VALDOSTA – Badcock of Valdosta owners Cory Sauer and Matt Pridemore never do anything for the credit. They do it from the heart. These guys care.

They also finish each other’s sentences. When the hurricane hit the area a year and a half ago, they let people come inside their Valdosta Badcock location.

A Facebook post inviting people to come went viral.

They never hesitate to utilize their positions as businesses interacting with community to make a difference. When Hurricane Michael wiped out the Gulf Coast, they teamed up with Kona Ice and delivered treats to power line workers and the National Guard.

And everything was captured on their Facebook pages.

Turned out, Facebook was paying attention.

“Facebook sent us a message and we ignored it thinking it was fake,” Sauer said. “They messaged again.”

Again, they ignored it.

“But then they called,” Sauer said.

And this time, Sauer believed it.

Before he knew it, Sauer and Pridemore were in the running to be hosted leaders from across North America who use Facebook to build community at the fourth annual Facebook Communities Summit.

Only 400 would be chosen. And millions of communities on Facebook push their interests and causes – with one thing in common: leaders who bring together people around a shared interest.

There was a lengthy process of elimination that occurred before they were chosen, but in the end – the Badcock crew became part of a new beginning.

“I personally went through three rounds of interviews before they made the decision to bring us,” Pridemore said. “Initially, they said the amount of giving back to the communities we serve was a big part of why we were chosen. We opened our doors for people to shower, charge phones, relax.”

Facebook also loved that they took profits from their Douglas Badcock location and started an art studio that has helped transform downtown through nonprofits, bringing life back to the downtown space.

Facebook also recognized that they use social media on a daily basis at all five of their stores to help drive business and they wanted them to have the latest tools to make it better.

Sauer explained that they were able to meet with Facebook VIPs, and Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg was at the helm.

“Zuckerberg came into our small group and spoke,” Pridemore said. “He was genuinely humbled to have us as ‘ambassadors’ for the platform. He was grateful for our time and energy to make communities better, and he challenged us to take what we learned and be engaging in our local areas.”

As it was explained to them by Facebook VP Ime Archibong, and Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg (former CEO of Google), Facebook is a 15-year-old company with 2.3 billion Facebook users worldwide. And 90 million small businesses actively use Facebook to both promote and interconnect with their communities.

And Facebook recognized that Sauer and Pridemore liked changing the world like they did.

A match made in cyberspace.

They came back even more pumped up than they already were. And their relationship with Facebook isn’t a one-hit-wonder.

“Next for us is that we want to be more intimately involved in downtown Valdosta,” Pridemore said. “We are currently searching for a space downtown to bring art, business, and mentorship to the community downtown and to help make our amazing place even better. We are committed to growing new leaders and helping them pursue business right here in Lowndes County. Facebook has big plans for us on the immediate horizon that we will be able to share in the middle of March.”

Sauer and Pridemore have known each other since 2008 when they met in New York. They’ve been striving to realize their dreams ever since. The two own five Badcock locations, in Valdosta, Lake Park, Douglas, Madison, FL, and Brandford, FL.

Stay tuned for the big news the two will be revealing in the coming weeks.