SAGINAW, MICH. (July 25, 2013) – It’s not often that companies remain viable for 150 years. But that’s exactly what Morley, headquartered in Saginaw, Michigan, has done.
Morley’s rich history dates back to 1863. It started as a hardware distributor whose clientele were the lumber barons of the era. When the lumber industry began to wane, Morley diversified – first by adding on a horse and carriage repository, and later evolving into the second largest department store in the U.S.
“The ability to anticipate our clients’ needs, combined with a long-term commitment to customer service, are key to our longevity,” said Paul Furlo, president and CEO. “In fact, each of the current product groups was born from a client need and then integrated into Morley’s services to create custom-fit solutions.”
For example, in the early 1960s, Chairman Louis J. Furlo, Sr. saw a need with his largest clients to use merchandise awards to motivate their sales organizations and dealer networks. The results were so successful the company began the “Incentives Division” (now called Meetings & Incentives).
Over time, as clients’ motivation budgets grew, incentivizing with travel awards became popular, prompting the creation of Morley’s group travel services. This area quickly grew to include meeting and event planning, providing behind-the-scenes and on-site support for events of all sizes.
Since travel planning requires participant registration and many other customer service touch points, Morley created a customer service department. This contact center expanded over time, and has been used for many business process outsourcing projects, from help desks to administering the automotive industry’s largest class-action lawsuit of almost six million vehicle owners.
With extensive meeting planning expertise now in its toolbox, Morley expanded into the management of events such as trade shows and auto shows. Morley’s Exhibits & Displays team also designs, engineers, fabricates and installs interactive exhibits for libraries, museums and schools.
“Morley’s ability to evolve with its clients, along with its Gold Standard® of customer service has translated into 150 great years,” said Furlo. “We have grown from a regional hardware distributor to a company with over 1,700 associates serving the world’s largest global companies. It is because of the fantastic work of these associates that Morley has stood the test of time, and this is just the beginning,” he said.
About Morley
Founded in 1863 in Saginaw, Michigan, Morley employs more than 1,700 associates who serve a diverse group of Fortune 500 global clients. Morley’s Saginaw Township headquarters campus occupies more than 400,000 square feet on 25 acres.