PODS Jacksonville Bolsters Junior League of Jacksonville's Bottom Line by More Than $100,000

Online, February 3, 2011 (Newswire.com) - (Jacksonville, Fla.) - Ten years ago, when the building used to store donations for its annual Whale of a Sale fundraiser was suddenly sold to a developer, the Junior League of Jacksonville was left out in the cold.

The local nonprofit was in need of an affordable storage alternative to stow thousands of pounds of community contributions it sells each February at the nonprofit's large-scale community garage sale.

With just one call, Bob Eales, owner PODS of Jacksonville, solved the charity's dilemma. Eales, owner of four PODS franchises along the east coast of Florida, donated PODS containers to assist the Junior League with storage and logistics, saving the nonprofit more than $100,000. Over the past 10 years, his company has provided 175 containers to the Junior League free of charge.

"Using PODS containers makes perfect sense for the Whale of a Sale," Eales said. "Throughout the year, the Junior League collects and fills containers with donations, we keep them in our storage center and then, on sale day, we transport all of the PODS containers to Jacksonville's Expo Center."

"Our long-standing partnership with Bob and PODS has been a true blessing for the Junior League," said Denise Hudmon, president of the Junior League. "It is wonderful to work with an established business that really cares about the Jacksonville community."

Eales, and his brother, Bill, who manages the Jacksonville location, echo Hudmon's sentiments. "The Junior League makes Jacksonville a better place to live," Bill Eales said. "We hope other businesses will follow suit and step up to support them allowing additional funding to flow back in to the community."

The 2011 Whale of a Sale will take place on Fri., Feb 25 and Sat., Feb 26 at the Greater Jacksonville Fair and Expo Center. For tickets to the preview party or more information, call the Junior League of Jacksonville at (904) 387-9927 or go to www.jljacksonville.org.

About Ultimate Storage, dba PODS
Opened in 2000, Ultimate Storage, dba PODS, is the leading provider of moving and storage services to individuals and businesses on Florida's East Coast. President, Bob Eales, owns four PODS franchises located in Jacksonville, Daytona Beach, Melbourne and Port St. Lucie.

In ten years, Eales' PODS organization has grown from 17,000-square-feet of warehouse space to over 154,000-square-feet. Working with a dedicated team of managers and staff, Eales' PODS franchises now serve a large section of eastern Florida that covers over 10,000 square miles.

A leading corporate citizen, Ultimate Storage supports the local community with donations of PODS containers to charitable organizations and community events throughout the year.

Founded in 1998, PODS Enterprises, Inc. currently provides moving and storage services to more than 245 million consumers in 48 U.S. states, Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom through its company-owned and independent franchise network. To date, the PODS network has completed more than 300,000 long-distance relocations, exceeded 1,600,000 deliveries and has more than 141,000 PODS® containers in service.

PODS containers are made of a steel frame with specially designed, aluminum skin panels. The top is a translucent durable polymer material that allows ambient light to pass through and illuminate the inside of the container. Plus, there is a light-weight steel roll up door. PODS containers are weather-resistant. The construction has been designed to withstand 110 mph winds when partially filled.

Information: PODS.com, call (800) 776-7637 or contact a local office directly.

Ultimate Storage, dba PODS, Locations:
PODS Greater Daytona Beach Area Storage Center, 1590 Jimmy Ann Drive, 386-274-2378
PODS Greater Jacksonville Area Storage Center, 8498 Mallory Road, 904-378-8485.
PODS Greater Melbourne Area Storage Center, 3101 Skyway Circle, 321-751-8884.
PODS Greater Port St Lucie Area Storage Center, 601 Mercantile Place, NW, 772-408-4732