News
9/02/11
Initial sales totals are beginning to come in on the early sales, and thus far we’ve surprisingly seen about a 10% increase in cookie dough programs. With most experts anticipating a downturn this Fall, the early returns are promising. We will keep you posted on the results.
5/31/11
As the Spring booking season nears a close, the cookie dough phenomenon appears to still be in full swing. Two-thirds of our Fall bookings are frozen food programs, primarily straight cookie dough! This is apparently economy driven, and that sits well with MEP, as the food programs are the most effective and profitable for schools in today’s market.
1/29/11
Mountain Empire Promotions concluded its’ annual Sales Meeting this week at the Carnegie Hotel in Johnson City, TN. All of our major suppliers were in attendance to introduce the new product lines for Fall 2011. All M.E.P. lines are now custom made and exclusively offered only to M.E.P. customers.
12/01/10
Fall 2010 concluded on a very positive note for M.E.P., posting a sharp 15% increase in volume over Fall 2009. In today’s economy, any in increase is truly amazing, so we’re very happy to be in a position to continue to help our schools even in tough times.
7/30/10
Mountain Empire Promotions concluded its' Sales Meeting today at the Martha Washington Hotel & Spa in Abingdon, VA. The overall outlook for the Fall season is very positive, with approximately two-thirds of our schools booked on frozen programs. A light now appears to be emitting from the end of the tunnel, and a vast majority of industry types and the electorate in general are cautiously optimistic about the upcoming season and the state of the economy as well.
5/01/10
The Spring 2009 selling season is now a mere memory, and M.E.P. is happy to report that sell-through, retail/student average and overall sales were nearly identical to Spring 2009. While we would ordinarily expect an increase, this news was actually quite surprising considering the state of the industry this Spring. Companies that did not sell food items and failed to sufficiently promote this Spring saw sharp declines in sales.
2/04/10
Mountain Empire Promotions held their semi-annual sales meeting last week at the Carnegie Hotel in Johnson City, TN. With representation now in fourteen eastern and southern States, the event was attended by several new representatives as well as suppliers. A great time was had by all, with expectations high entering the Fall 2010 selling season. The overall consensus seems to believe that we have developed the strongest program to date in company history.
1/12/10
Mountain Empire representatives recently attended the annual AFRDS Fundraising Show in Orlando, Florida. With all of the changes occurring in the industry, M.E.P.'s focus at this show was to secure exclusive new product lines as well as improve and upgrade our prize programs. And, as a result of their efforts, the marketing crew has developed what should prove to be the finest assembly of goods ever offered by Mountain Empire.
8/10/09
Mountain Empire Promotions is very pleased to announce the addition of our exclusive "Home Delivery" Cookie Dough Program. This revolutionary program will re-shape the way many organizations conduct their fundraising campaigns by eliminating the most difficult component in the entire process.... the Delivery! Mountain Empire can now work with virtually any school, group, league or organization in the United States from our corporate office in Johnson City, TN, and experience the same record-breaking results that we are seeing within our local service area.
7/30/09
The AFRDS Product Showcase was held in Atlanta over the week-end, promoting new suppliers and products available to the fundraising industry. In light of recent supply-side problems, this provided a semi-annual opportunity for M.E.P. to solidify relationships as well as develop new ones. In the coming years, M.E.P. is committed to producing only top-of-the-line, exclusive programs with little or no reliance on third-party support. This will undoubtedly elevate our credentials as a leading distributor in the fundraising industry.
5/11/09
Exciting things are happening at the corporate offices of Mountain Empire Promotions. Last week, groundbreaking was held for a new 7,000+ sq. ft. freezer addition to our existing facility. The new freezer will not only provide much-needed additional space, but will allow for greater service and accuracy in the distribution of our frozen lines. As this segment of our business grows, we are poised and excited to grow along with it.
4/1/09
M.E.P. is pleased to report that our Spring sales are right on target. Despite the month of February being the worst economic month in thirty years in this country, our cookie dough sales (which represent more than 90% of the total Spring volume) are exactly where we expected them to be. And, with Spring totals traditionally being a good indicator of the coming Fall season, we are very optimistic about the Fall of 2009.
2/16/09
Mountain Empire Promotions would like to thank all of our loyal customers for your continued support again this year. In tough economic times, it is more important then ever for our schools to have successful fundraisers, and we relish the opportunity to create exclusive product lines and attractive incentive packages to help drive our sales during this turbulent period in our history. And, as competitors close their doors, MEP proudly pursues our growth pattern into the 2009-10 season.
With this in mind, we are proud to announce the addition of our new 8,500 sq.ft. freezer warehouse located on site at our corporate offices in Johnson City. This new facility, along with our reefer delivery truck fleet will enable us to truly set the standard in frozen food fundraising. And, as this segment of the industry continues to grow, we are now positioned to maintain a leading regional presence for years to come.
1/22-23/09
Mountain Empire Promotions recently held their annual sales meeting at the Carnegie Hotel in Johnson City, TN to present the new Fall 2009 materials to its’ sales force. Not only was the response overwhelming, so was the attendance. While scores of fundraising companies nationwide continue to dwindle and even close their doors, M.E.P. has maintained a controlled growth pattern since its’ inception in 1996, currently fielding upwards of thirty sales representatives. And, the beauty of their current growth is not only the fact that M.E.P. is succeeding in a down economy, but that many of the recent rep acquisitions have come aboard unsolicited.
12/15/08
With the Fall 2008 season already a distant memory, M.E.P. is poised to have another record-breaking Spring semester, primarily with Smoky Mountain Gourmet Cookie Dough, their signature line. While the balance of the product split tipped to the frozen side in Fall 2008 (55% frozen vs. 48% in Fall 2007), Cookie Dough remains King of the Spring, producing nearly 90% of the company’s volume. The balance will be fulfilled with their new Smoky Mountain Gourmet Foods & Desserts line as well as various gift shoppers and magazines.
