About achoo! ALLERGY & AIR Products, Inc. |
Welcome to achooallergy.com, the nation’s fastest growing allergy, asthma, and sinus relief products retailer. Since 2000, we have differentiated
ourselves from our competition by offering the widest selection of allergy relief products, delivering the best customer service experience in the
industry, and working harder to provide more information and resources about allergic diseases.
Our goal is to not only offer you the best prices on allergy relief products, but also to provide you with the greatest value – in terms of
information, products, shipping time, and your overall shopping experience.
|
We want you to be pleasantly surprised when you get your order faster than you thought you would, when you feel the quality of our allergy relief bedding
products, or when you see just how far we're willing to go to correct any problems you may encounter with your order. As we all know, happy customers
are the key to success—and we want to make sure all of our customers are happy.
|
|
How We Got Started
|
As we continue to grow, more and more people find out about achoo! ALLERGY and want to know more about our
company. They ask questions like: How did you get started? Are you a franchise? Here’s the story:
My name is Cade McDonald. I started achoo! ALLERGY & AIR
Products, Inc. in October of 2000. Before achoo!
ALLERGY I worked for a regional investment bank for 4 years after
completing my undergraduate work at the
University of Georgia. Small business owners came to my company seeking
financing to help grow their businesses, and I always wondered what it would be like on the other side of the table. They all seemed so excited and happy about
owning their own businesses.
In 1999, I went back to the
Goizueta Business
School at Emory University to obtain my Masters. I elected
to enroll in the one-year program so I could stay
in Atlanta, finish up faster, and find a job with a local
startup. Upon graduation I hoped to work for a start-up company or
to start my own.
While interviewing during business school, I learned about a small company that had a great business plan. They had just received substantial
angel financing
from a prestigious venture capital company,
Noro-Moseley Partners.
I met with the CEO and after learning more about the company, I
agreed to come on board as the Director of Business Development.
After graduation, I worked for eGulliver for eight months.
During my tenure, I worked extensively on driving traffic to
the website and on managing online advertising campaigns.
In the days leading up to the dot-com bust, I made the difficult decision to
be the first employee to jump ship. I disagreed with management's direction, and I lost faith in the business model. Despite my parents' advice that
I shouldn't leave the job without first finding another, I jumped
blindly into the unknown. My girlfriend at the time was very supportive and she
understood the situation—my misery and my disappointment. |
For some reason, I had always been fascinated with the mail-order business. As a kid, I loved thumbing through the LL
Bean catalog and circling things I wanted for Christmas
and birthdays. My father also had a friend who ran a
successful mail-order operation selling after market
car parts, and I heard over and over from my dad how happy his friend was.
I remember being very sick while I was looking for another job. My girlfriend had cats—and they pre-dated me in the relationship.
|
|
|
I'm violently allergic to cats, so we had to find solutions to basic problems like, "How are we going to have
dinner together at her house?" That's when I started researching allergen avoidance, environmental control, and allergy relief products.
I recalled having visited an allergist about ten years earlier; he had recommended that I purchase dust mite bedding for my pillows and
mattress. At this point, jobless and sick, I was ready to try anything. I finally complied with my allergist's orders from ten years
before, and I encased my pillows, mattress, and box springs with allergy relief covers. Immediately, I began to feel and breathe better.
Since I was looking for a job, I decided to research the company that had supplied my allergy relief bedding. It was an Atlanta-area company called
National Allergy Supply. I wrote a letter to the owner and set up an interview.
I extensively met with Ryner Wittgens, who was the CEO and owner of National Allergy Supply at the time. I immediately saw that the company could be
improved upon, made better. I continued my dialogue with Ryner, and after several interviews, I walked away with the following thought: "If he can set
up a successful allergy relief company—and if I see ways to improve his business—then why can't I start my own business?"
Shortly thereafter, I started the company. I remember
one day I was sitting at a pizza restaurant, bouncing ideas
for the company's name off a buddy from business
school, and he suggested the name “achoo!” My first reaction was, "That
is a great name! How do you spell it?"
|
|
So it was settled—and achoo! ALLERGY was born.
I had the name. I had the documentation. Now it was time to
get to work. I literally flew all over the country looking
for effective products and researching the preferences and
needs of both allergists and allergy sufferers. It took me
almost 8 months to line up vendors, place orders, and get to
a place where we were ready to do business.
At long last, after spending literally weeks on the phone, we
opened our doors for business.
|
|
| Because of the meteoric rise and fall of the
Internet, I was skeptical to start a dot-com business and
chose to pursue a more traditional business model first with a brick-and-mortar retail showroom and mail-order catalog. Slowly the word got out, and we were featured on the front page of the business section of the
Atlanta Journal
Constitution; then we started sending our catalogs to allergists' offices and attending allergy physician trade shows. |
And the rest is history.
I tell our team that our first month of business was so
slow that now we do more revenue in an hour than we did in
our entire first month. Pretty amazing.
