Tag: Verizon Wireless

Cellular Sales continues to climb on Inc. magazine’s list of the nation’s fastest growing companies

Posted by Rick Laney – August 26, 2010

Knoxville, Tenn. – Inc. magazine listed Cellular Sales at No. 72 on its list of the nation’s fastest growing companies according to gross dollars of growth. Cellular Sales was ranked No. 1,856 on the fourth annual overall list of the nation’s fastest growing companies (up from No. 2,069 last year).  The “Inc. 5,000” represents a comprehensive look at America’s independent-minded entrepreneurs.

Growth for Cellular Sales was reported at 147 percent according to Inc. magazine.  The magazine ranked Cellular Sales No. 96 on the “Inc. 5,000” list of the nation’s fastest-growing privately held retail companies.  The magazine reported that Cellular Sales’ 2006 revenue of $127.9 million grew to $316.1 million last year.

“When we started with one Cellular Sales store in 1993, we said we were going to stand out from other companies by providing the kind of customer service that turns customers into dedicated fans who don’t want to do business anywhere else,” said Dane Scism, founder and CEO of Cellular Sales.  “We do things that other companies cannot or will not do – and our success comes from that philosophy.

“Every single customer who purchases a wireless device from us gets a call from Cellular Sales within 24 hours.  We call to see what their in-store experience was like.  We make sure they understand how their new phone operates and make sure they understand their service plan.  It’s just one more way Cellular Sales guarantees that our customers are getting unparalleled service.”

Cellular Sales, Verizon Wireless’ largest premium retailer, also conducts ongoing analysis of its customers’ phone usage so the company can notify customers when other service plans would be more cost effective for them.

“In spite of economic ups and downs, Cellular Sales has averaged 30 percent growth every year,” Scism explained.  “You can only do that by making sure your customers are happy with you.  We have customer satisfaction numbers that show our training and business model works.”

Cellular Sales is a 17-year old privately held company founded and headquartered in Knoxville, Tenn.  The company currently operates throughout the United States.  By year end, Cellular Sales will open at least 50 new stores in markets across the United States, bringing the company’s total number of locations to around 400.  For the past three years, Inc. Magazine has named Cellular Sales one of the nation’s fastest growing retail companies in the country.

For more information about Cellular Sales, or to find a Cellular Sales location near you, visit the company’s web site at www.cellularsales.com.  Read about the entire 2010 Inc. magazine “Inc. 5000” list at http://www.inc.com/inc5000/2010/index.html.

###

Media Contact
Rick Laney
(865) 584-0550
rlaney@ackermannpr.com

Cellular Sales announces huge South Florida expansion and at least 100 new positions

Posted by Rick Laney – August 10, 2010

Knoxville, Tenn. – Cellular Sales, the nation’s largest Verizon premium wireless retailer, announced today that it is expanding in South Florida.  The company will open six new stores and add at least 100 new sales consultants in the next four months.

Cellular Sales Verizon Wireless will open new stores throughout South Florida in Key West, Aventura Mall, Stuart, Wellington Mall, Fort Pierce and Lauderhill/Sunrise Area.  Currently, Cellular Sales operates 11 locations in South Florida and more than 300 stores across the United States.  According to Ann Snyder, the national recruiter for Cellular Sales, sales consultants for Cellular Sales earn an average of more than $51,000 per year.

Just two weeks ago, Cellular Sales announced it would hire between 200 and 250 new employees to work at its National Call Center in Knoxville, Tenn.  The new call center – which represents an investment of well over $1 million by Cellular Sales – will employ supervisors, managers and customer service representatives in full-time and part-time positions.

Mike Gault, South Florida Regional Director for Cellular Sales, said, “This unbelievable growth Cellular Sales is experiencing is directly related to the ultimate customer service we provide.  We do things that other companies cannot or will not do.

“We want every customer who purchases a wireless device in one of our 300-plus stores across the country to get a call from us within 24 hours of the time they leave our store.

“Every customer we call is asked what their in-store experience was like, we make sure they understand how their new phone operates and make sure they understand their service plan.  It’s just one more way Cellular Sales guarantees that our customers are getting unparalleled service.”

Cellular Sales Verizon Wireless also conducts ongoing analysis of its customers’ phone usage so the company can notify customers when other service plans would be more cost effective for them.

