Stephen Bebis Honoured for 30+ Years of Industry Achievement, Mentoring
(TORONTO) – Golf Town – Canada’s largest golf retailer with unequaled selection, certified experts on-staff and competitive prices at 39 locations coast to coast – is pleased to announce the induction of President and CEO Stephen Bebis to the Canadian Retail Hall of Fame on Tuesday, June 3.
This distinction recognizes Bebis for his advancement and promotion of retail as a career during his tenure leading Golf Town and several other well-known Canadian companies. He joins some of the country’s most prominent executives in the Hall of Fame, including George Heller of HBC, Steve Matyas of Staples Business Depot, Mario Pilozzi of Wal-Mart Canada, Harry Rosen of Harry Rosen Inc. and William Turner of Sears Canada.
“Throughout my career, I’ve been fortunate to work alongside some truly talented individuals and to be recognized for helping foster their professional growth is among the greatest honours I could ever receive,” says Bebis. “It’s a testament to the devotion of all Golf Town employees. Each day, they’re striving to further develop the knowledge and skills necessary to exceed customer expectations and strengthen our company’s position as the center of a vibrant community.”
Prior to founding Golf Town, Bebis established Aikenhead’s Home Improvement which became Home Depot Canada, and also held senior positions with Home Depot and Sears, Roebuck and Co. in the US. An industry innovator, he has ensured Golf Town employees are among the most knowledgeable and motivated in the retail sector through a variety of nationwide development initiatives. These include Golf Town University, the Spirit of Excellence Awards and strategic hiring of certified CPGA professionals.
“Mr. Bebis is being honoured for his contributions to the retail industry in Canada and sincere commitment to promoting retail as a career,” says Diane J. Brisebois, President and CEO, Retail Council of Canada. “Throughout his career, he’s shown unwavering support for helping develop the skills of retail’s future leaders and this continues to positively impact the industry as a whole.”
Established in 2001 by the Retail Council of Canada, the Canadian Retail Hall of Fame recognizes executives who are strong advocates of retail education and training. Winners are seen as inspirational leaders who promote and encourage young people to pursue careers in retail and current employees to acquire more skills to advance.
Golf Town offers an unbeatable selection of clubs, bags, balls, apparel, footwear, accessories, gifts, logo merchandise, promotional services and more. This includes the world’s leading golf brands, such as Adams, Bridgestone, Callaway Golf, Cleveland, Cobra, Dunning, ECCO, FootJoy, Founders Club, Gordon Cooper, Greg Norman, Honma, Hugo Boss, LaCoste, Liz Claiborne, LIJA, Mizuno, Nike Golf, Odyssey, Ogio, Paradise, Ping, Sun Mountain, TaylorMade adidas Golf, Titleist and Wilson.
For more information, please visit www.golftown.com or call 905.479.0343.
About Golf Town
Canada’s largest golf retailer, Golf Town was founded in 1999 and has grown from one location in Scarborough, ON, to 39 superstores coast to coast. At an average size of nearly 18,000 square feet, these retail centres feature all the major name-brand products at the best price, ensuring customers find what they want, when they want it.
A centre of the Canadian golf community for individuals and organizations, Golf Town locations serve as sanctuaries where players of all ages and abilities try, buy, learn about and improve their games. The largest employer of CPGA professionals, Golf Town offers on-site lessons tailored to an individual’s needs through its In-Store Academy.
The company’s dedicated Corporate Sales Division features thousands of golf and lifestyle products for companies to strengthen customer relationships, leverage sponsorships and reward employee performance. These are highlighted by a wide range of logo-ready products – such as accessories, apparel, appliances, electronics, equipment, home goods, jewelry, luggage and musical instruments.
Golf Town has also established Canada’s leading customer advantage initiative via its Leaderboard Membership Privileges Program. Benefits of this free membership include the chance to win a $500 gift card in a national monthly drawing; timely e-newsletters; members-only special offers on equipment, accessories, golf lessons, in-store events; and more.
Among the largest charitable givers in the Canadian golf industry, Golf Town is an official partner with the Prostate Cancer Research Foundation of Canada (www.prostatecancer.ca) in the Drive for a Cure. Through its ‘Chips In’ donation program, the company also supports charitable golf tournaments of all sizes that are devoted to enhancing the lives of children, families and the community.
About Retail Council of Canada
Retail Council of Canada (www.retailcouncil.org) is the Voice of Retail. It is a not-for-profit association representing more than 40,000 stores of all retail formats, including independent merchants, regional and national mass and specialty chains, and online merchants.
Contact:
Kevin Satz
Buffalo Communications
703.891.3394
ksatz@billycaspergolf.com
