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FurnitureDealer.Net Announces Winners of 2016 March Madness Charity Challenge

Furniture World News Desk on 4/27/2016


FurnitureDealer.Net, a provider of websites and Internet marketing services to independent home furnishing retailers, reports that it recently wrapped up its fourth annual March Madness Charity Challenge. Participation in the event was free and open to anyone in the home furnishings industry. Participants registered online by picking winners of games in each round of the NCAA men’s college basketball tournament.

In addition FurnitureDealer.Net donated prizes ranging from $100 – $1,000 to the favorite charity of each Challenge winner. “We had our biggest turnout ever, with 115 industry partners and friends participating,” said Andy Bernstein, FurnitureDealer.Net founder. “There were more winners than ever—24—and we donated more prizes to more charities than ever, a total of over $5,000.”

Prizes were awarded in several categories:

BEST OF THE BEST:

  • 1st Place overall, $1,000: Jessica Everett from Furniture Barn, New Castle, Delaware. Jessica also won $200 for having correctly picked 3 of the Final 4 teams. Jessica's charity: Preston's Playground.

  • 2nd Place overall, $500: Ed Tashjian from Tashjian Marketing. Ed also won $100 for correctly picking 13 of the Sweet 16 teams. Ed's charity: the Bienenstock Furniture Library.

  • 3rd Place overall, $250: Brent Moores from Corinthian Furniture. Brent also won $200 for correctly picking 7 of the Elite 8 Teams. Brent's charity: Le Bonheur Children's Hospital.

MIDDLEST OF THE MIDDLE:

Tied for Middle Place:

  • $150: Thomas Lester from Furniture Today. Thomas's charity: The Barnabas Network.

  • $150: Dennis Hoy from Furniture Marketing Group. Dennis's charity: the HTLC Gerlach Fund.

  • $150: Lane Brundieck of Lane B Sales. Lane's charity: Osteogenesis Imperfecta Foundation.

RANDOMEST OF THE RANDOM:

  • 113th Place, $150: Sabrina Howley from Rotman's, Worcester, Massachusetts. Sabrina's charity: American Humane Association.

  • 68th Place, $150: Joel Huseby from Becker Furniture World, Becker, Minnesota. Joel's charity: Pain Free Patriots.

  • 104th Place, $150: Adam McDaniel from Walker's Furniture, Spokane Valley, Washington. Adam's charity: Matthew Hopkins Memorial Scholarship Fund.

  • 54th Place, $150: Tony Burtron from Godby Home Furnishings, Indianapolis, Indiana. Tony's charity: Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

OTHER RANDOM WINNERS:

  • "No April Fool's Joke: Blind Faith Award," $200: Erin Donaghy from Dunk & Bright Furniture, Syracuse, New York. By having "blind faith" in her favorite team against the odds, Erin earned money for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

  • Tied for "No April Fool's Joke: Hail Mary Award" (low in the rankings but one “Hail Mary” team in the Final Four):

    • $100: Nick Villani from Morris Home Furnishings, Dayton, Ohio. Nick’s charity: Humane Society of Greene County.

    • $100: John Hammer from Suburban Furniture, Succasunna, New Jersey. John’s charity: ASPCA.

  • "Easter Special: Best Final Four Picks," $300: Michael Faber from Royal Furniture, Memphis, Tennessee. Michael had the best point total going into the Final Four, earning money for MOST (Memphis Opportunity Scholarship Trust).

  • "Easter Special: Best Final Four Picks #2," $200: Andrea Adams from Miskelly Furniture, Jackson, Mississippi. Andrea had the second-best point total going into the Final Four, earning money for the Muscular Dystrophy Association of Mississippi.

  • "Leader of the Pack on March 25th," $200: Linda Eisenbraun from Sheely's Furniture and Appliance, North Lima, Ohio. Linda had the best record on March 25th, earning money for the Second Harvest Food Bank of the Mahoning Valley.

  • "2nd Place on March 25th," $100: Lee Gilmore from Banker & Brisebois Advertising. Lee was in 2nd place on March 25th, earning money for Forgotten Harvest.

  • Tied for "Best Sweet 16 Picks, $100": Several participants correctly picked 13 of the Sweet 16 teams:

    • $100: Jacob Shevin from Standard Furniture, Birmingham, Alabama. Jacob’s charity: Camp Smile-A-Mile.
    • $100: Mike Luna from Pedigo Furniture, Livingston, Texas. Mike’s charity: A21.

  • "Best Round 1 Picks Overall," $250: Ace Bullard from Bullard Furniture, Fayetteville, North Carolina. Ace had the best score after round 1, earning money for Fayetteville Area Operation Inasmuch.

  • Tied for "Best Round 1 Picks, Day 2," $100: Two participants tied for the best score after day 2 of the first round:

    • $100: Vinnie Fonti from Furniture & ApplianceMart, Stevens Point, Wisconsin. Vinnie’s charity: JDRF (Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation).

    • $100: Mike Luna from Pedigo Furniture, Livingston, Texas. Mike’s charity: A21.


  • Tied for "The Luck of the Irish: St. Patty's Day First Day Winners," $100: 

    • $100: Alex Macias from Del Sol Furniture, Phoenix, Arizona. Alex’s charity: Omega Delta Phi Foundation of Arizona.

    • $100: Brian Morgan from Coconis Furniture, Zanesville, Ohio. Brian’s charity: Y-City Barbershop Chorus.

    • $100: Rob Yanok from Virginia Furniture Market, Rocky Mount, Virginia. Rob’s charity: Halesford Baptist Church Building Fund.

“It’s gratifying to help support so many worthy causes,” said Bernstein. “This year’s tournament was packed with thrills and upsets. We hope everyone who participated in the Challenge had as much fun as we did,” added Bernstein.

More about FurnitureDealer.Net: FurnitureDealer.Net helps independent home furnishings retailers develop and implement successful omnichannel growth strategies that convert online furniture shoppers into local buyers. Clients include many of the 150 largest and most successful home furnishings retailers, including four of the past five NAHFA Retailers of the Year. FurnitureDealer.Net provides a world class website platform, publishes and maintains rich, up-to-date product catalogs for over 500 brands of home furnishings, appliances and consumer electronics, and helps clients succeed with business consulting, internet marketing and merchandising support. FurnitureDealer.Net also facilitates idea-sharing forums where a community of clients help each other innovate and solve problems. For more information, visit www.furnituredealer.net.