“Everyone uses their wireless phone differently,” said Gault.  “Here at Cellular Sales, we monitor how our customers are using their phones and reach out to them if we recognize usage trends that are better-suited to other service plans.  It’s one of the extra steps we take to establish a strong, one-on-one relationship with our customers.

“As a company, we have grown by about 30 percent every year.  Our expansion in South Florida is not a one-time event.  We have every intention to continue this pattern in South Florida and in all of our markets.”

Cellular Sales is a 17-year old privately held company founded and headquartered in Knoxville, Tenn.  The company currently operates throughout the United States.  By year end, Cellular Sales will open at least 50 new stores in markets across the United States, bringing the company’s total number of locations to around 400.  For the past two years, Inc. Magazine has named Cellular Sales one of the nation’s fastest growing retail companies in the country.

Cellular Sales currently operates locations in South Florida in towns including Deerfield Beach, Jupiter, Homestead, Key Largo, Miami Beach, Pembroke Pines, South Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Westchester, and Cutler Bay.

For more information about Cellular Sales, or to find a Cellular Sales location near you, visit the company’s web site at www.cellularsales.com. Job seekers should call 888-915-MOBILE (6624) or visit www.cellularsales.com/opportunity to schedule an interview.

###

Media Contact
Rick Laney
(865) 584-0550
rlaney@ackermannpr.com

Cellular Sales Verizon Wireless Opens National Call Center in Knoxville, Tenn. and Adds 250 New Jobs

Posted by Rick Laney – July 21, 2010

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Knoxville-based Cellular Sales, the nation’s largest Verizon premium wireless retailer, announced today that it is opening a new National Call Center at 9038 Cross Park Drive NW across from the U.S. Post Office near Cedar Bluff Road.

Cellular Sales also announced it would hire between 200 and 250 new employees to work at the National Call Center within the next two months.  The new operation – which represents an investment of more than $1 million by Cellular Sales – will employ supervisors, managers and customer service representatives in full-time and part-time positions.

Jay Witherspoon of Cellular Sales talks to the media about the company's new National Call Center in Knoxville, Tenn.

Jay Witherspoon of Cellular Sales, said, “This new National Call Center is a perfect extension to the ultimate customer service Cellular Sales provides.  We want every customer who purchases a wireless device in one of our 300-plus stores across the country to get a call from our National Call Center within 24 hours of the time they leave our store.

“Every customer we call will be asked what their in-store experience was like, we will make sure they understand how their new phone operates and make sure they understand their service plan.  It’s just one more way for Cellular Sales to guarantee that our customers are getting unparalleled service.”

The Verizon Wireless retailer also conducts ongoing analysis of its customers’ phone usage so the company can notify customers when other service plans would be more cost effective for them.

“Everyone uses their wireless phone differently,” said Mark Dugger, National Call Center Manager for Cellular Sales.

“Here at our new National Call Center, we will monitor how our customers are using their phones and reach out to them if we recognize usage trends that are better-suited to other service plans.  There just aren’t many companies out there that will take extra steps like this to save their customers money.”

The new Cellular Sales National Call Center has nearly 13,000 square-feet of space and, according to Cellular Sales, will provide the ability for growth beyond the 200 to 250 people they initially plan to employ.

“As a company, we have grown by about 30 percent every year,” said Witherspoon.  “As we move forward, we fully expect similar growth here at the National Call Center.”

Cellular Sales is a 17-year old privately held company founded and headquartered in Knoxville, Tenn.  The company currently operates throughout the United States.  By year end, Cellular Sales – which attributes its rapid growth to its unique level of customer service – will open at least 50 new stores, bringing the company’s total number of locations to around 400.  For the past two years, Inc. magazine named Cellular Sales one of the nation’s fastest growing retail companies in the country.

For more information about Cellular Sales, or to find a Cellular Sales location near you, visit the company’s web site at www.cellularsales.com. Job seekers should call (865) 531-9359 to schedule an interview.

To learn more about the new Cellular Sales National Call Center, read and watch additional coverage of this story at the Knoxville News Sentinel, WATE (ABC), WBIR (NBC), and WVLT (CBS).

###

Media Contact
Rick Laney
(865) 584-0550
rlaney@ackermannpr.com

Cellular Sales Verizon Wireless gives U.S. troops FREE talk time

Posted by Rick Laney – May 3, 2010

Knoxville, Tenn. – Cellular Sales, the nation’s largest Verizon Wireless retailer, has joined forces with Cell Phones for Soldiers at many of its stores throughout the United States.  Cell Phones for Soldiers is a worldwide nonprofit group that distributes free telephone calling cards to U.S. troops serving overseas.

