Knox Bridges Gaps Between Companies, Consumer;
f. By Burnell Clark
M Staff Writer
Bridging the gap
between consumers
and companies is
whet Derrick Know■
aims to do with his
new D & A Computer
And Financial Ser
vice. Hie service is
designed to make
consumers aware of
the products they need
without thumbing
through the phone
book while also offer
ing them a 15 percen&A
discount at staras af
filiated with D A A.
its tli* informa
tion service of the fu
ture," says Knox, a
1986 graduate of Win
gate College. "Were
going to help consu
mers find the products
they want at the right
prices while bringing
more busisness to
smell businesses.
For example-if you
wanted to buy a pair of
Reebok sneakers and
you wanted informa
tion on the stares that
carry them, all yeu
have to do is call us %
and we could give you
e list of stores, their
location, prices and
you also get a 16 per
cent discount," ex
plains the energetic
businessman.
Does this sound
like something yon
could fa* interested in?
Ibis is how it works.
First, D & A compile***
s list of all store* that
agree to offer the 16
percent off to consu
mers who pay for the IS
service. As a custom- ^
er, all you have to do
is present your D A A
identification card
when paying for
items to receive the
discount. / .
*D * A is in busi
j ness to help people
both consumers and
businesses," stresses
Knox. "We want the
- consumers to have all
the information they
need right at thdr fin
gertips without hav
ing to look through the
yellow pegos. All
they have to do is call
ue up and we can
search for the stores
that carry the product*
they need in seconds
through our program
that is titled
[ '"Company Cares."
The promising
young business will
management, infor
mation classifica
tion,tax preparation,
to rised accounting -
covuivi
to aaeist you in
training and experi
ence in computers
and is currently pur
conscious business
man learned comput
er theory (PASCAL)
For business he
gained experience in
. COBOL and the high
er level of FOR
TRAN. He earned
ringer High School
*1 * choae to attend
Wingate because of'/>*
its high academic
standards," remem
bers the self
motivated Knox. In
.. college, he was active
in the Black Aware
ness Club, Christian
Student Union, Activ- ’
itjr Program Board,
The W Club, while
earning A11-NA1A
District-26 honors an
awards in basketball.
Bom to Willie And
Annie Knox of Char- ^
lotto, he comes from a
business-oriented - *$•"
family. His lather
sms the first blade en
gineer to work for
Southern Railroad
while his mother oper
ates and owns the
Kmk Beauty and Bar
ber Styling establish
ment-on Tom Hunter
Road. He has two sis- >
ters, Alfreida Man
gum, 29 who weeks fir
• First Union and Ve- -
ronica Grier who is
employed fay Barclays
America.
How can a recant
college graduate start
his own business?
Well Derrick ex
plains how he got
started. “I was (lip
ping through the yel
low pages one day
looking for a place to
get a gift for my moth
er. I got frustrated af- .
tar I couldn't find out
how much the item
was going to cost and
what kind of service
the company offered.
So I began to talk to
some of my professors
•bout my idea to start
my own information
service," he recalls.
"Next, I went to com
’ parties and retail
stores to see what they
thought about it and
they said it sounded
good but that I just
needed to get a posi-' |
tfVe response from the
public. Afterwards
: my sister and ! did
some telemarketing
' to see if people would
like the service and
“e got gooa rMponv
ee."
How will a corara
^Jjbr know what Kind
of service they will get
after they purchase
an item? "We re
search all companies '*
by using the Betd£
Business Bureau to r4
eoe what .kind of. J'lj
grade they have on
service.. We relay
this information on to
members of the
"Company Cares" •**
Program," Knox ox
plains. S I
How does D A A
profit? "The only
money m make ia
from tho members
who pay a small fee
for the use of the pro
gram and from other , ’*
service, that we of
^•r." he enlighten*.
""TT1!l
To The
#1
Boss
Many Bright Lights Have
( Wo Shone In Past Victories -
; ; And For Future Dreams.