NEWS RELEASE
News release written by Mega Group and published, unedited, by BedTimes
MEMPHIS, Tenn., Dec. 8, 2016 – As the year ends for 2016, MEGA Group USA reflects on a year marked with growth. In October, the buying group moved into a new, larger headquarters, leaving their previous office of nearly 20 years in Germantown, Tennessee, a suburb of Memphis. The new, larger facility moves the company’s headquarters within the city limits of Memphis.
“We have always been a buying group that is very conservative regarding rent, staffing and costs in general,” said Rick Bellows, president of MEGA Group USA. “But to accommodate our unprecedented growth in membership which required us to ramp up staffing, we could no longer function out of the old office space.”
The new MEGA Group headquarters features several additional management offices, along with space for various member support and accounting staff. “We didn’t go wild on office amenities,” said Bellows, “we’re still pretty frugal and intend to stay that way”.
Personnel additions:
In August, MEGA added Amanda Evans to their marketing team. Evans brings terrific experience to her role as Director of Marketing and will one day soon inherit the entire department. “Amanda is a dream come true,” said Jim Sendrak, EVP Marketing & Consumer Electronics. “I couldn’t imagine a better qualified individual who will not only ensure a smooth transition, but also bring a boat load of fresh imagination and creativity to the position. Our members are lucky!”
In October, Karen Young joined the team. While Young is not new to MEGA or its members, having served the group as an event planner since 2003, she joined the staff officially in Q4. In her official role, Young will serve as meetings and event director, overseeing MEGA’s two annual buying shows, showrooms at High Point, Tupelo and Vegas markets, travel and other special events.
“Having worked with MEGA for many years, I’ve always felt like part of the team,” said Young. “The opportunity to join the staff and focus on MEGA full-time was something I couldn’t pass up. I really look forward to continuing to bring top-notch events to our dealers.”
Darin Lehr joined the MEGA team in November and will serve as vice president of sales. Lehr spent two decades with Serta-Simmons Bedding as a sale rep, key account manager and sales manager. Lehr lead the sales department for the Serta plant in New England, directing upwards of a dozen field representatives.
Darin will assume direct leadership of MEGA’s 15 regional managers across the USA. These field executives are a diverse group with varied backgrounds. They come with either retail or wholesale backgrounds from the categories that the group represents. Some are industry veterans; others are well on their way to building their careers.
Each regional manager is charged with the goal of supporting and developing current members, and attracting new members to the group. It will be Lehr’s responsibility to manage and direct each RM so that they deliver first-in-class member service and gain a rewarding and fulfilling career with MEGA.
“I’m excited to join the team at MEGA Group USA, the nation’s leading buying group supporting retailers to achieve their goals,” stated Darin Lehr.
John Schmelzer rounds out the Q4 new hires. Schmelzer started in December as a regional manager serving Arizona and southern California. Prior to joining MEGA, he worked for Kittrich Corporation handling Best Rest, Legare’ and My First product lines in the West, and was with Serta for 17 years in the Arizona market. Schmelzer will serve as consultant to dealers and help communicate the value of their MEGA membership and the programs available to them.
Rick Bellows, president of MEGA Group USA had this to say. “We are delighted to make all of the additions to our staff. Our growth has been non-stop, and these new people will help us bring our valued members more and better services than ever before.”
ABOUT MEGA GROUP USA
MEGA Group USA is the fastest growing national home furnishings buying organization in the country with retail members in the furniture, electronic, appliance and mattress industries. MEGA Group USA is dedicated to the online success of every member and is committed to providing cutting-edge, effective and practical resources as technology continues to evolve and be the driving resource to reaching consumers. MEGA also provides their members excellent products and services including insurance, group vendor programs, custom advertising and marketing services, consulting, store merchandising, and information technology support aimed at driving floor traffic, improving sales and profits, and enhancing operating efficiencies. MEGA Group USA has 1,750 retail members in 3,200 store fronts throughout the United States. For more information on MEGA Group USA, visit www.megagroupusa.com.
Contact:
Amanda Evans
Director of Marketing
[email protected]
901-753-8243 ext. 223
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