FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The 13^th annual Vendors FORE Education golf tournament, sponsored by Wal-Mart vendors, will be held Friday, July 17, at Stonebridge Meadows Golf Club, 3495 E. Goff Farms Road, Fayetteville. The Center for Retailing Excellence in the Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas is hosting the tournament.

Registration for the tournament can be found at is http://cre.uark.edu/428.asp  Lunch begins at 11 a.m. with tee time promptly at noon.

“We are very grateful to the tournament organizers Erik Wolff of E-Wolff Sales Solutions, and Russ Heithoff of Strategic Retail Solutions,” said Claudia Mobley, director of the Center for Retailing Excellence.

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 Center for Retailing Excellence has partnered with Wolff and Heithoff on the golf tournament since 2002. Since that time, the event has generated more than $81,000 in scholarships, which support students who may have missed out on other financial aid opportunities for various reasons.

Additionally, the Center for Retailing Excellence is working with the University of Arkansas department of intercollegiate athletics to host student athletes and coaches at the event. “We want to provide a networking opportunity for our women athletes and our industry supporters,” said Pamela Styles, assistant director of the Center for Retailing Excellence. “These women represent some of the brightest students on campus who also happen to have tremendous athletic ability.”

Styles added: “The vendor-supported scholarships can make the difference between having adequate time to focus on academics rather than working excessive hours in order to pay living expenses and pay for school. Students don’t always recognize that the retail industry encompasses more than just working a cash register and stocking shelves. Nor do they realize the diversity of degree concentrations that have applications in the business industry. The participants of this tournament exemplify the many facets of retailing and demonstrate to our students that the career potential is unlimited.”

Title sponsors of the event for 2009 are Hunters & Michaels, an organization that specializes in professional placements; Ruiz Foods, makers of El Monterey, America’s favorite Mexican food; Atkins Nutritionals, makes of delicious snacks for a healthier life; 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.

The tournament is a four-person scramble with prizes awarded to the top teams and additional prizes for closest to the pin and other contests. Registrations may be made as a team or individually. The fee includes lunch, drinks, cart and 18 holes of golf. Participation is limited to 30 teams.

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. The center was created to bridge the gap between university faculty, students and retail industry.