INTERNET BUSINESS FOUNDER TO LECTURE AT SOUTHERN MISS

HATTIESBURG - In the world of e-commerce, where failures are as common as successes, Andrew Waites has carved out a profitable niche for his Hattiesburg-based eValueville.com. Waites will share some of his online business expertise during a lecture at 1 p.m. Nov. 18 in the College of Business and Economic Development at The University of Southern Mississippi.

The presentation, "Building an Extraordinary Career: How to Make More, Have More, and Keep More Than Your Classmates," will be held in Joseph Greene Hall, Room 116. The public is invited.

Waites is president and founder of eValueville.com, an Internet auction site that has been called "the world's largest auction apparel retailer." The firm sells designer clothing from higher-end department stores like Macy's and Bloomingdale's directly to customers through eBay.

Since its founding in 2002, eValueville has become one of the eBay's top auction sites, garnering the Community Award in 2002 as the largest volume seller on eBay by closing more than 300,000 auctions.

A former vice president for Hudson Salvage, Waites also founded Inventory Procurement Services in 1998. The brokerage company specializes in excess, obsolete and customer returned merchandise from manufacturers and retailers.

Among the awards Waites and his company have earned is the 2003 United States Postal Service Special Achievement Award for Outstanding Innovation in the mailing industry.

Waites holds an M.B.A. from Regent University and serves as a member of the university's board of directors.

For more information about this or other events in the College of Business and Economic Development, contact the dean's office at (601) 266-5854.

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