We have lots of wonderful sister companies here at the Southwestern Company! Does everyone know what each of them do? I would like to take a moment to share a recent opportunity I had with Family Heritage. As one of our sister companies, we have a great opportunity to purchase a supplement insurance that pays directly to us in the event we are diagnosed with heart problems, cancer, or admitted into an intensive care unit. Though none of us want to plan for any of these, reality is, we will all be struck with one of these conditions whether ourselves, or our loved ones, at some point in our lives.
I just received a check from Family Heritage for $13,500 after my husband, Wendell’s, 29-day stay at St. Thomas Hospital. This will certainly go a long way to cover the expenses we had during this time. Having this supplemental insurance is a ‘no lose’ expense because all the money you invest on the front end will come back to you as a reimbursement if you never have to use the policy! If you are not familiar with this plan, please contact a representative for details. We have lots of Southwestern Company Alumni working with Family Heritage. You can e-mail me and I will be more than happy to connect you with a rep.
Dan Moore
As a 30-year employee, I also want to mention that we are so fortunate to work for a company who
Henry Bedford
truly cares for their employees. During Wendell’s stay in the hospital, our CEO Henry Bedford and President Dan Moore took time out of their busy schedules to spend time with our family. Former President Jerry Heffel even came by while in town on business for only a day. We had visits from Director’s both current and retired, administrative staff and even students who work in our sales program from all over the world. The overwhelming support and love are what got us throughtough days and I can’t tell you how much it meant to us. Even now, with Wendell being home and on the road to recovery, people from work continue to express concerns daily. The longevity of employees at Southwestern Company has opened the doors for us to be one big family. I am so proud of our company and the values we demonstrate!
Their goal is to get 1,200 bags of books to each and every young child served by their Read to Succeed childcare centers so that they can treasure them at home. Being read to at home is critical to early learning. Join us as we host a mini-book drive at Southwestern Company/Great American to collect much-needed books for infants and toddlers!
You may bring board books to the Atrium through next Tuesday, March 9
where Wanda Armstrong will collect them.
What is a Board Book?
Board books are sturdy cardboard bound books made especially for wee-ones to use as they learn about books. The cover AND pages are sturdy cardboard that can withstand lots of love! Due to the wear-and-tear on board books, we ask that all donated books be in new or like-new condition.
This is just one more way Southwestern Company and the rest of the family of companies can give to our community!
Rory Vaden, Co-Founder of Southwestern Consulting, a Southwestern Company and renowned speaker, has been invited to host a webcast about his popular message for success and growth tomorrow February 25th!
Congratulations to Nick Henderson for winning the 2009 Excellence Award! The Excellence Award is the “Award of Awards” in the eyes of District Sales Managers
in the Southwestern Company. This is the best of the best. Nick has the best cumulative ranking in five key categories in which he has demonstrated excellence throughout the year. In addition to a cash award, Nick receives a hand-calligraphied, gold-flecked Excellence plaque.
Watch Nick receive the Excellence Award at the Freddies Awards Banquet in January.
“Nick has done an amazing job of first teaching and then empowering his students to become the leaders of Southwestern.”
- Grant Greder
“Nick is the perfect combination of hard work and talent. He also has the amazing ability to raise those he works with to a higher standard, which is why students love working with him. His skill at planning, executing, and creating systems for others to follow is something I am constantly amazed by. He leads by example and I feel privileged to work with him.”
- Grayson Jones
“The one thing I admire about Nick Henderson is that he is always a genuine caring person and truly believes in the people he works with.”
- Mitzi Webster
“Nick decided at 2008’s GRS that his 2009 year would be different than the previous year. He set a bar for what he expected and didn’t let anyone in his organization fall below that bar. He built us up when we needed a boost, and let us fail when he knew we needed to realize how strong we were. He put a lot of trust and expectation in everyone he works with and didn’t expect anything less than our best. Everyone stepped up to make sure Nick wasn’t let down. I can’t think of anyone who worked harder than Nick this year to make sure he didn’t have the same embarrassment he had in 2008.”
- Christine Martin
“The summer of 2008 did not go anywhere near the way Nick had wanted it to. He came into my office and said, ‘I’m going all-out in 2009. Total focus on a breakout year for our group.’ Look at the results! His ability to instill a lasting vision in his experienced leaders, to attract great people who become top first-year dealers, and to discipline himself to keep everything in balanced perspective are just some of the hallmarks that make Nick such an exceptional leader. Congratulations on winning the Excellence Award!”
- Dan Moore
Out of over 2,600 college students worldwide, Bobby Nicholson has been honored as the 2009 Student Excellence Award winner by the Southwestern Company in Nashville, Tennessee.
