Annual black tie auction to raise funds to help thousands of pets in need of homes 

RALEIGH, NC – OCTOBER 3, 2009 – Continuing their commitment of support to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), The Preiss Company (“TPCO”) will be a sponsor of the 14th Annual SPCA Fur Ball to be held on October 4th at the Park Alumni Center on the NC State Centennial Campus. The company has purchased a table and will be donating a one-week stay at a 4-bedroom Bald Island beach house, as well as a one-week stay at a 5-bedroom home in Beech Mountain for the event’s black tie auction. 

TPCO, the largest provider of off-campus student housing at North Carolina State University, Clemson University, Auburn University in Alabama, and the University of Texas in Austin and the second largest provider at UNC Charlotte, has been a long-time supporter of the SPCA of Wake County. Earlier this year, the company was a sponsor of the organization’s 2nd Annual Hair O’ The Dog Benefit. In addition, the company’s corporate office recently adopted two kittens from their local SPCA. TPCO founder and CEO, Donna Preiss, has been actively involved in the SPCA for many years and currently serves on the organization’s Board of Directors. 

“I grew up on a farm in Guilford County and have always been connected to animals,” explains Preiss. “I truly believe in Gandhi’s sentiments when he said, ‘The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.’ The SPCA is and will remain very special to me.” TPCO was SPCA’s first corporate supporter and deeded a cargo van to the organization for animal transportation. 

The SPCA of Wake County was founded in Raleigh in 1967 and is dedicated to creating a more humane community where every adoptable animal has a home. Each year the SPCA re-homes over 3,000 animals through its innovative adoption programs and lost and found efforts. The guiding mission statement of the SPCA remains as relevant now as it was when it was written in 1967: To protect, shelter and promote the adoption of homeless animals; to provide education about responsible pet ownership; and to reduce pet overpopulation through spay/neuter programs. 

Fur Ball tickets are still available at a cost of $125 per person ($80 of the $125 price is tax-deductible). SPCA event organizers promise a fabulous live and silent auction, heavy hors d’oeuvres, beer and wine, live jazz by Laura Ridgeway and Friends, and the most unstuffy black tie event of the season. For more information, contact SPCA Development Director Carole Smith at (919) 532-7065.

About The Preiss Company
Founded in 1987 by Donna Preiss, TPCO employs over 183 team members and provides a wide range of services including acquisition, property management, due diligence, construction management, development, and consulting for multi-family real estate investments. In its 22nd year, TPCO has formed over 50 partnerships and developed over 20 projects stretching from Maryland to Texas. The company was awarded the Steady Growth and Profitability Master Award by the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce and was recently recognized by Triangle Business Journal as one of the top Women-Owned Businesses in the Triangle. For more information, visit www.tpco.com. 

About the SPCA of Wake County
The guiding mission statement of the SPCA remains as relevant now as it was when it was written in 1967: To protect, shelter and promote the adoption of homeless animals; to provide education about responsible pet ownership and to reduce pet overpopulation through spay/neuter programs. The SPCA of Wake County operates two animal shelters and each facility serves a different purpose. The first facility is the SPCA Curtis Dail Pet Adoption Center, which focuses on pet adoption and public education, and the SPCA Lost & Found Pet Center, which accepts incoming animals from residents of Raleigh and Cary or animals found within these areas. The SPCA of Wake County is a private, non-profit organization that serves the pets and people of the Wake County community. For more information or for adoption, volunteer, or donation opportunities, visit www.spcawake.org.