Cellular Sales
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Wireless retail |
| Founded | 1993 |
| Founder | Dane Scism, Margaret Scism |
| Headquarters | Knoxville , United States |
Area served | United States (42 states) |
Key people | Dane Scism (CEO), Margaret Scism (President) |
| Products | Wireless retail services |
Number of employees | 350 (corporate headquarters), call center staff 140 (2015) |
Cellular Sales is a wireless retail company based in Knoxville, Tennessee, operating as an authorized agent for Verizon Wireless. The business runs more than 745 outlets across 42 states within the United States. Valued at over $2 billion, it has been featured nine times on the Inc. Magazine Inc 5000 list and was on track in 2019 to launch a new store approximately every three days.
Company history
Cellular Sales began in the early 1990s as a small retail kiosk located in Knoxville. In 1993, Dane and Margaret Scism acquired the company for $14,000. By the end of that year, it had expanded to roughly 10 stores, with its primary site situated on Kingston Pike. The company’s growth accelerated through the late 1990s and early 2000s by transforming sales representatives into partners to enter new markets.
Originally affiliated with Cellular One and GTE Wireless for marketing purposes, Cellular Sales shifted its focus to Verizon Wireless following its launch in 2000. In 2009 alone, the firm opened 68 new locations nationwide and consistently appeared on the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing companies from 2008 through 2017. The milestone 300th store was inaugurated in Blount County, Tennessee, in 2010.
By 2010, revenue had reached $488.5 million and surged beyond $1 billion by 2013 after experiencing a three-year growth rate of 242%. The company celebrated the opening of its 400th outlet in Hope Mills, North Carolina, in 2011.
In December 2015, Cellular Sales merged four Knoxville stores into a single corporate headquarters that employs 350 people and includes a call center staffed by 140 employees. This headquarters underwent further expansion in 2017 amid ongoing recruitment of over 300 workers monthly across the country.
The company extended its footprint into California with new stores in Goleta and Fresno in August 2016 and entered the Idaho market with a location in Coeur d'Alene in September of the same year. By 2019, revenues surpassed $2 billion alongside continuous rapid store openings.
Leadership includes CEO Dane Scism and President Margaret Scism. Cellular Sales’ strategy centers on aggressive retail growth and forming strategic alliances within the wireless sector, which has driven its substantial market presence and ongoing business expansion.
Philanthropy
Since 2010, Cellular Sales has supported American military personnel by collaborating with Cell Phones For Soldiers to provide free calling cards for overseas use. In 2012, the company contributed $15,000 to SOAR Youth Ministries, an organization aiding at-risk youth, while also sponsoring its annual golf tournament. That same year, Cellular Sales offered complimentary cellular and internet services to individuals affected by storms in Kentucky and Indiana. Furthermore, it donated $45,000 to the Great School Partnership to establish the Verizon Cellular Sales Center for Academic Excellence at West High School in Knoxville, which supports student tutoring and ACT test preparation.