GuildMaster 'Amazing Race' winners announced

Company awards trip around the world to retailer and sales rep

Home Accents Today Staff -- Home Accents Today, 11/29/2011 9:38:21 AM

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - GuildMaster announced the winners of its Amazing Race contest this week. Terry and Meg Steve Crowder, CEO of GuildMaster (far right), traveled to Knoxville, Tenn. to award the "Amazing Race" prize to Terry and Meg Troutman, owners of O.P. Jenkins.Troutman of O.P. Jenkins in Knoxville, Tenn. are the winning retailers, and Christie Blevins from Ft. Worth, Texas is the winning sales rep. The Troutmans and Blevins have each won two tickets for a nine-city trip around the world, or they may choose the cash equivalent of $10,000.

The contest ran from Sept. 6 through Nov. 18, 2011. During that time period, each $1,000 in product purchased by a retailer or sold by a sales representative earned one entry in the contest. More than 520 companies and 97% of GuildMaster's sales reps took part in the competition with more than 2,600 entries.

O.P. Jenkins, a fourth-generation furniture store, has been a fixture in the heart of downtown Knoxville for more than 140 years. GuildMaster CEO Steve Crowder delivered the news in person amid great fanfare.

"When we walked out of the store and saw Steve walking up in a tux on a red carpet with roses and a giant check we were amazed," said Meg Troutman. "It was a fun contest, obviously with a great reward for us as the winners. We do plan to travel at some point, but for now, we plan to use the prize money to continue to preserve the charm of our store that's been a fixture in downtown Knoxville for more than a century."

Blevins said she is planning to planning to travel with her husband and two sons to Italy. "I have a big birthday coming uChristie Blevinsp next year and this is the perfect opportunity for me to spend time with my family and celebrate my blessings. I am truly grateful to have won."

"Sometimes, the competition was intense," Crowder said. "We were pleased with the response. We were encouraged by the excitement that the race generated over the past several months among both our retailers and sales reps."

To identify the favorite cities, GuildMaster asked its Facebook fans to name their chosen cities and post photos on its Facebook page. The leading cities were: Sydney, Barcelona, Rome, Moscow, Monaco, Amsterdam, Milan and Buenos Aires.

This is the third time GuildMaster has gone "on tour." During 2009's inaugural "GuildMaster on Tour" event, CEO Steve Crowder traveled across the country to visit with more than 100 retailers. The second tour, in 2010, recognized outstanding retail displays across the U.S. and supported the favorite charities of the winning dealers.

"Now, we're working to come up with our next fun, innovative idea," Crowder said. "GuildMaster is known for setting the bar high and doing things a little differently. Brainstorming about the next great GuildMaster on Tour adventure has already begun."