The following is a sampling of what some of our clients have said about the results of Deere Park & Associates projects. Hundreds of additional letters of references are available upon request:
“ Dear Mr. Richard Glabman,
On behalf of the entire Rossi Family, we would like to express our sincere appreciation to you and the
entire Deere Park team. Our expectations from the generation of sales and profits to the level of
professionalism of the staff have been well exceeded. I must admit, the initial thought of hiring a firm to
come in and perform a liquidation event at our store was unsettling. My idea of how a typical sale like
this would run was not something that I wanted to be a part of. In retrospect, I couldn't have been
more wrong. Not only was I impressed by the professionalism and preciseness of the sale, but I learned
a lot from how your operation performed and it was a pleasure being a part of this project.
During our initial meetings, you provided us with a Pro Forma for the sales, expenses, and profits. This
Pro Forma was nearly spot on to the actual ending numbers. What we respect the most is that you are a
man of your word. Everything you said you were going to do, you did, and you always had our best
interest. You were available for discussion 24 hours a day 7 days a week. It is refreshing to go into a
contract with someone that had that type of dedication and respect. We have a tremendous amount of
pride in our company and the name that has been around for over 50 years. We believe that you shared
that same pride and devised a team that carried out this sale with the upmost respect for the Rossi
organization.
We cannot say enough good things about Bob Holmquist as the Regional Manager, and Bryan Bender
and Jim Aasland as the Store Managers. Both Bryan and Jim worked tirelessly at managing the day to
day operations of this well managed sale. They are both true managers of people with an outstanding
capability for retail operations. The level of customer service was astounding, and I'm confident that all
customers were treated fairly and were satisfied. I would also like to mention the excellent work
performed by Judy Griggs, our account manager, Kendra Neville our office and front desk supervisor,
and Armondo Hernandez, our warehouse manager, along with the entire sales staff. I truly believe that
an organization is only as good its individuals, and these are the individuals that realIy made this sale
a success.
In summary, we would be pleased to provide the strongest personal recommendation for any
prospective client of Deere Park. Outstanding results were achieved by the Deere Park Team and I sincerely believe that any furniture store that has the opportunity to work with Deere Park will be getting a first class experience. Thank you again for all your support and it was truly a pleasure doing business with you. ”
Michael Rossi, Vice President
“ Dear Mr. Richard Glabman,
It will be very difficult to express how grateful I am in words, but I will do my best.
First of all you have saved my family’s future! I say this because you have exceeded the best case scenarios based on the multiple performance projections you provided the first day we met. Richard, you have been available night and day whether it be answering questions and or giving sound advice. This is very important because as you know; House of Sofas has worked with other companies (liquidation, retirement sales) over the past 20 years, and they were all unsuccessful between broken promises and terrible results (Wahlquist, D.M. Reid & others).
You have given a new life to my family and our survival. Your FANTASTIC advertising, your buying power, and your ability to pass the savings to House of Sofas directly is unheard of, and it makes me wonder if I had professionals such as Gary Self and his team that treat my store as if it was their own working for me, I would not be in this position of going out of business!
With your direction we went from 8-10 customers a weekday to 80 plus a weekday. We went from 15-20 customers on Saturday and Sunday to 150-200 on Saturday and Sunday. Even in the final two weeks people are still coming to shop at our store and we are almost out of furniture (which is a good thing).
My main concern based upon past companies was keeping the integrity of House of Sofas and our family name. It is remarkable we have “NO” problems that were not resolved or any unhappy customer (UNHEARD OF). Because of your buying power and “NO FALSE MARK UPS” like everybody else does, it was very easy to sell the quality products that customers recognized and see that we have the very best price up front (UNHEARD OF). Gary Self has been a professional and became a friend. The sales team that you put together (Peter, Patty, Elaine, Richard, Lisa, and of course Pat) were fantastic (VERY RARE IN THIS BUSINESS).
As I wrote in the beginning of this letter, it is very difficult to express the warm satisfied feelings that I have in my heart and soul. Any furniture stores that would like to contact me for a personal reference can contact me day or night on my personal cell phone that I would never give to anybody outside of my family and friends; my cell phone number is (734) 846-3081. I recommend if any furniture store is looking for a company for whatever sales needs that they have to call me for a personal reference.
