March 3, 2022

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The Preferred Group of Tampa has been nominated for the Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce's Small Business of the Year program. David Kelley, President, and CEO of Preferred CMS, D/B/A The Preferred Group of Tampa, made the announcement that his 35-year, family-based business is proud to be considered for such an honor.  The selection process concludes on September 29th at the Small Business Awards Reception at Armature Works in downtown Tampa. 

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Preferred CMS is a faith-based, customer service-centric accounts receivables recovery company that partners with healthcare providers, hospitals, and physician groups to recoup the financial resources they need to fulfill their mission of providing quality, compassionate health care. With expertise in Revenue Cycle Management, Preferred compassionately and professionally provides Extended Business Operations, third-party debt recovery, and consultation and in-service leadership development.

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​Collector Celebrates 25th Anniversary

Tampa, FL  March 31, 2022

 

 Florida – On March 30th, 2022, employees gathered to celebrate one of their valued team members (A. H.), for her 25th year as a collector and trainer for PGOT. While unusual for an industry that tends to experience high turnover, celebrating long-tenured staff members is not that unusual for PGOT, a faith-based and family-founded organization that operates under the ministry-principled leadership of helping people resolve their debts while being good stewards of the resources entrusted to them. PGOT invests in its employees, especially in times of crisis, and has been rewarded time and again with great productivity and the favor of God. In an email sent from A.H. to PGOT’s admin she said:

 

25 YEARS WOWZERS!!! Not many people can say that and I am truly blessed that I can!

Thank you all so very much for the yummy cake and gift.  I truly appreciate it and do enjoy working here very much 😊 ❤

It’s been a lot of years gone by and three different buildings and I can truly say compared to many other workplaces,  to be able to work in this atmosphere and for Preferred to be a Christian-based company that truly looks out for its own and has impeccable integrity, is a very confident and comforting feeling when we live in a society where there are so many out of work and so many that don’t want to work.

Thanks again, hopefully, I didn’t miss anyone.

 

Operating with a “ministry” approach and helping healthcare organizations recover much-needed monetary resources has its challenges, especially in the litigious society we are in today. However, for over 35 years, The Preferred Group of Tampa has carved a path of success by investing in its employees, technology, leadership, and compliance and has managed to remain successful and grow because of its missional approach.  Preferred’s values are:

 

Continuous improvement  

Honesty    

Respect  

Integrity  

Stewardship  

Teamwork                                             ​Company verse: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”

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Members from Preferred Group of Tampa Now Have Cost-Effective Way To Help End Extreme Child Poverty.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tampa, FL, March 16, 2018:  

 

When people think of a collection agency, they don’t usually see a connection with ending child poverty. But by sponsoring a child through a Christ-centered, child-focused, and church-based charity like Compassion International (https://www.compassion.com/), Preferred Group of Tampa owners believe they are just stewards of the resources God has entrusted them with, so they have a strong desire to make a difference in the lives of others. Since October of 2015, The Preferred Group of Tampa, through its President and CEO, David Kelley, has partnered with Compassion International in sponsoring Abenzer, who is now 7 years old.

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Abenzer lives in Ethiopia and his primary caregiver is his mother. He is in “Kinder 2” which is the US equivalent of Kindergarten and he loves learning about God, singing songs, playing games, and soccer. He writes letters back to his friends at Preferred with the assistance of the church that looks after him and provides support to him through Preferred’s monthly monetary commitment. Preferred’s monthly gift allows the Compassion staff to provide Abenzer with educational assistance, nutritional supplements to protect against malnutrition, health care, and recreational activities, and it allows them the opportunity to regularly share the love of Christ with Abenzer. But the program also has the ability for sponsors to give extra money for Christmas, birthday, and family gifts for their child, above and beyond their monthly commitment.

 

Preferred’s employees wanted to provide these extra giving opportunities for Abenzer and they also wanted to give extra money to support the administrative work of Compassion, so they created a “Casual Thursday for Abenzer” program where, for $3 a week, an employee can donate to the program and come to work dressed casually on that day. The program is working well with close to 100% participation most weeks. Due to the program’s success, the Preferred Group is now looking at sponsoring a second child through the program. The employees at Preferred hope other agencies, vendors, and businesses will be encouraged to sponsor a child through Compassion International and make a difference for a boy or girl in need.

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ABOUT COMPASSION INTERNATIONAL:

“Compassion International is the world’s leading authority on holistic child development through sponsorship. Compassion's history began in 1952 out of one man’s determination to help 35 children orphaned by the Korean War. Reverend Everett Swanson flew to South Korea to minister to American troops fighting in the war but grew increasingly troubled by the sight of hundreds of war orphans trying to survive alone on the frigid sidewalks of Seoul, where many died of starvation, exposure, and disease. Swanson vowed to find a way to help the children. He raised enough money to support a Korean orphanage and established an organization that gave American sponsors the opportunity to help by paying a small monthly fee to cover the orphan's food, shelter, health care, and Bible-based education. Today, Compassion is a global ministry that serves more than 1.8 million babies, children, and young adults by partnering with more than 6,700 churches in 25 countries to help break the cycle of poverty.

