When Coldwater Creek announced the building of a catalog distribution center at the industrial park in Mineral Wells in a ceremony on September 1998, they also made another important announcement. The Company made a significant gift to the community -- a $10,000 contribution to the Parkersburg Area Community Foundation. This gift was used to create the Coldwater Creek Fund, an endowment fund to support important community needs.

Coldwater Creek was a specialty direct mail retailer of apparel, gifts, jewelry, and home accessories. The company was founded in 1984 by Ann and Dennis Pence with one catalog that included 18 items. Soon the company had a unique brand identity and a loyal customer base built through providing exceptional value, superior customer service, and a desirable line of merchandise that reflects a casual, North American spirit.

Prior to Coldwater Creek, Dennis Pence served as a national marketing manager with Sony Corp. in New York City. After he and his wife, who worked in retail advertising, tired of urban life, they decided to move to Idaho and start their own company. They started working out of their apartment and for the first two years of the company's operations, they did everything for themselves, including taking customer calls. The company published its first catalog in 1985, and in the following years, sales expanded rapidly. In 1989, the Company reached $1.2 million in sales. The company went public in 1997, with an initial public offering of 2.5 million shares of stock.

After 20 years, Coldwater Creek closed following bankruptcy. However, through their gift to the PACF, their support of our local community continues.