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For more information, contact Barb Steadman - 843.857.4199

HARTSVILLE, S.C. – Aug. 5, 2011 – In less than a month, Coker College’s new, free marketing program, Cobras Welcome Here!, has already enrolled 18 local businesses and organizations.

“We are thrilled about the response from local merchants to the Cobras Welcome Here! program,” said Dean of Students Jason Umfress.  “This is an effort created specifically to help merchants elevate their visibility among Coker students, faculty and staff in the Hartsville and surrounding areas.

“But more than that,” Umfress said, “the fundamental driver behind the idea is the knowledge that as the program creates an incentive for students to open storefront doors, it will open hearts as well.  It’s simply inevitable that when students get to know our businesses and the people who make them special, a deep loyalty to Hartsville will develop.”

As a member of the Cobras Welcome Here! program, organizations receive official Cobras Welcome Here! logo signage, an advertisement on the college’s Hartsville resources website, on-campus advertising to new and existing students and exclusive invitations to on-campus community events.

Businesses and organizations enrolled to date include:

• Hartsville Downtown Development Association
• Burry Bookstore
• The Midnight Rooster
• Saffron Restaurant and Catering
• Jackson Family Chiropractic
• Raceway Chevy Buick & Ford
• Lulu's Clothing Boutique
• Vintage Wine and Beer boutique
• CJ's Cakes & Catering
• Hartsville Drug Company
• Mary Kay Cosmetics
• Golden Dragon
• Holland House Stylists
• Center for Health & Wellness
• Prescott Wireless 1
• Gainey's Heating & Cooling, Inc.

The program is free, but each participating organization must pledge to offer a discount or free product or service to students who produce a valid, College-issued identification.

For more information about the program, please contact Umfress at (843) 383-8035 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

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Coker College readies undergraduates for personal and professional success through a distinctive four-year program that emphasizes a practical application of the liberal arts as well as hands-on and discussion-based learning within and beyond the classroom. Coker is ranked among the “Best Colleges” in the South by U.S. News & World Report as well as The Princeton Review. Located in Hartsville, Coker is within two hours of the cultural, financial and recreational resources of Charlotte, Columbia, Charleston and Myrtle Beach. For more information contact Barb Steadman: 843-397-9959 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .