History

Darnel's history began just like any other small business venture - a few people put their heads together to not only make money for themselves but to contribute to their local community. That's where the story begins.

In 1974 Darrel Simpson and Nelson Allen put their heads together and started a collection agency. They combined the first three letters of their first names to form Darnel Quick Recovery, Inc. as we know it today. The business began in a little trailer on Highway 278 and operated for about five years.

In 1979 Bobby Herring purchased the company from Darrel and Nelson for $15,000. Bobby, Darrel and Nelson were acquaintances through the finance and collection industry from years past. At the time the agency had no computer technology. This was the day of the index card. Each client record was stored on index cards and cataloged much like the card catalog in many libraries of the time.

By 1982 Bobby had grown the business and a move was in store. Darnel purchased a 1,500 sq. ft. office building on Industrial Boulevard in Covington. It was a necessary move to a more industrial part of town. At this time a good friend named Jack Bailey, a software developer at the time, talked Bobby into moving a little more into the digital age by creating their own collection software. The result was a collection software called C.R.M. (Collection Recovery Management). It was a MS-DOS based program and was a welcome and needed change to the business.

Bobby ran the business for another 10 years on C.R.M. and in 1992 his son Greg Herring stepped in as his right hand man and helped give the company a breath of fresh air. Greg helped reorganize and restructure the small office of four employees (and for those who know Greg, this isn't a surprise). In 1994 Greg hired Allison Millwood, who is the current V.P. of Operations, and longest standing employee at Darnel.

By the year 2000 the company had outgrown the Industrial Boulevard office and made the move to Gordy Street in Covington where the company was spread over three home-office conversion spaces. There were 9 employees at the time of this move. The total office space was around 4,800 sq. ft. (a little over triple the office space on Industrial Boulevard) and fit the company nicely. The company was growing!

In 2003 came one of the biggest and most rewarding challenges that Darnel has ever faced. One of the longest standing clients that Darnel has came to Greg and asked about starting an Early Out program. Darnel, to this point in its history had been strictly collections. So big changes were to take place. Staffing, computers, phones and everything but the kitchen sink was added, updated and renovated - and all overnight it seemed. When you call, make sure to ask Greg to tell you the story. You entrepreneurs will enjoy it!

Early Out proved to be a change in the philosophy and techniques of the company but it was a challenge that was accepted and ultimately overcome. The Early Out program and Darnel is now one of the premium features of the company.

By 2007 the company had grown once more and needed to relocate. Darnel purchased an office space on Highway 278 in Covington formerly occupied by a national bank. The space was the perfect fit: plenty of offices, a call floor, server room, security cameras, access control, and a perfect location on a major highway. Darnel was growing once again!

Darnel currently operates at the Highway 278 facility and the company is expecting to experience even more growth soon! That's the pattern over the years and it only happens because Darnel offers a great service at a great price. With 35 years of experience under our belt we know that the future is bright and for those who call us their agency we know theirs will be as well.

Check out the DQR advantage and let's see what we can do for you!