In addition to the award and recognition, Bobby will receive a $1,000 scholarship to be used for further educational purposes or donated to a non-profit or charitable organization.
Nicholson, originally from Farragut, Tennessee, has overcome adversity to be where he is today. “People look at Bobby and say what an awesome success story. But what people don’t know is that three years before that, Bobby Nicholson was a high school drop out who was selling drugs to make a living, his two best friends were heroin addicts, and his biggest job was not only trying to protect his roommates, but to keep both himself and them from getting robbed or killed,” said Dan Moore, President of Southwestern Company at the 11th Annual J. Fred Landers Awards Banquet in Nashville, TN.
Nicholson attended three different high schools. The main one was Farragut High School, of which he dropped out. He also attended Colleyville Heritage High in Colleyville, TX and was sent to a boarding school in Mexico for misbehaving teens, Casa by the Sea, part of the World Wide Association of Specialty Boarding Schools (WWASP).
He came to a personal epiphany that he saw his life going in one of two directions. He chose the direction that resulted in him changing his life through sheer determination and deep faith.
While running his own summer sales business through Southwestern Company, Nicholson also recruited and managed a team last year of eight other students in 2009. He underwent management and leadership training after his first summer in order to offer the same opportunity he experienced to other students. This year, he will be mentoring and training students from the Maryville College and the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. His future career plans include further building his business through Southwestern’s sales and management program.
“The Student Excellence Award embodies the best qualities of students that participate in our program,” says Moore. “This is the award that recognizes a particular student for not simply their performance and results within our program, but all of their accomplishments in all other aspects of their life. We are very proud of Bobby and the example he sets for others.”
“Bobby is the personification of the word “develop” from our mission statement. Looking at how much he’s developed already is impressive. Thinking about the degree to which he could impact the lives of students he leads in the future as he develops further is inspiring,” says Lester Crafton, Director of Sales with Southwestern and Bobby’s Sales Manager.
Before attending Maryville, he was awarded scholarships amounting to nearly $40,000 because of his achievements at Pellissippi Community College in Knoxville where he was an honor student. Named by USA Today to their All-USA Academic Team (Tennessee), Bobby received national notoriety as well for the work he did on campus and his involvement in charity work while at Pellissippi. When Katrina hit the Gulf Coast, he organized 17 student volunteers to put in over 800 hours of helping Katrina victims.
He continued the work in Maryville, where he was also an RA. He has a particular passion for the homeless and has organized program after program for those who do not have a place to live. And it is because of his heart for helping the homeless that he has been on commissions named by the mayor of Knoxville. At the same time he recruited other students to talk to kids about why they should go to college, reaching out and bringing those kids to college through the P.E.A.C.E. organization.
“My experience through Southwestern has been the most amazing thing I have been a part of. Besides my faith, it has made a bigger difference in my life. I think everyone who has invested in me so that I may invest in others,” says Bobby.
Bobby is the son of Bob Nicholson and Stephanie Martens, both residing in Knoxville.
Bobby Nicholson wins the Student Excellence Award at the Freddies awards banquet in Nashville, TN.
The Southwestern Company, more specifically the Ask Me series of books, was mentioned in a February posting on the Hooked on Phonics blog. Read the blog here. It’s a great story of a Mom reading to her 3 year old son as he starts to put together words and their meaning. It also mentions the importance of reading to your children and the great rewards that both the parent and child gain.
Reading this makes me proud to work for Southwestern and have a small part in the development of children. Sometimes we here in Nashville get so caught up in helping University students start their own businesses while in school, we can easily forget the impact these students directly have on families all over North America.
How about you? Did a Southwestern dealer have a direct impact on your family? Did you make a difference in a family by selling them books? Leave a comment and tell your story!
Joni Bicknese is the winner of the Southwestern Business Resources 2009 Ralph Mosley Award for Excellence! Joni has been the Senior Career Counselor for SBR/Southwestern Career Services for the last 11 years, and has impacted countless of Southwestern Company students starting their career. Joni also worked with Southwestern from 1978 to 1986, starting as a student dealer and moving all the way to Sales Manager.
Southwestern Business Resources, one of the Southeast’s leading executive search and recruitment services firms, is headquartered in Nashville, TN and operates internationally from regional offices in the United States and Europe.
Candidates for this award display qualities of:
Attitude – Leadership – Team Orientation – Consistency – Work Ethic – Professional Ethic – Resillency – Civic Involvement – Development of Others
Ralph Mosley
This award, named in honor of retired CEO Ralph Mosley, is presented annually to an individual who embodies and embraces the spirit of Southwestern Business Resources by exhibiting high ethical standards, commitment through years of service, consistent performance, a positive influence on the company and its employees, and active community involvement.
