pretty safe bet as Hamilton had hit only two grand slams in his five-year career with the last one coming in May of 2008. Helping raise the odds, Hamilton had come to bat with the bases loaded only 61 times. This was his fourth opportunity since the promotion began. Hamilton, who is actually a customer of CC’s and was aware of the promo, noted afterwards, “The situation doesn’t come up often, so when it does you can’t help but think about it. I’m in the business of giving back. I like to help people as much as I can by giving back. So, that’s cool.”
PAYOUT: In the two weeks the promotion had run Fitzgerald said more than $500,000 of flooring and countertops had been sold, and every customer who made a purchase during that time would get a full refund. “I’m excited,” Fitzgerald, who had secured an insurance policy before offering the promotion, told local and national media who covered the story. “I wish he could have waited until the last game of the season so more people could have gotten it.” He called Hamilton “a great guy,” noting when mentioning his 100-year-old grandfather is a big baseball fan the player called him and the two had a lengthy conversation.