Mystery Tour, Part II: "Too Good to be True"

Tim Randall, VP of Distribution
showing members of the tour NAEIR's
warehouse. 

On the tour of NAEIR the group from R&J "mystery" tours seemed eager and engaged as Tim Randall (VP of Distribution at NAEIR) walked and talked his way through the warehouse. They asked a multitude of questions about the different kinds of products NAEIR solicits from companies throughout the country.  They also asked who some of the organization’s donor companies are and also had questions about the size (13,000) of NAEIR’s membership as well as the types of member organizations NAEIR serves.

I had the opportunity to speak with a few of the individuals on the tour about their experience with the tour company and their thoughts about NAEIR.  

Janice Kammermeier, from central Minnesota, was on the tour with her husband and commented afterward that organizations like NAEIR made her “feel good about the world.” Janice had been on a few mystery tours before this one, but none had been to a place like NAEIR.

Tim Randall shows tour members
one of the items NAEIR has in
its warehouse: scissors. 

Harold Mattke, a retired insurance underwriter from St. Louis Park, MN, toted his digital camera on the tour, snapping photos of a variety of products, the group itself, and the warehouse.  He confided to me that he was awestruck at how big the NAEIR warehouse was.  He was surprised that he had never heard of an organization like NAEIR before.

As we finished the tour I talked with Cheryl Lommel and Marlys Hopke, - both from St. Cloud, MN, about their overall impressions of NAEIR. Cheryl’s comment -  “It’s seems too good to be true” really encapsulates the group mentality.

The collective gasp when Tim announced that there was about $178 million dollars worth of product in the warehouse, the genuine interest in how organizations can become a part of NAEIR, and the unabashed curiosity on the part of the group - emphasize the impact that NAEIR has – not only with respect to its members, but on just about anyone that’s given the opportunity to take a walk through NAEIR’s warehouse.