The Retail Observer Magazine - Heart of the Industry

Heart of the Industry

The Retail Observer believes we are all in it together and proudly support charities with in-kind advertising in each issue of our magazine. Help us give back by supporting the work of these amazing organizations and consider spreading their message, donating or volunteering.

Calling ALL Dealers, Manufacturers, Distributors and Designers/Builders
Please send your generosity and giving stories to be considered for our Heart of the Industry page. Submissions can be sent to: letters@retailobserver.com. We look forward to hearing from you!

Our Partners' Stories

WHIRLPOOL & KB HOME - RONALD MCDONALD HOUSES

Whirlpool Corporation has joined KB Home’s 60 Acts of Kindness Effort in celebration of the home builder’s 60th anniversary. KB Home and Whirlpool Corporation will be working together to provide a new Whirlpool brand washer and dryer to 17 different Ronald McDonald Houses located in a KB Home market; one for each KB Home division. These appliances will service the needs of the families of critically ill children receiving medical treatment away from home.
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SPEED QUEEN - FUTURES WITHOUT VIOLENCE

Speed Queen recently concluded its 2015 national sponsorship of Mudderella, an outdoor 5-7 mile obstacle course event designed for women. Speed Queen joined forces with Mudderella to promote their “Dirty for a Difference” campaign, which raised money for Futures Without Violence (FUTURES). FUTURES is a national nonprofit organization working to end violence against women, children, and families. Throughout the course of the program, Speed Queen donated a total of $30,000 to FUTURES, raising awareness for the cause and giving a voice to those who have been affected by domestic violence.
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TRUE MANUFACTURING - ROB'S RIDERS

True Manufacturing is proud to join Pedal the Cause in the fight against cancer. The Trulaske and True Manufacturing family have been affected by cancer in many ways. Their founder of True Food Service, Rob Trulaske, passed away after a valiant battle to overcome cancer in 2008. Many of their cherished team members and families have also fought the good fight. Pedal the Cause is True Manufacturing's exclusive annual fundraising_ event because they want to see a world without cancer! Rob's Riders ride with TRUE pride.

Click Here to Donate to the True Team

BRANDSOURCE BUILDS BICYCLES FOR PHOENIX-AREA CHILDREN’S CHARITIES

Christmas is a time for giving. And BrandSource executives did just that this past holiday season as they built and donated two dozen brand new bicycles for Phoenix-area children’s charities including the Boys & Girls Club, Ronald McDonald House and The Salvation Army.

During the annual BrandSource executive leadership conference at the Arizona Grand Resort, nearly 200 participants consisting of members, staff and vendors broke up into groups and assembled the bicycles as part of a team-building exercise. Each team had to complete a series of challenges to ‘earn’ the bike components, such as moving objects without the use of hands or being the first team to answer a series of trivia questions.
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Friedrich Air Conditioning - DYCD & NYCHA

To help keep young people and families cool on hot summer days and nights, Friedrich’s donated 150 air conditioners to Cornerstone Programs now operating extended evening hours at New York City Housing Authority Community Centers - 38 centers were selected based on their need for air conditioning or replacement of their existing units.

“For over 60 years the people of New York have supported Friedrich Air Conditioning—you can
see our units keeping New Yorkers cool across the City,” said Wink Chapman, Vice President
of Sales & Marketing for Friedrich Air Conditioning. “It is a privilege for us to work with the
City on its mission to improve the quality of life for thousands of New Yorkers this summer and
throughout the year.”
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Whirlpool & Maytag - HomeAid America

More than 630,000 people experience homelessness on any given night in the United States, according to the National Alliance to End Homelessness. To support those in need, Maytag brand is teaming up with HomeAid America to help supply temporary shelter for homeless families working to get back on their feet. As part of the partnership, Maytag will contribute appliances and funding to HomeAid, a non-profit organization that builds and renovates multi-unit shelters for America’s temporary homeless families and individuals. To date, HomeAid has built more than 350 housing projects nationwide at a value of more than $200 million – nearly 50 percent of which was donated by the building industry.

“Now more than ever there are people in America that need help, and Whirlpool Corporation has always been a leader in assisting with safe and secure shelter,” said Bob Bergeth, general manager, Whirlpool Corporation builder sales. “Just as Maytag brand is known for dependability, HomeAid has served as a dependable lifeline for thousands of Americans who needed a place to stay as they rebuilt their lives. For this reason, we’re very pleased to partner with HomeAid.”
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Snow Brothers Appliance – American Cancer Society
By Sharon Bennett

Snow Bros. has been involved with the American Cancer Society since 2005. Our Dad died of lung cancer in 2001 at age 66, Mom at 69 of colon cancer in 2005 and Jim Ager (long time employee and family friend) in 1999 at the age of 41 leaving behind his wife and 3 young children. The connection began in 2005 when I attended my first Relay For Life. I was immediately taken by the passion of the ACS staff and volunteers and felt comforted being with people who had been through or were going through similar situations. After attending meetings and learning more about the American Cancer Society I was amazed at all the organization does that I was not even aware of (24 hour call center staffed with Drs. and nurses, research and development, clinical trials etc..) ACS has several fundraising events in our area including Relay For Life, Making Strides Against Breast Cancer and the PanOhio Hope Ride. We created a team to participate yearly in Relay For Life and I chaired from 2007-2012. Last year we also added Strides Against Breast Cancer. We began having a yearly Golf Outing to help with fundraising and selling candy bars on our sales counter year round. Our first Golf Outing in 2007 raised $3500 and was over $10,000 in 2013 thanks to the support of friends, family and vendors. This past September we partnered with two other family businesses in our community in hopes of expanding our efforts. Hopefully, other businesses in other communities will find that by pooling their resources they can achieve so much more than they would be able to on their own and continue to help spread the word about cancer prevention and all the great ways that this organization helps to save lives across the country.
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Lake Industries – Scleroderma Foundation
By Saville Kellner

Las Vegas resident Saville Kellner is CEO of Lake Industries, an international leader in the wholesale supply of kitchenware. He’s also a member of the Board of Directors at the Scleroderma Research Foundation—and a patient. “About ten years ago, I had the pleasure of meeting celebrity chefs Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken through a radio promotion of one my companies was involved in and we became good friends. Susan was a dear friend of Scleroderma Research Foundation (SRF) founder, the late Sharon Monsky, and a founding Board Member. Susan shared with me her passion for the SRF and asked how I felt about getting involved. I was happy to do so based on her enthusiasm, having no idea what scleroderma was or what the word even meant. So, we donated auction items and attended their gala Cool Comedy – Hot Cuisine events in Los Angeles; thrilled to participate. I listened to the keynote speakers and thought I understood…
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The Retail Observer currently sponsors 2 children through the Unstoppable Foundation.