Rent-to-own News - Nationwide honored by EPA for fifth year in a row

Nationwide Marketing Group (NMG), parent company of RentDirect Nationwide, will be honored for the fifth year in a row by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the US Department of Energy (DOE) with an ENERGY STAR award for excellence recognizing their outstanding contributions to protecting the environment through energy efficiency promotional and outreach efforts in retail.

More than 20,000 organizations are ENERGY STAR partners, a joint program of the EPA and DOE, but only NMG will be awarded with the 2011 Excellence in Appliance and Electronics Retailing award. The ENERGY STAR awards ceremony will be held at the Marriott Wardman in Washington D.C. on April 12, 2011.

“Thanks to the creative promotion efforts of partners like Nationwide Marketing Group, consumers can more easily find energy-efficient ENERGY STAR products in the marketplace,” said Elizabeth Craig, Acting Director of EPA’s Office of Atmospheric Programs. “Nationwide Marketing Group leads the way by helping Americans learn how they can protect our environment through energy efficiency. We look forward to seeing the innovative programs our partners will continue to deliver.”

Nationwide Marketing Group is the largest buying and marketing organization for independent appliance, electronics, and furniture dealers in the U.S. Last year, NMG was honored with the Excellence in Appliance Retailing award for their contribution in helping Americans save $18 billion in energy bills.

“We believe in the value and benefits of energy efficiency, the ENERGY STAR message and the importance of sharing its benefits with our member dealers,” said Richard Weinberg, Vice President of Merchandising for Appliances at NMG. “Environmental messaging and value to the consumer is incorporated into every one of our consumer touch points from print advertising and HDTV commercials to websites and email marketing campaigns.”

Nationwide Marketing Group is no stranger to the green effort becoming an early partner when the ENERGY STAR program was first introduced in 1992. Today, NMG continues to encourage its member dealers to purchase and sell appliances and electronics that are innovative, energy efficient and ENERGY STAR qualified.
 
“The independent channel is the heartbeat of the retail industry and our organization has provided a strong conduit for ENERGY STAR to work directly with the independent to effectively reach consumers on a local level,” said Doug Schatz, Vice President of Merchandising for Electronics at NMG. “We take pride in our partnership with the EPA, DOE and the ENERGY STAR program and our efforts to make energy efficiency a fundamental part of doing business.”