At the time of this writing, we are in our 6th year of operation. We are growing annually at 50%, and we have
a staff of 10 extremely qualified, passionate people.
And we feel we have only just begun.
Our goal: When you think allergy, we want you to think achooallergy.com. We are working feverishly to provide more products, more information, and
more value to the 50 million Americans who suffer from allergies, asthma, and
multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS).
|
|
|
The girlfriend who supported me when I quit my job is now my wife. I'm still allergic to dust mites, mold spores, pollen, and cat dander—and she
still has her two cats, Max and Simba—but we make it work by using common sense techniques along with many of the products we sell.
|
How We Work with Allergy Doctors
|

We recognize the importance of working closely with physicians and their patients. We
attend trade shows sponsored by the
American Academy of
Asthma, Allergy, and Immunology (AAAAI) and the
American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology (ACAAI), and we have extensively interviewed doctors
about the needs of allergy sufferers. We highly value physician feedback about which allergy relief products really work. We call on allergy doctors
across the nation and send our allergy relief product flyers and educational materials
free of charge to over 4,000 physician offices nationwide. If you are a Physician or Healthcare Professional that treats allergy and asthma patients and
you would like to join our network of referring physicians, please fill out and submit
our Physician Support Service Form. We will send you a FREE packet of information
including our fabric samples and our patient product pads.
|
|
|
How We Work with Allergy Patients
|
|
Customer education is a top priority at achoo! ALLERGY. We believe that too many allergy and asthma sufferers unnecessarily
expose themselves to allergens. If you decrease your exposure to allergens, then you will breathe easier, sleep more soundly, and feel better. It's
that simple. Also, it is estimated 80% of asthma deaths could have been prevented with proper asthma education.
That's why we publish Allergy Consumer Report, a monthly e-newsletter received by over 30,000 allergy and asthma sufferers.
To keep up with all the
latest allergy and asthma news, sign up to receive Allergy Consumer Report for free! Simply enter your email address in the sign-up box on the
navigation menu to the left. |
|
We also maintain achoo! The Allergy Relief Blog. Be sure to frequently check our blog to discuss news, tips, and topics related to asthma and
allergy relief. Our Allergy Relief Learning Center is a comprehensive source of information for anyone affected by allergies, asthma, and
multiple chemical sensitivities.
Additionally, we are here six days a week to answer any questions. Give us a call at 1-800-339-7123,
to speak to an allergy relief expert today. |
Extensive Product Testing & Top-Notch Training
|
We personally and extensively test and evaluate all products before adding them to our
product offering. Our customer
service staff has received comprehensive training on every product and will gladly answer questions and provide information. Our streamlined operation
allows our staff to personally interact with every allergy sufferer who calls
us.
achoo! ALLERGY specializes in allergy relief bedding (dust mite covers) and HEPA
air purifiers—but we also offer hypoallergenic pillows and
blankets, organic cotton bedding, healthy mattresses,
innovative and safe cleaning products, non-toxic personal care |
|
|
products, HEPA vacuum cleaners,
dehumidifiers and humidity gauges, peak flow meters, spacers, nebulizers, and compressors. In short, achoo! ALLERGY has just about every product you
need to control allergies, manage asthma, and achieve a clean and healthy environment.
Earlier this year, we introduced our first exclusive product,
Allergy Armor allergy relief bedding. After six years of helping allergy sufferers, we
were disappointed with the allergy relief bedding market, so we created our own superior fabric. Several years of research and development went into
the design, production, and testing of Allergy Armor allergy relief bedding. The high-quality pillow and mattress covers are made with a soft, tightly
woven, breathable microfiber fabric that blocks out dust mites and other allergens. We plan to develop and produce more exclusive allergy relief
products in the future.
|
Fast, Free Shipping - 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed
|
|
By doing good, honest business and offering allergy sufferers a comprehensive source of valuable allergy relief information
and effective products, we have emerged as the industry's leader. We work hard every day to be the best.
We sincerely believe that our products improve the lives of allergy and asthma sufferers. We encourage allergy sufferers everywhere to try any product
we carry and experience better breathing. If you are not completely satisfied with your purchase, you may return the item within 60 days from the date
of purchase for exchange or refund.
|
|
Since our customers order from all over the nation, we make sure they get their products as soon as
possible. In-stock orders are shipped the same business day if the order is placed before 3pm EST. In addition, we offer free ground shipping on
orders over $150. You can order anytime at achooallergy.com or call our 24-hour order hotline at 1-800-339-7123
With the number of people suffering from allergies and asthma growing, our air quality getting worse, and our environment becoming increasingly
toxic, I want to help people in their quest to live healthier, happier lives. With that said, achoo! ALLERGY offers more than just
innovative, high-quality products. Whether you visit the website, call on the telephone, or walk into the showroom, we strive to provide
extraordinary customer service and the most helpful, relevant information possible. After all, happy customers are the key to success—and we
want to make sure all of our customers are happy.
|
|