Vendors FORE Education Golf Tournament Raises Money for Business Students, Women Golfers

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Golfers have pledged an event-record $39,000 to spend the afternoon of July 20 competing with each other while enduring the heat of mid-July in support of students at the Sam M. Walton College of Business and the University of Arkansas women's golf program. 

The Vendors FORE Education golf tournament, sponsored by Walmart vendors, is scheduled for Friday, July 20, at Stonebridge Meadows Golf Club in Fayetteville. The Center for Retailing Excellence in the Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas, working in partnership with Erik Wolff of E-Wolff Sales Solutions and Russ Heithoff of Strategic Retail Solutions, hosts the tournament each year.

The event raises money for the women’s golf program at the University of Arkansas and to allow the Center for Retailing Excellence to provide support for students who may have missed other financial aid opportunities. In addition this year, the tournament will make a $5,000 donation to the Full Circle Campus Food Pantry. The food pantry was established by the Volunteer Action Center in February 2011 as a student-run emergency food assistance program that distributes food and personal products to members of the University of Arkansas community.

“The Vendors FORE Education student support tournament has distributed nearly $120,000 in financial aid to students since its association with the Center for Retailing Excellence began in 2003,” said Pamela Styles, associate director of the Center for Retailing Excellence. “Additionally, it has provided $40,000 to support the women’s golf team here at the University of Arkansas.”

“This event takes a lot of planning and hard work,” said Claudia B. Mobley, center director. “After weeks of pre-work, the staff then spends the entire day working outside in what is usually the hottest part of the summer.”

Title sponsors for the 2012 event include:

• Hunter & Michaels, an organization that specializes in professional placements
• Atkins Nutritionals, a leader in the weight control nutrition category that manufactures and sells bars and shakes designed around the nutrition principles of the Atkins Diet
• Samsung, a global leader in semiconductor, telecommunication, digital media and digital convergence technologies
• Bayer HealthCare Consumer Care Division, among the largest marketers of over-the-counter medications and nutritional supplements and a member of the Center for Retailing Excellence executive board of directors.

The Vendors FORE Education tournament began in 1996 as a social gathering for the vendor community and a means of building relationships. The group soon realized the event could provide financial assistance for university students who have the potential to become retail industry leaders. A primary mission of the tournament is to foster relationships between industry and academia.

“The event is often described as one of the most enjoyable days of social networking where everyone is a winner, especially the students,” Styles said. “The vendor community understands that by supporting these young men and women on their road to success we insure they will reciprocate for future generations of students, perpetuating the contributions of today.”

Each year's tournament is a four-person scramble with prizes awarded to the top teams and additional prizes for closest to the pin and other contests. Participation is limited to 30 teams, and this year's event reached maximum capacity in early spring, Styles stated.

“Women’s sports often do not receive the same recognition or support as men’s programs,” Styles said. “This partnership between the Center for Retailing Excellence and the women’s golf team has allowed the vendor community to see that our women athletes excel both academically and athletically. A name everyone will recognize is Stacy Lewis, who participated in the Vendors FORE Education 'Outdrive a Lady Razorback' as a surprise guest in 2009. For the women's golf team, this event supports their competitions and program and enhances recognition of their many achievements.

“We are fortunate for the intercollegiate relationships here on campus. This is one of several success stories in working with other departments and colleges across the University.”

The Center for Retailing Excellence was established in the Walton College in 1998 with a portion of the $50 million endowment from the Walton Family Charitable Support Foundation.