Annual Vendors FORE Education Golf Tournament Set for July 10

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Claudia Mobley, director of the Center for Retailing Excellence, and tournament organizers Erik Wolff (left) and Russ Heithoff celebrate a previous tournament.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Golfers from across Northwest Arkansas will gather July 10 for the Vendors FORE Education golf tournament to raise money in support of students at the Sam M. Walton College of Business and the University of Arkansas women's golf program. 

The tournament, sponsored by Walmart vendors, will be held Friday, July 10, at Stonebridge Meadows Golf Club in Fayetteville. Walton College’s Center for Retailing Excellence, working in partnership with Erik Wolff of E-Wolff Sales Solutions and Russ Heithoff of Strategic Retail Solutions, hosts the tournament each year.

A handful of spots are still open for the tournament. Those interested in playing should visit http://cre.uark.edu/vendors-fore-education-golf-tournament.php for details.

The event raises money for the Razorback women’s golf program and for funding for the Center for Retailing Excellence to provide support for students who may have missed out on other financial aid opportunities. 

The Vendors FORE Education tournament began in 1996 as a social gathering for the vendor community and a way to build business relationships. The group 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 Vendors FORE Education student support tournament has distributed nearly $300,000 in financial aid to students since its association with the Center for Retailing Excellence began,” said Pamela Styles, the center’s associate director.  “Additionally, it has provided $70,000 in support to the women’s golf team.”

Title sponsors for 2015 include Anderson Merchandisers, dedicated to increasing sales and profits for their customers through innovative services and systems; 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; and 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; Tyson Foods Inc.; and Hunter & Michaels, an organization that specializes in professional placements. Other event sponsors include Bar-S Foods, Customer Link, Jarden Consumer Solutions, Firestone Retail, The J.M. Smucker Company and Rana Meals Solution.

"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.

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.

“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,” Styles said. “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.”

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.

About the University of Arkansas: The University of Arkansas provides an internationally competitive education for undergraduate and graduate students in more than 200 academic programs. The university contributes new knowledge, economic development, basic and applied research, and creative activity while also providing service to academic and professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the University of Arkansas among only 2 percent of universities in America that have the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the University of Arkansas among its top American public research universities. Founded in 1871, the University of Arkansas comprises 10 colleges and schools and maintains a low student-to-faculty ratio that promotes personal attention and close mentoring.