I spent years in retail sales and management. I sold shoes and clothing with major department stores such as Belk and Dillards as well as specialty stores like Cole Haan at Southpointe Mall in Durham, NC and Rangoni which is now located in Raleigh's Cameron Village a move I suggested while visiting with Mr. Rangoni of Florence, Italy who is the leading footwear specialty designer and manufacturer in Italy, and of course one of the most noted in the World because of his special size shoes with narrow combination last. I became very educated about fashion and quality while managing these stores. I later earned a degree in decoration while Ass. Manager at Penny Furniture downtown Durham learning everything I could about furniture while being mentored by Donald Penny who had been in fine home furnishings all his life following in his fathers footsteps but taking it to an extreme level with the building and creation of the most high end furniture store called McDuffy that operated for many years serving the needs of people here in the Triangle giving them a venue of unique choice in the Triangle. Ultimately I was a district manager for 9 stores operating here in the Carolinas selling Serta Mattresses for Neil Gulati of Richmond who at that time had almost 40 stores, he was an impeccable man who liked to tell the story of how he came to this country with his first job as a young person sweeping the McDonald's parking lot. Doug Mawyer was a Vice President with this mattress company who's main function was to recruit and train new people in the art of selling, he was fantastic at this endeavor and their is no other word that can be used. Doug was not only a family man but a successful and consummate professional who constantly motivated himself and others to be the best--what a fine example of great ability. I have been fortunate to meet many other important and powerful people in the world of retail and otherwise. I would like someday to have another company to manage again--it really gets in your blood. The most important thing I ever learned is to treat each person the best, finding out what their needs are and doing the best to make sure they have those needs met and that they do not leave as satisfied customers but as raving fans telling all their friends how well they were treated. You can build a business with this philosophy in the right setting choosing a location is so very important as well as having the best products and services not settling for anything less than giving your best to each person who comes through your door.

John Parsons, Jr.