Maryland Energy Consulting Leader CQI Associates Launches Powerful New Fundraiser with Soccer Association of Columbia

    COLUMBIA, MD, September 02, 2010 /24-7PressRelease/ -- The Maryland energy leader CQI Associates has done it again, scoring big with the popular youth soccer league in Howard County Maryland, SAC.

Years ago, CQI Associates was the first company of it's kind to introduce the concept of leveraging the power of group buying to benefit the individual residential energy consumer. CQI was the first to create a residential energy buying co-op, and approached many Chamber of Commerce organizations about offering their co-op to it's members. These Chamber relationships still to this day are a huge success.

Today, CQI has once again led the field in thinking outside the box, and has partnered with the Soccer Association of Columbia, in their "Win/Win Fundraiser" for the fall soccer season. SAC is an enormous soccer league located in Howard County, MD, with over 4500 member families.

When CQI Associates' Chris Swope was asked about the relationship his answer was quite simple: "Last fall I got an email from my son's sports league that stipulated that we as parents were required to take part in a mandatory fundraiser. I thought wow, we're sort of being forced to spend money here whether we want to or not!" CQI's fundraising model is quite unique in that there is no cost to participate in the energy co-op. "I knew that soccer parents in the Howard County area are CQI's ideal demographic, so I approached the league about how we could make it work. SAC had never heard of a fundraiser where they didn't have to ask its parents for money, and the rest is history."

The co-op concept is simple. Since Maryland is a deregulated state, any residential consumer can obtain their energy supply from any 3rd party vendor that is licensed by the State. Instead of having residents try and tackle this sometimes confusing process on their own, CQI Associates has made it really a no-brainer. The consumer's current distribution company still transmits the power to the home, maintains the lines, reads the meter and is there in case of an outage. You even still keep the same bill.

Behind the scenes CQI Associates has used the co-op business model to obtain the most competitive rates in the marketplace. Swope jokes with potential clients, assuring them that their light-bulbs will not be 30% dimmer, in fact clients see no difference at all, other than a less expensive rate showing up on their bill.

Many of the energy suppliers are having their clients take a huge risk by having a variable rate product that changes with the market. CQI Associates offers incredible budget stability with their fixed rate product that is guaranteed not to change during your contract term.

Swope makes it clear that CQI is looking at more growth in the future: "It's almost like a secret that's slowly being let out of the bag. The funny thing is there's no secret here. We're working hard so that every Maryland resident is at least aware that they have a choice to switch. Currently, less than 2% of the population of Maryland that is open to deregulation has made the switch to a lower cost energy supplier. The marketplace is wide open and organizations like SAC will allow us some face-time with the community to get the word out."

CQI Associates will have a presence at many SAC weekend events this fall, and will be on-site to hand out literature and speak one-on-one with potential clients. For those soccer parents that want to go green, CQI has them covered too. "We offer both a 50% and 100% wind product -and the crazy thing is we can help people go green and still have very competitive pricing."

Each of the artificial turf fields at SAC's soccer complex costs over $500,000 to replace. CQI Associates hopes that with the vast majority of the soccer parents participating in the fundraiser, new equipment and amenities may come sooner than later. Swope nicely ties a bow on the interview with "Let's all make smart household decisions regarding our energy, and the kids get the best soccer experience possible."

To learn more about CQI Associates' residential energy purchasing co-op, or to express interest in having CQI partner with your organization for fundraising efforts, please visit their website at http://coop.cqiassociates.com or call 410-740-0667.

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