Dane Scism, founder and CEO of Cellular Sales, said, “We are excited to be able to give back to the soldiers that serve this country.  With so many troops in active service, we believe we can make a positive impact by partnering with Cell Phones for Soldiers.”

Used cell phones can be dropped at most Cellular Sales locations.

Cell Phones for Soldiers turned old cell phones into more than 14 million minutes of prepaid calling cards for U.S. service men and women in 2009.  To do so, Cell Phones for Soldiers collected approximately 50,000 cell phones each month through a network of more than 6,000 collection sites across the country.

The phones are sent to a company that pays Cell Phones for Soldiers for each donated phone.  Every phone donated to Cell Phones for Soldiers generates about an hour of talk time for a soldier abroad.  Americans replace an estimated 130 million cell phones each year.

Cell Phones for Soldiers was founded in 2004 by teenagers Robbie and Brittany Bergquist from Norwell, Mass.  Between them, the two teens had a total of $21 to start the organization.  Since that time, the organization has raised well over $2 million in donations and distributed more than 500,000 prepaid calling cards to soldiers serving overseas.

“Cell Phones for Soldiers started as a small way to show our family’s appreciation for the men and women who have sacrificed the day-to-day contact with their own families to serve in the U.S. armed forces,” said the teens’ father, Bob Bergquist.  “Over the past few years, we have been overwhelmed by the generosity of others – but we have also seen the need to support our troops continue to grow as more troops are sent overseas for longer assignments.”

Through increased fundraising efforts, the Bergquist family hopes to raise more than $9 million in the next five years to fund new programs including providing video phones with prepaid service to allow soldiers abroad to see their families on a regular basis.

Cellular Sales, the nation’s largest retailer of Verizon Wireless, is a 16-year old privately held company headquartered in Knoxville, Tenn.  The company currently operates throughout the United States.  By year end, Cellular Sales – which attributes its rapid growth to unparalleled customer service – will open 50 new stores, bringing the company’s total number of locations to approximately 350.  For the past two years, Inc. magazine named Cellular Sales one of the nation’s fastest growing retail companies in the country.

According to Scism, the company will roll the Cell Phones for Soldiers program – which is already successful at many of his company’s more than 300 locations – out at all of the company’s stores throughout the United States in coming months.

For more information about Cellular Sales and the Cell Phones for Soldiers program, or to find a Cellular Sales used cell phone drop-off location near you, visit the company’s web site at www.cellularsales.com.

###

Media Contact
Rick Laney
(865) 584-0550
rlainey@ackermannpr.com

Cellular Sales goes from a single cell phone store to the nation’s largest retailer of Verizon Wireless

Posted by Rick Laney – April 22, 2010

Dane Scism

Dane Scism at the opening of Cellular Sales' 300th store.

Knoxville, Tenn. – Like most 20-year-olds, Dane Scism held a number of part-time, low paying jobs while working his way through college at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tenn.  Eventually, Scism ended up selling cell phones at a small cell phone store a few miles from campus.  It was during this time that Scism realized he possessed a real talent for sales.

After college, Scism struck a deal with his boss and ended up buying the solitary cell phone store in the run-down building on Kingston Pike in Knoxville.  Now, 16 years later, Scism owns that store and 298 others from Maine to Florida to Texas – and everywhere in between.  His company, Verizon Wireless Retailer, Cellular Sales, is the nation’s largest retailer of Verizon Wireless products and services.  This week, the company celebrated its 300th store opening in Maryville, Tenn., just a few miles from Scism’s very first store.

In recent years, Inc. Magazine has named his company one of the nation’s fastest growing retailers, and in spite of the tough economy, Cellular Sales continues to open 30 to 50 new stores every quarter.  That one location in a strip center has turned into a more than $300 million annual business that maintains an annual growth rate of more than 150 percent and has 2,000 sales consultants across the country.

Dane Scism Cellular Sales

Cellular Sales founder and CEO Dane Scism talks to the media.

“Cellular Sales is a testimony to customer service,” said Scism, founder and CEO of Cellular Sales.  “Our business model is based on treating every customer as if they were our only customer.  People notice it when you take care of them.

