Confero Inc.

**Confero: A Legacy of Service, Innovation, and Success** Confero, derived from the Latin root confer, meaning to bring together, contribute, embodies its mission: to help client companies serve their customers exceptionally well. Founded in 1986 by JoAnn Buxton, a former teacher, Confero began as a training consulting service. Her daughter Elaine, with a degree in business and a background in retail, soon joined her. Together, they shaped the companys future. Initially focusing on customized training through needs assessments, Confero discovered a significant demand for these assessments, leading to a shift towards mystery shopping services. This pivot marked the beginning of Conferos journey towards continuous growth and innovation. In 1998, Confero played a pivotal role in forming the Mystery Shopping Professionals Association (MSPA), with Elaine serving on its first Board of Directors. By 2000, Elaine took over as president, steering the company towards new heights. In 2002, rather than continuing to develop software internally, Confero started using a new online tool developed by another company to manage reports. This was an early software as a service product. This decision helped Confero focus on the core business, pay only for what they needed, and grow their business successfully. Confero s growth mirrored that of its clients. Recognized on the Inc. 5000 List of Fastest Growing Privately Held Companies in America in 2009, Conferos success stems from its unique specialty and flexible, customized services. The introduction of motivation and rewards services further enhanced client satisfaction by enabling companies to offer customized, branded rewards to high-performing employees, fostering a culture of excellence. With decades of experience, Confero has built a large network of independent mystery shoppers across the US, enabling them to serve clients at various levels. To fully utilize this network, Confero began offering in-person audits to help clients in manage risks and comply with regulations. Services such as secret checks on alcohol sales age limits, MPAA movie entrance rules, and consumer bank lending help clients maintain best practices and manage risks. Conferos comprehensive reporting platform integrates mystery shopping, compliance audits, and social listening, allowing clients to monitor these services from a single dashboard. Over the past decade, data aggregation services were added, consolidating reports from various sources into an easy-to-use online platform. Now, clients can view results from sales, customer calls, customer comments, social media, and mystery shops on the same platform, with Confero providing customized incentives such as Visa or Amazon gift cards to high performers. Elaine continues to lead Confero, earning numerous accolades including a Pinnacle Business Award from the Raleigh Chamber of Commerce, BBB-Carolinas finalist for Torch Award for Marketplace Excellence, a Stevie Award for Customer Service Consulting Practice of the Year, and a finalist for the Marketing Research Insights Excellence Award. Longevity earned long term relationships. National clients Coca-Cola North America, Jersey Mikes Subs, and AMC Theatres have been with Confero for 10+ years. Conferos five (5) member leadership team provides an extensive industry brain trust to clients, having tenures of 6 to 26 years.