A new month has arrived which means we’re ready for another “Dealership Spotlight”. For July, we’re introducing you to Bee’s Fundraising in Amarillo, TX. Bee’s Fundraising joined the Butter Braid® Fundraising team relatively recently, coming on board in 2017. For the owner of Bee’s Fundraising, there is no greater joy than helping groups achieve their fundraising goals. That’s why he has dedicated himself to helping local groups and giving them new experiences with his dealership’s easy-to-run fundraising programs.
History
Doug Sims is a born entrepreneur. Over the past four decades, he has owned seven different businesses. He’s been in everything from a sprinkler and landscaping business to multiple restaurants to insurance adjusting firms to real estate to consulting. Though Doug has always been an entrepreneur at heart, for over 25 years, his full-time job was as a surgical device sales representative. In fact, he still consults in this field today when he has time available. As of 2022, Doug has had his hand in helping people, surgically, for over 35 years.
Doug has always been ready and willing to try new things and take on any challenge that comes his way. He didn’t know it yet, but those qualities, along with his desire to serve others, would one day make him the perfect person to lead his fundraising groups to reaching their goals.
The decision to move into the fundraising industry happened after Doug was introduced to Butter Braid Pastries and their fundraising program. He was very impressed by how supporters reacted to this particular fundraiser. The people who bought products from a local Butter Braid Fundraiser could not stop raving about how great they were and about all the good the fundraiser was doing for the community. That’s when Doug began to think about opening his own fundraising dealership. He saw it as the perfect opportunity to continue helping others, in a unique way, with a one-of-a-kind product which is exactly the kind of opportunity he’d been looking for. On April 25, 2017, Doug Sims opened Bee’s Fundraising in Amarillo, Texas.
Changes to the Dealership
Over the years, Doug Sims has greatly expanded Bee’s Fundraising’s infrastructure. The business has gone from just a few, simple chest freezers and a pick-up truck as a delivery vehicle to a 20 ft. x 20 ft. walk-in freezer, 2 delivery trailers, and a forklift. All these modifications to tools and equipment have helped Bee’s Fundraising better serve even more groups in the area and make the fundraising process even smoother.
Doug has always had a great support system in his family. His wife, Donna, is a co-owner of the business and helps when she can. When she’s not at Bee’s Fundraising, Donna is a full-time charge nurse at the local VA Medical Center where she helps veterans in the long-term care facility. Because Bee’s Fundraising has done so much growing in the last couple of years, Doug has recently hired his first non-family employee that will be starting in fall 2022 to help with administrative work.
Fundraising Groups
Bee’s Fundraising is a dealership that believes in serving the community. Doug, Donna, and their team say that their passion comes from helping others. They find joy in knowing that they played a part in helping families have new experiences without having to pay for them out of pocket. Doug says he believes children should not have to miss out on activities they are interested in because of their family’s financial situation. He and his team are proud to offer groups the tools they need to raise funds and to support their causes.
Bee’s Fundraising has supported plenty of causes over the last five years with their simple, hassle-free fundraisers. Some of the groups they’ve worked with include church groups, bands, choirs, orchestras, athletics groups, AAU teams, Kairos Ministry groups, and daycares. In total, Bee’s Fundraising has helped groups raise over $750,000 in their first fives years. According to Doug, the business is on track to surpass $1 million raised in 2023.
The Story Behind the Name
Doug gets asked about the name of his dealership quite often. Why name your fundraising business Bee’s? You don’t sell honey or beehives or bee keeping equipment…or even bees! Well, there’s actually a really simple reason why. “Bees is the name my 9 grandsons call me,” Doug explains. “My oldest grandson, Brody, was supposed to call me ‘Bug’ because it rhymes with Doug and Donna was going to be Nonna. However, Brody, who is now 17 and a Senior in high school, was unable to say bug. He could say Bees though, so it stuck. Thus, we now have Bee’s Fundraising.” Or, as it’s better known to all his grandsons, Granddad’s Fundraising.
Bee’s Fundraising has been a wonderful addition to the Butter Braid Fundraising family. Doug Sim’s positive energy and desire to help groups succeed are what make him and his dealership so inspiring. We can’t wait to see all the amazing things the future has in store for Bee’s Fundraising. If you’re a group in west Texas and need a fundraiser, give Bee’s Fundraising a call today or sign up online. You’ll “bee” very glad that you did.
Connect with Bee’s Fundraising Today!
Website: https://beesfundraising.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/beesfundraising
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beesfundraising/
