National Content Liquidators Inc., a company that has sold the used furnishings of many famous U.S. hotels and resorts over the past 37 years, was sold last September to Zoho Corp., a Sunnyvale, CA startup company which planned to supply the hospitality industry via the Internet. 

But Zoho and NCL parted ways in June. 

Funded with $60 million in private investment capital and managed by two former FedEx executives, Zoho was going to put hotel furniture sourcing and recycling into cyberspace. 

Big name investors included Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Harrah's Entertainment, Dell Computer and Ariba Inc., a business-to-business e-commerce provider, according to Michael G. Lunsford, President/CEO of NCL. 

But Lunsford said Zoho's plans went awry in November when the red-hot market for initial public offerings of new Internet companies fizzled. With that source of windfall cash gone, the hotel investors lost interest, Lunsford added. He later repurchased NCL from Zoho. 

Lunsford now oversees a liquidation company with a local and national staff of 40. 

Twenty-five NCL employees travel from coast to coast (as well as North and South of the border) loading tractor-trailers with Furniture, Fixtures & Equipment and conducting tag sales at hotels and resorts that schedule periodic renovations.  Some of the merchandise is sold to other hotels and the rest is available at the company�s Dayton, Ohio retail store.  

When asked about choosing this average Midwest town as his firm�s jumping-off point, Lunsford has an interesting response.  �Dayton, Ohio may not be the �Mecca of the Midwest�, but we have found our location to be a tremendous asset.  While we may see occasional competition from locals in the major markets, none of them can come close to servicing the entire nation as cost-effectively as we can.� 

This may help explain NCL�s affinity for repeat business with many of the biggest names in the industry, including the Trump Organization and Ian Schrager Hotels.  �I think on a corporate level, most hospitality executives that we do business with, appreciate the value of dealing with a familiar entity like NCL � one they know they can trust to exceed the requirements of each unique project, time and time again,� says Lunsford.  �You could not design a more courteous and professional group of dedicated individuals, to be responsible for coordinating the solutions to your property�s liquidation needs.  I firmly believe, that no one understands this business as well as we do, and no one can do this job as well as we can.  No one.� 

While Lunsford is certainly disappointed in the outcome of NCL�s venture with Zoho, he remains ultimately optimistic.  �It is a shame that the business plan conceived through our association with Zoho was unable to realize its full potential in serving the hospitality industry.  There were some great ideas there, but we�ve got to look forward now and continue on with what we have always done.  We will continue to be the diamond in the rough of the liquidation industry, striving to provide the excellence and service that has become our trademark.� 

NCL/National Content Liquidators, Inc. located in Dayton, Ohio, is �The Nations Premier Liquidator for the Lodging Industry�.  Included in the company�s portfolio of satisfied clients are the Willard Hotel, Washington, D.C., the Waldorf Astoria and Plaza, New York, and the Ambassador, Los Angeles.  Altogether, the company has liquidated over 800 hotels and 300,000 guestrooms in its 37 year history.  NCL provides a managed, full-service approach to liquidation, controlling every aspect from set-up to completion, and guaranteeing all price estimates.  NCL has the financial resources to purchase as well as program entire facility liquidations. 

Michael Lunsford serves NCL as President and CEO and has been associated with NCL for over 30 years.  He has published numerous articles on the liquidation process, has been a featured guest on CNN Moneyline, CNBC and CNN and has offered his expertise at various industry and trade conferences.  Michael is a graduate of Ohio University in Athens, Ohio.