Thank you and your remarkable staff. I will NEVER forget what you have done for House of Sofas and the Murphy family. ”
Sincerely,
Matt Murphy Owner/Operator
“Thank you for the outstanding support provided by Deere Park & Associates in our recent store consolidation project. Because of the involvement and financial support of your most capable organization, House of Denmark was able to fill millions of dollars of outstanding sold orders, sell the unsold products remaining from our involvement with another consultant, and address our obligations in an orderly manner.
Throughout this extended multi million dollar project, you and your staff conducted sales activities with the highest degree of professionalism. When problems arose, you and your organization solved these problems with an efficiency that reflected your experience in the industry. Your record keeping was precise and timely, and your personal involvement and team organization was a welcome change from my previous experience with other consultants.
I hope any prospective client will feel free to contact me to receive my personal recommendation for your services. You have satisfied and exceeded all of my expectations.”
Sincerely
John Bech
President
“ To Whom It May Concern:
It was a most difficult gut-wrenching but correct decision that my partners and I made to close all three of our full-line furniture stores. At that point, we had a significant amount of unsold inventory and knew we needed help to run a very successful final sale. After extensive research involving discussions with numerous industry leaders, we decided to meet with Mr. Richard Glabman, the president of Deere Park and Associates, Inc.
Mr. Glabman spent a considerable amount of time in each of our stores and came back to us with an ambitious proposal with respect to Sales, Gross Margins and Sale profitability. He was obviously very professional and knowledgeable but my partners and I were a bit skeptical about the ability for us to reach these goals in such tough economic climate. Nonetheless, we were impressed with Mr. Glabman and what others had told us about his company so we decided to contract them to run the sale.
I am pleased to report that Mr. Glabman and his fine management team were able to successfully hit those aggressive Sales, Margins and Sales, Profitability goals. More importantly, the management team assigned to an our engagement was able to achieve another of our critical goals. That was to treat our customers fairly and respectfully and maintain the integrity of the Good's Furniture name.
In addition, the staff from their corporate office was extremely professional and a sincere pleasure to work with.
Thanks Deere Park & Associates for doing a great job for us during a very difficult time ”
Joseph Cassidy
“Dear Richard:
On behalf of the entire Koch family, I would like to express my sincere appreciation for the recent services of Deere Park & Associates in our store closing event. It was a very difficult decision to close our 55 year old family business, but it was time and we felt Deere Park & Associates would give us the best chance at doing so successfully.
Throughout the three month event, your staff was very quick to respond to any and all questions we had. Your assistance in fulfilling sold orders and supporting relationships with our creditors was much appreciated. I felt at the beginning of our sale it would be impossible to sell every last stock item, but to great surprise everything was gone. My family was very satisfied with overall net profit and amount paid for our cost of goods.
As for Rusty Self and Tina Townsend our assigned Sale Managers, I am truly grateful for your incredible hard work. Rusty and Tina worked tirelessly to make our sale a success and while doing so treated our customers and staff with dignity and respect. In addition, I would like to thank Leo and all of the warehouse staff; I don't believe I have ever met a warehouse staff that works as hard as they do. Finally, a special thank you to the entire home office staff especially Melissa who fielded more questions than anyone.
My family was very pleased with the overall success of the sale and I would be pleased to speak with any prospective client about the great services Deere Park has to offer ”
Thank you,
Sincerely,
Jim Koch
President
P.S I highly recommend the rugs! Never in a million years did I think they would sell like that.
Sales: $1.6MM 9 Weeks 11,000 foot store GM: 42% Net Profit 14.6%
Client Suppliers: Lexington, Hancock & Moore, C.R. Lane, Hekman
“Dear Richard:
Thank you for all of the assistance that Deere Park provided to Riley’s Fine Furniture. The Sale conducted over the last three months was an outstanding success, achieving a multi-million dollar volume with strong gross margins, despite the current difficult economic conditions.
I sincerely appreciate the ongoing support provided by your most competent Sale Manager, Karen McNickle, and the accuracy and timeliness of the administration support provided by the most competent Deere Park staff, including, Arlene Westveld, Suzanne Bram, and Melissa Nichols.
The inventory support to our own suppliers of Drexel Heritage, Century, Hekman, Barcalounger, Bernhardt and others was easily recognized by our retail customers as outstanding values. You also added handmade Oriental rugs, which sold more than ten percent (10%) of total Sale Volume, despite our never having sold this category in the past.