“How many people are there that know exactly who to call – by name – when they have a question about their cell phone or their service plan?  Our customers have a name and contact number for their own personal wireless consultant, a real person they can talk to right there in their own community.  We’re proud of the way we take care of customers, and we know it is the reason we are growing.”

For the past 16 years, Cellular Sales has consistently outperformed the rest of its industry, and is now the nation’s largest retailer of Verizon Wireless.  By year end, Cellular Sales plans to open 50 to 75 additional stores, bringing the company’s total number of locations to nearly 400.

“When the economy is booming, growth is expected,” Scism said.  “But companies that are growing in spite of the economy – like Cellular Sales – have to be doing something different.  I’m most proud of those things that make us different.”

For more information about Cellular Sales Verizon Wireless, visit the company’s website at www.cellularsales.com or call (865) 588-3855.

###

Media Contact
Rick Laney
(865) 584-0550
rlaney@ackermannpr.com

Cellular Sales Verizon Wireless Expanding in Kansas City Area

Posted by Rick Laney – March 30, 2010

Cellular Sales Verizon Wireless store

Ottawa, Kan. – Cellular Sales, the nation’s largest retailer of Verizon Wireless, is expanding again in the Kansas City area.  The new Cellular Sales store opened at 1518 Main Street in Ottawa last week.

Cellular Sales is a 15-year old privately held company headquartered in Knoxville, Tenn.  The company currently operates throughout the United States.  By year end, Cellular Sales – which attributes its rapid growth to unparalleled customer service – will operate well over 300 locations throughout the country.  For the past two years, Inc. Magazine has named Cellular Sales one of the nation’s fastest growing privately held companies. This year, the company was in the Top 100 for retailers.

For more information about the new Cellular Sales Verizon Wireless store, call Beau Hammon at (816) 519-9156 or Jose Ordonez at (816) 206-0024.  Visit Cellular Sales’ web site at www.cellularsales.com

Media Contact
Rick Laney
(865) 584-0550
rlaney@ackermannpr.com

Skype Mobile Now Available to Verizon Wireless Retailer Cellular Sales Customers

Posted by Rick Laney – March 25, 2010

Knoxville, Tenn. –  Beginning today, customers of Verizon Wireless retailer Cellular Sales are no longer confined to their PC when making Skype-to-Skype calls.  With Skype mobile™,  Verizon Wireless 3G smartphone users with data plans will be able to connect with friends, family, and business colleagues around the world.  This new service is available exclusively to Verizon Wireless customers.

Cellular Sales Verizon Wireless and Skype

“This is a tremendous partnership between Verizon Wireless and Skype,” said Dane Scism, founder and CEO of Cellular Sales.  “With Skype mobile on our phones, customers will be able to enjoy conversations with Skype contacts wherever they are at no extra cost.”

Skype mobile uses the Verizon Wireless voice network for the wireless connection of the Skype-to-Skype calls.  Skype mobile users can:

  • make and receive unlimited Skype-to-Skype voice calls to any Skype contact around the globe;
  • send and receive unlimited instant messages with other Skype users;
  • manage the Skype contact list directly from the mobile application; and
  • call international phone numbers at competitive Skype calling rates.

Skype mobile will be available initially on millions of best-selling Verizon Wireless 3G smartphones, including the BlackBerry® Storm™ 9530, Storm2™ 9550, Curve™ 8330, Curve™ 8530, 8830 World Edition, and Tour™ 9630 smartphones, as well as DROID by Motorola, DROID ERIS™ by HTC and Motorola DEVOUR™.

“This partnership between Verizon and Skype heralds more great things to come as 4G technology rolls out,” said Jay Witherspoon of Cellular Sales Verizon Wireless.  “Verizon is leveraging their network with Skype’s community to give Verizon users a better mobile experience.  These would-be rivals are now helping each other, to the benefit of the consumer.  It’s a great situation for everyone.”

Cellular Sales is a 16-year old privately held company headquartered in Knoxville, Tenn.  The company currently operates throughout the United States.  By year end, Cellular Sales – which attributes its rapid growth to unparalleled customer service – will open 50 new stores, bringing the company’s total number of locations to well over 300.  Last year, Inc. Magazine named Cellular Sales one of the nation’s fastest growing privately held companies.

For more information about Cellular Sales Verizon Wireless, or to find a store near you, visit the company’s web site at www.cellularsales.com.