Past winners include: Tim Knight in 2004 Southwestern Alum 1984-96 Andy James in 2005 Southwestern Alum 1990-1991 Guice Smith in 2006 Scott Tonsoni in 2007 Southwestern Alum 1995 Kay Linder in 2008
Joni, Southwestern is proud to be associated with you. Your commitment and dedication to student dealers is an example to us all. Thank you for all you do & congratulations on the award!
Be sure to comment and leave your congratulations!
In the February 2010 Direct Selling News “Top Desk” column, Southwestern Company President, Dan Moore, addresses a new idea with very old roots.
It has to do with the introduction of entrepreneurialism to young people. According to Dan, this is something that has been happening at Southwestern Company for a long time – 142 years to be exact.
Through direct sales, Dan has had the opportunity to share his knowledge and enthusiasm with thousands of college students. He says “it is a privilege to be in direct selling and working with the greatest young people inthe world.” He continues by saying, “it is exciting to teach enduring principles to young people, knowing they will add their own unique talents and flavorings to them as they grow their business within Southwestern’s direct selling program.”
Dan talks about lessons learned from his student manager and concepts he picked up from Spencer Hays. This is a great article for both prospects and parents alike to take a few minutes to consume. Digesting the fact that the benefits of direct sales goes beyond simply selling is what we are all about… and it’s not new, either.
To go to Southwestern Company media website for article, click here.
To go to Direct Selling News online posting of article, click here.
Southwestern Company’s Trey Campbell, Director of Communications, is serving an elected term as 2010 President of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) – Nashville Chapter. PRSA is a professional association made up of public relations and communications professionals from various sectors including corporate, agency, nonprofit, education and solo-practitioners. The Nashville Chapter, which serves Middle Tennessee and parts of Southern Kentucky was chartered in 1957 and currently has 158 members.
Trey graduated from MTSU with a degree in Journalism/Mass Communications, with an emphasis in PR in 1997 and earned his Accreditation in Public Relations in 2006. Trey has previously been recognized as the top young professional in the PR field in Middle Tennessee by PRSA. Prior to his appointment as President, he has served in numerous Board positions including president-elect, secretary, assembly delegate, two-time Parthenon Awards Chair and director-at-large just to name a few. Through PRSA, Trey has been able to travel on a national level to places such as San Francisco, New York and Detroit for training and leadership rallies. Throughout his 11 years with PRSA, both Trey and Southwestern have been honored with numerous awards for excellence in PR including the most recent top honors at the Parthenon Awards for the Southwestern websites and blogs.
Trey has been with Southwestern for 11 years. His primary responsibilities include public relations, compan spokesperson, government relations, crisis communications, social media and various recruiting and sales initiatives.
Dan Moore kicked off the 2010 annual conference of the United Sates Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship (USASBE) in Nashville on January 14th. Conveniently, the Southwestern Company’s 2010 Great Recruiters Seminar was being held in the same hotel at the same time! As the openeing keynote speaker, Dan highlighted the value of an entrepreneurial education and entrepreneurial experience for young people. To read the full blog post from the DSA, please visit here.
Rory Vaden, Co-Founder of 
Congratulations to Nick Henderson for winning the 2009 Excellence Award! The Excellence Award is the “Award of Awards” in the eyes of District Sales Managers 
“Nick has done an amazing job of first teaching and then empowering his students to become the leaders of Southwestern.”
“Nick is the perfect combination of hard work and talent. He also has the amazing ability to raise those he works with to a higher standard, which is why students love working with him. His skill at planning, executing, and creating systems for others to follow is something I am constantly amazed by. He leads by example and I feel privileged to work with him.”
“The one thing I admire about Nick Henderson is that he is always a genuine caring person and truly believes in the people he works with.”
“Nick decided at 2008’s GRS that his 2009 year would be different than the previous year. He set a bar for what he expected and didn’t let anyone in his organization fall below that bar. He built us up when we needed a boost, and let us fail when he knew we needed to realize how strong we were. He put a lot of trust and expectation in everyone he works with and didn’t expect anything less than our best. Everyone stepped up to make sure Nick wasn’t let down. I can’t think of anyone who worked harder than Nick this year to make sure he didn’t have the same embarrassment he had in 2008.”
O
“The Student Excellence Award embodies the best qualities of students that participate in our program,” says Moore. “This is the award that recognizes a particular student for not simply their performance and results within our program, but all of their accomplishments in all other aspects of their life. We are very proud of Bobby and the example he sets for others.”
The
In the February 2010 
Southwestern Company
Dan Moore kicked off the 2010 annual conference of the United Sates Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship (USASBE) in Nashville on January 14th. Conveniently, the 
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