You completed all of your promises and conducted the Sale with dignity and a level of professionalism that was most impressive. What I also recognize as being beyond my expectations is how you were ready to assist me in all aspects of our association, including landlord negotiations, creditor discussion and developing an effective advertising. You were always available for discussions and suggestions on how to make the project more profitable. Because of the high level of expertise offered by your organization, I was able to leave the day-to-day management of the Sale in your hands and focus my attention on my other home furnishings businesses. This freedom produced possibly the greatest gain for me personally.
Because of the results of the Sale, we will be able to pursue our other business plans. It was a pleasure working with you and your organization. I would be pleased to have you include me in the list of retailers fully satisfied with your services and your organization. Thank you again for a job well done.”
Sincerely,
Patrick Unverferth
Owner
“Dear Richard,
This letter will express our appreciation for the most professional manner in which Deere Park & Associates assisted us in conducting our store closing sale. After serving the Rice Lake, Wisconsin area for 46 years, it was a difficult decision to close our successful family business.
From our first personal meeting with you in Rice Lake, we were comfortable with your knowledge of the industry and the steps you indicated were needed to allow us to reach our goals. Your commitment to protect our community reputation was very important in our decision to use your services. We recognized that maintaining strong customer service and customer relations was equally important to generating an event profit.
In less than twelve weeks through the efforts of the entire Deere Park team, this Sale generated over a year's worth of our normal business. With your help, our store was closed with dignity, grace, and in a most professional manner.
We hope that you will be able to use this letter as our unconditional recommendation. Thank you again for helping us in this most successful project.
”
Harriet and Dale Larson, Smith Furniture
Company, Rice Lake, WI
“ As President of Steve Silver Company, an international supplier of home furnishing products, I have the opportunity to work with the industry’s strongest retailers and consulting organizations. The strength of our program forges our decision to choose our partners carefully, including consulting companies providing services to the home furnishing industry. When my brother made his decision to close his store in New York, there was only one company that I would have trusted to handle the liquidation. Every aspect of the Sale was most professional, as retailers must trust a liquidator explicitly with their future. Please add my name to the lengthy list of knowledgeable retailers and manufacturers that recognize Deere Park & Associates and Richard Glabman, without exception, as the best consultant in the home furnishing industry.”
Steve Silver, President, Steve Silver Company
“ If you are experiencing difficulty operating your store or stores and do not
know who to turn to for help, this letter will confirm that after working
daily with Deere Park & Associates and their principal, Richard Glabman for
almost a year, every promise, every projection, and every commitment made
was achieved or exceeded. The Sale conducted under their control and supervision
was an OUTSTANDING SUCCESS, producing results far greater than the most optimistic
projection. I provide this unconditional and unreserved recommendation for
the services of Deere Park & Associates in hopes that another home furnishing
retailer can benefit from their association.”
Jim Bullock, President, Bullock Fine Furniture & Bedding
“ Please accept this letter in appreciation for the outstanding performance of your entire organization in our recent Ethan Allen Store Closing Event. Throughout this fifteen-week event, your organization handled every customer with dignity and a professionalism that equaled our own company. At the end of the sale, you maintained and preserved the good will and outstanding reputation that our family has built for generations.”
Harry Phillips, Owner, Ethan Allen Home Interiors
“ As you know, I have been in business in Albuquerque for forty-five years. I was concerned with my business reputation and was concerned that our employees be treated fairly as we went out of business. Choosing your firm to conduct our sale was obviously the right choice. All the members of your management team were great to work with. Everybody displayed professionalism, respect and courtesy throughout the process. The final result was what we hoped for both financially and our reputation in the community. Thank you for living up to your end of the transaction.”
Jack Stahl, Former Lt. Governor of New Mexico, Owner, Academy Furniture
“ When I read your impressive list of references and the recommendations from other clients of Deere Park, I could not understand what would motivate so many people to write such glowing accolades. After working with you and your staff for over three months, here I am adding my name to that group!! Everything you promised was fulfilled and all of the goals of my family were achieved and exceeded!! Above all, I want to express my appreciation for treating our customers, employees, and my family with dignity and respect. Results talk. We are most pleased with Deere Park’s service, your advice, the Sale results, and strongly recommend dealers trust your judgment as we did.”
Aidee Fonseca, Owner, Packwood’s Showcase Galleries, Salinas, CA
“ I wanted to take this opportunity to compliment you and your company for the outstanding sale you ran for me. My single location store in West Bend did more than one year’s business in 3 months. I would recommend your company to anyone in our industry for the professional and honest way you do business.”