Media Contact
Rick Laney
(865) 584-0550
rlaney@ackermannpr.com

Cellular Sales Verizon Wireless Expanding Rapidly in Early 2010

Posted by Sarah Malak – March 22, 2010

Knoxville, Tenn. – Cellular Sales, the nation’s largest retailer of Verizon Wireless, is expanding.  Last month, the company opened five new stores in Missouri, New York, Tennessee and South Carolina.

Cellular Sales is a 15-year old privately held company headquartered in Knoxville, Tenn.  The company currently operates throughout the United States.  By year end, Cellular Sales – which attributes its rapid growth to unparalleled customer service – will operate more than 400 locations throughout the country.  For the past two years, Inc. Magazine has named Cellular Sales one of the nation’s fastest growing privately held companies. This year, the company was in the Top 100 for retailers.

For more information about the new Cellular Sales Verizon Wireless store, call (865) 588-3855 or visit Cellular Sales’ web site at www.cellularsales.com.

Media contact: 
Rick Laney
Ackermann PR
(865) 584-0550
rlaney@ackermannpr.com

Cellular Sales Verizon Wireless now offering unique customer training on how to utilize mobile technologies

Posted by Rick Laney – March 4, 2010

Knoxville, Tenn. – Cellular Sales Verizon Wireless, the nation’s largest retailer of Verizon Wireless phones and service, is raising the bar on customer expectations of wireless service providers with an unparalleled customer training program.  The company’s “Wireless Internet: The Mobile Office” course teaches businesspeople how to best utilize mobile technology.

Started at its unique Knoxville Training Center where the company has state-of-the-art classroom facilities, the free courses have been popular with businesses wanting to maximize their investment in today’s latest technologies.

Verizon Wireless Training Coordinator Dustin Lashley helps participants understand the nuances of using and simplifying over-the-air business platform transmissions.  He points out that programs like Google-sync can help business owners easily manage sensitive data entries.

“Many businesspeople need to be able to overcome scheduling conflicts when working away from the office,” Latchey explained.  “Various mobile platforms can help office employees seamlessly coordinate with business travelers while they are on the go.  The ability to share information between Blackberry and offices can help drastically simplify the lives of those in the office and those in the airport or hotel room.”

A Cellular Sales Verizon Wireless classroom

In addition to helping business students learn how to manage communication between office and remote personnel, the training sessions teach travelers how to allow friends and family members to access their calendars and travel schedules in a secure manner and make communications easier with those they care about.

Cellular Sales Verizon Wireless representatives participate in the training sessions explaining the latest mobile technologies and how to best use them to simplify their businesses and maximize returns from traveling and remote employees.

Cellular Sales Verizon Wireless is a 15-year old privately held company headquartered in Knoxville, Tenn.  The company currently operates throughout the United States.  Cellular Sales – which attributes its rapid growth to unparalleled customer service – now operates more than 300 locations throughout the country.  For the past two years, Inc. Magazine has named Cellular Sales one of the nation’s fastest-growing privately held companies. This year, the company was in the Top 200 for the nation’s fastest-growing retailers.

For more information about Cellular Sales Verizon Wireless store, visit the company’s web site at www.cellularsales.com or call (865) 588-3855.

Media Contact
Rick Laney
(865) 584-0550
rlaney@ackermannpr.com

Cellular Sales Expanding in Jefferson City, Missouri

Posted by Ryan Willis – January 26, 2010

Cellular SalesKnoxville, Tenn. – Cellular Sales, the nation’s largest retailer of Verizon Wireless, is expanding in Jefferson City, Mo.  The new Cellular Sales store will open on February 1 at 2015 Missouri Blvd. 

Cellular Sales is a 15-year old privately held company headquartered in Knoxville, Tenn.  The company currently operates throughout the United States.  In 2009, Cellular Sales – which attributes its rapid growth to unparalleled customer service – opened more than 50 new stores bringing the company’s total number of locations to more than 300 throughout the country.  For the past two years, Inc. Magazine has named Cellular Sales one of the nation’s fastest growing privately held companies. This year, the company was in the Inc. Top 100 for retailers. 

For more information about the new Cellular Sales Verizon Wireless store, visit the company’s web site at www.cellularsales.com or call (816) 519-9156. 

###

Media Contact:
Rick Laney
(865) 584-0550
rlaney@ackermannpr.com