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"Why do I have to spend the last days of summer vacation
searching for school supplies?"
"Why can't they just BE THERE the first day of school?"
...this is how it all began.
Over the years,
school supply lists have evolved from a few pencils, folders and notebooks
to several pages of more difficult to find items.
And what was once a quick trip to the store is now an "all day" shopping
event. Given the very active lifestyles and schedules of families today,
it has become challenging to find the time during the last days of summer,
gather the required items, or worse yet, find the OUT OF STOCK notice on
store shelves.
As a parent of three having dealt with the frustrating search, founder Tom
O'Neill decided to launch Class Action Student Outfitters, Inc., a school
services company, in February 1995. The company's mission was to create a
simpler, cost-effective and organized approach to fulfilling the school
supply needs of students, parents and educators.
Experienced in marketing, sales, product development and distribution, Tom
and his Class Action team developed a rather logical approach to its
business. They worked directly with brand name manufacturers to secure
products and then assembled in house packaged, supply kits tailored to
each school's requirements. Class Action's strong relationships with
manufacturers also afforded it opportunity to create premium quality
product lines of its own - StudentBody™ (backpacks) and Teacher'sBest™
(folders, notebooks and a variety of other stock supplies). The ideas
must have had merit. During the first year, more than 100 public, private
and parochial schools ordered kits for more than 10,000 students through
Class Action. Every year thereafter, kit orders have increased by over 30
percent.
Changing to SchoolKidz.com, Inc.
Even given the company's
growth, something still seemed to be missing. In
1999, Tom and his team realized that the company name did not represent
the focus of its business...school children, so it was changed from Class
Action Student Outfitters, Inc. to SchoolKidz.com, Inc.
Not resting on its success, the company broadened its business approach
and customer base even further in early 2000 when it launched
Schoolkidz.com on the Internet. Now parents and educators could order
student supplies, backpacks, school store replenishments, and
more...online, 24 hours a day throughout the year. SchoolKidz.com is a
business tailored to THEIR active schedules for a change.
Yet SchoolKidz.com is more than a business. It is dedicated to giving back to
the schools they serve and has created several programs to fulfill its goals.
Recognizing that every child deserves an equal opportunity to
learn and succeed along with his or her peers, the company has created
Kits For Kidz™. Through discounts from SchoolKidz.com and additional
subsidizing from local businesses, these supply kits are offered to a
participating school's students who may not otherwise be able to afford
the required educational tools for learning. In addition to
Kits For Kidz™, SchoolKidz.com also offers kit pricing for fundraising
purposes and even provides school credits and/or discounts for select
supplemental bulk supply purchasing.
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