Mary Kay Paints Houston Pink Infusing More Than $9 Million Into Local Economy
Independent sales force turns plastic into trees and donates women’s suits to shelters in big heart city
Dallas, Jan. 12, 2011 – Global cosmetic giant Mary Kay Inc. will paint Houston pink while hosting more than 9,000 Mary Kay independent sales force members from the United States and Canada during its annual Leadership Conference January 12-19 at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston. The ladies in pink will convene for a conference designed to support and develop the businesses of Mary Kay Independent Sales Directors. This event is also expected to infuse Houston’s economy with more than $9 million in direct spending.
“The remarkable commitment of the Mary Kay independent sales force to running successful businesses in a challenging economy is demonstrated best at our corporate events. It’s a unique business event where we will celebrate their achievements and prepare them for the changing needs of the market in 2011,” said Vice President of U.S. Marketing Yvette Franco.
Mary Kay’s commitment to corporate social responsibility is also a cornerstone during the annual Leadership Conference. The company will leave its mark on the Big Heart City with its Pink Doing GreenSM recycling initiative and Suits for Shelters program that run in conjunction with the business conference.
In coordination with The Mary Kay FoundationSM, Mary Kay Independent Sales Directors are supporting Houston area domestic violence survivors by coming to Houston with a little extra luggage. They will be donating lightly worn women’s business suits to two local women’s shelters. This year’s recipients for the annual Suits for Shelters program include The Door and Houston Area Women’s Center. Both organizations provide shelter and support services for domestic violence survivors. The Mary Kay FoundationSM anticipates the donation of approximately 800 suits during the event.
Mary Kay is also collecting flip-top caps from its skin care and body care products and color refill cases holding its color cosmetics for recycling. In partnership with the Arbor Day Foundation and the U.S. Forest Service, one tree will be planted in the U.S. for every 10 caps or cases received by Mary Kay Inc. through December 2011.
Mary Kay’s Leadership Conference consists of two, back-to-back, four-day conferences focused on providing education, inspiration and motivation for the year ahead, as well as recognizing the Mary Kay independent sales force for their achievements. Independent Sales Directors and Independent National Sales Directors offer leadership and motivation to the growing Mary Kay independent sales force that now exceeds 2 million members in more than 35 markets worldwide.
About Mary Kay
Mary Kay is one of the largest direct sellers of skin care and color cosmetics with $2.5 billion in annual wholesale sales worldwide. Mary Kay® products are sold in more than 35 international markets, and the global Mary Kay independent sales force exceeds 2 million. To learn more about Mary Kay, log on to www.marykay.com or call 1-800-MARY KAY (1-800-627-9529).
About The Mary Kay FoundationSM
The Mary Kay FoundationSM was created in 1996, and its mission is two-fold: to fund research of cancers affecting women and to help prevent domestic violence while raising awareness of the issue. Since the Foundation’s inception, it has awarded nearly $25 million to shelters and programs addressing domestic violence prevention and more than $14 million to cancer researchers and related causes throughout the United States. To learn more about The Mary Kay FoundationSM, log on to www.marykayfoundation.org or call 1-877-MKCARES (652-2737).