Steve Picus, President and Owner, Fields Homescapes, West Bend, WI
“ Our family would like to express our total satisfaction with the sale your firm completed for Waldrop Furniture Company, Abilene, Texas. The thought of hiring an outside firm to liquidate our inventory was not appealing to us at first. However, we kept hearing from former retail furniture business owners that there is one firm who, “does it right.” At the end of our Multi Million Dollar Sale, our entire inventory was sold, we received everything we agreed upon, and the sale generated a significant profit. We close our family business knowing we maintained the relationships, quality and values that our store was founded upon in 1923. It was a pleasure doing business with you.”
The Waldrop Family, Waldrop’s Fine Furniture, Abilene, Texas
“ Granite Furniture conducted two years of extensive research to identify a company
that we could work with to preserve and protect our outstanding reputation,
develop a successful long-term business strategy, and conduct an event that
produced the results we needed. Before choosing Deere Park & Associates, we
interviewed and researched practically every consultant providing services
to the furniture industry. After experiencing your services, we now understand
why you and Deere Park maintain the reputation as the ‘best in the industry’.”
John & Roger Richards , Vice-Presidents, Granite Furniture
“ Your activities regarding our two stores in Houston, Texas were accomplished with the highest degree of professionalism and expertise, and the results of this project exceeded my most optimistic projections. You have established an excellent working relationship with the nation’s manufacturers and credit sources and you were able to use those contacts for our benefit. I understand why Furniture Today consistently calls Deere Park & Associates, ‘best in the industry’.”
George McDaniel, President, St.James Furniture
“ Thank you for all of your assistance with our recent Chicago project. You and
your staff are most professional and I was able to turn over my store to
you with confidence you would not only achieve our goals, but also protect
our image and reputation. I am writing this letter in hopes that my experience
with your organization can serve as a reference to other dealers. When we
first met, Shamrock Furniture maintained five retail stores in the Chicago
area. We recently had taken over a La-Z-Boy retail store location, but we
were not able to achieve the sales volume necessary in this store to make
this location profitable. We originally met with you for consulting services
on general operations. While your advice and suggestions were most positive,
when we requested you run a “cash-raising event” in all our stores, you advised
that such an event would have a negative image on our future business, potentially
harming the reputation of our other stores, and you respectfully declined
the engagement. Our later investigation into these types of events and the
promoters who promise results from “relinquishment”, “Wall to Wall Inventory
Clearance” events, and “Inventory Liquidation” promotions, actually harm
future survival of the business and proved your advice to us was correct.
You were focused upon providing accurate advice, even when it meant no income
for you. When you did help us close stores, it was done properly without
harming our other businesses. I would be pleased to add my name to the growing
list of retailers, suppliers and industry executives that recognize the differences
between the services of Deere Park and any other consulting organization.”
Sammer Saini, President, Shamrock Home Furnishings
“ Drexel Heritage and several of our retail dealers have used the services of Deere Park & Associates. We have experienced a very professional relationship with the high degree of integrity and excellent reporting of business results on a weekly basis. Your firm has represented both our dealers and Drexel in a first class manner while achieving desired results.”
R. Bruce Nelson, Former Director of
Credit
“ I want to take this opportunity to express my appreciation for the efforts of Deere Park & Associates in the recent orderly liquidation of furniture inventory that was conducted for a Bank customer. I have been involved in collateral liquidations for over 20 years, and I can unequivocally say that the net return on this inventory was substantially higher than would have been obtained through any other liquidation method.”
David G. Moore, Senior Vice President and Manager, Special Assets Department, Local Oklahoma Bank
“Dear Richard,
I am writing this letter/fax to express to you our thanks for running such a well
planned and successfully executed sale.
Your management team, from Brian to Lana to Pat and everyone from DPA that
participated in that sale, was professional, courteous, and very pleasant to work
with. Your advertising was powerful and very effective. Your customer service
was outstanding, and what impressed us most, is even when the sale ended,
your customer service continued for months with the same care and attention.
And last but not least, thank you for achieving the very successful results and
most important, for conducting the whole event in such a great manner that has
preserved the fine name and reputation Flacks has established throughout the many years in the market.”
Riaya M. Kanso, CEO, Hilda Flack Interiors
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