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Compassion’s three Cs distinguish it from other child sponsorship organizations. Christ-Centered. Child Focused. Church Based.

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Christ-Centered: Children and families served through Compassion do not have to be Christians, but they are offered a clear presentation of the gospel. As they experience God’s love in the physical world, many receive Christ and grow into healthy, educated, confident believers, ready to serve God and others in need.

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Child Focused: Compassion believes extreme global poverty can be eradicated in our lifetime and is committed to helping whittle it away by serving the most vulnerable citizens — impoverished children. When children living in poverty are nurtured and equipped to overcome their circumstances, they are empowered to pursue their dreams, driving change into their families, communities, and nations.

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Church-Based: Compassion builds a direct route to the children who need help most by partnering with indigenous evangelical churches located on the front lines of poverty. All Compassion programs are delivered through these community churches because they are uniquely qualified to understand the real needs of their areas and serve as a safe haven for children and their families. Everything from food and medical care to curriculum and counseling is orchestrated by volunteer church workers.

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Preferred Group Of Tampa Participates in 2018 Publix Gasparilla Distance Classic Race Weekend Supporting Local Charities.

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[Pictured left to right: Jacob Kiefer, Jenny Vargas, Matt Kiefer, Catherine Kiefer, Lisa Guthrie, Jonathan Guthrie, Cole Costello, Erin Swartz, 

                                             David Kelley]                                                             [Attending but not Pictured: Charity Crenshaw, Jennifer Pierce, Caydence Pierce]                                                            

      Members from Preferred Group of Tampa celebrate health and wellness while giving back to the community.

 

 Tampa, FL, February 23, 2018:  

     

 While collections agencies are not generally cast in the best of light by the general public, a local Tampa collections agency is a reminder that they not only recover money for hospitals, physicians, and other healthcare and government entities but they also give back to the community as well. Several employees and family members of Preferred Collection and Management Services d/b/a The Preferred Group of Tampa participated in what has become a Tampa tradition in the 41st Running of the Publix Gasparilla Distant Classic 15K and 5K held in Tampa along beautiful Bayshore Drive.

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Through efforts, from the Gasparilla Distance Classic Association, participants, volunteers, Publix, and many others associated with the event, more than $5.1M has been raised to support Tampa Bay Area youth charitable organizations. The bulk of what is raised goes to the Association’s Heritage Charities, including the Boys & Girls Clubs of Tampa Bay, Big Brothers & Big Sisters of Tampa Bay, and the Friends of Tampa Recreation. Money is also shared with South Tampa Neighborhood Associations, the Cigna Kids Running Program, Publix’s Too Good For Drugs Jr. Gasparilla Classic, the University of Tampa’s Cross-Country & Track Programs, and several nonprofits providing volunteers for the event. There are more than 32000 runners and walkers from all walks of life, representing all 50 states and 10 countries.

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Preferred CMS Partners With Rough Riders

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Tampa, FL  [December 18, 2017]

 

ACA International member, Preferred Group of Tampa, in Tampa, Florida, has a “Preferred Gives Back” program created by CEO and past president of the Florida Collectors Association, David Kelley. Preferred participates in a multitude of charity events throughout the year. This is the first year, however, that they participated in the John Winter Memorial Teddy Bear Round-Up which runs from November 24th to December 18th every year. Winter was a Tampa meteorologist for WFLA News Channel 8 and a member of the Rough Riders who often spoke of taking Teddy Bears to children in hospitals during his morning forecast.

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The Tampa Rough Riders were formed to preserve the memory of President Theodore Roosevelt and his service with the First U.S. Volunteer Cavalry when they fought in the Spanish-American War in 1898. For several years the Rough Riders spent their own money to buy new teddy bears to take to the children in hospitals which later expanded to what it is today. They tend to stick specifically to stuffed bears because Teddy Roosevelt is the namesake for the “teddy bear.”  They deliver to many other places and not just children in hospitals but to children living in shelters, senior citizens, cancer patients, and wounded warriors at the Haley V.A. Center. According to Tony Bimonte, Teddy Bear Committee Chairperson for the Rough Riders, they pretty much cover every hospital in Tampa, Saint Petersburg, and Bradenton that they receive an invite from.

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Erin Swartz, who coordinated this first-time event said, “Preferred knows that people don’t get sick or need a dose of happiness just around Christmas time so we will work on collecting bears throughout the year for the Rough Riders so we can continue to bless those who are going through a difficult time.” Pictured below are some of the management and staff that collected more than 30 bears for the program.

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