August 1996
Don't Say We Can't Find It!
The man had searched for more than a decade for a 1960s-era Thumbelina doll to give to his wife as a surprise. For years, his wife had scoured swap meets and antique stores, contacted doll collectors and even asked doll hospitals if they could help---all in the hopes of reclaiming a cherished childhood memory. Frustration gave way to resignation. But her husband wouldn't give up.
Enter Patricia Dreiseszun and Todd Zillweger. Co-owners of World Class Concierge Services in Phoenix, they located a Thumbelina doll for the couple at Christmas time last year, after only an hour's worth of searching.
"I just had a feeling this one particular collector on the East Coast would be able to help us out," said Dreiseszun, who together with Zillweger started a concierge business last year. "It was exhilarating to be able to tell the client we located what he wanted."
And what did Dreiseszun and Zillweger charge the man for their service? "He was charged $49.95," said Dreiseszun. "All of our services are available for between $29.95 and $99.95."
World Class Concierge Services specializes in locating hard-to-find items; acquiring tickets to sold-out events worldwide; and fulfilling specialty requests, such as personalized shopping, corporate event planning, and completing tour and travel arrangements.
"We do what most people don't have time to do, or don't want their executive assistants to be concerned with," Zillweger said. "We're here to make people's lives easier."
Both Zillweger and Dreiseszun have extensive experience in providing concierge services. As supervisor of concierge services for SkyMall, Inc., Ziliweger was responsible for securing tickets to sold-out events worldwide, locating hard-to-find collectibles, rare books and antiques, creating unique gift packages, arranging theme parties and coordinating catering and floral services.
Dreiseszun has nearly 20 years' experience in the concierge industry; including serving as director of concierge services at Skymall, Inc. and as the chef concierge at the Hyatt Regency in Phoenix for 15 years. She co-founded the Valley of the Sun Concierge Network Association and is an active member of the prestigious Les Clefs d'Or concierge trade organization.
Together, Zillweger and Dreiseszun have accomplished some extraordinary feats. Working much like detectives, they located an original Standard Oil stock certificate signed by John D. Rockefeller and obtained a letter of authenticity for it.
They've procured courtside boxes next to the royal box at this year's Wimbledon championships; and they've located a rare book about gaming in Las Vegas without benefit of knowing the book's correct title, author or publisher. "The client had said to me, 'here's one you'll never find' and that inspired me even more," Dreiseszun said, smiling.
Dreiseszun especially enjoys packaging her discoveries for her clients. "In the case of the rare book find," she explained, "I put play money in between the pages before gift-wrapping it for the client. The presentation added to his enjoyment of the surprise."
World Class Concierge Services has a World Wide Web site, located at www.conciergeservices.com. The site has received over 100,000 visits since the company went on-line in the spring of 1995.
"Through our Internet site, we've reached clients all over the world," Dreiseszun said, adding that individuals in Australia, England, India, Italy, Germany and Portugal have used the company's services.
"We love to do the impossible," Zillweger said. "The more challenging the assignment, the more we enjoy it." |
