Awards.com & T. Shipley Announce the Formation of B2B Brand Group
Formation Includes Four Leading Direct Marketing Companies and $5 Million
in Funding to Support Future Growth
LYNDHURST, N.J., Sept. 18 -- Warren Struhl, Chairman &
Founder of Awards.com Inc., and Thomas Shipley, Founder of T. Shipley Inc.
announced today the formation of B2B Brand Group LLC, a newly formed marketing
company that will supply products and services to the business professional at
their office or home.
The formation of B2B Brand Group includes the merger or acquisition of
four direct marketing companies: Awards.com, the leading resource for awards,
promotional & motivational products and corporate gifts both through the
company`s widely distributed catalog and online at http://www.awards.com.
T. Shipley (http://www.tshipley.com), an online/offline leader in executive
gifts, personal accessories and fine business products. Reliable Home Office,
a 15-year-old supplier of furniture and other accessories for the small office
or home office and Durham & Company, a supplier of motivational & promotional
products and awards to Fortune 1,000 companies and organizations such as The
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
Combined, these entities generate revenues in excess of $30 million.
Reliable Home Office was purchased from Reliable Corp., a division of Boise
Cascade. Durham & Company was purchased from Skymall. A prior acquisition
includes Express Awards, a cataloguer of high quality awards and promotional
products.
"The combination of these companies all under the B2B Brand Group is
exciting, as we instantly become a major player in the business professional
market. Each business` core competencies, direct marketing expertise,
e-commerce skills, complimentary databases and talents position us to become a
much larger company in the near future," says Warren Struhl, Chairman of B2B
Brand Group.
B2B Brand Group will provide busy professionals a single source for many
of their business needs through catalogs, websites and a toll free number.
The new group will provide customers with a hassle-free shopping experience
for all of their business, corporate gift, motivational product, employee
recognition, premium, promotional product, office furnishing and decor needs.
"The long-standing stability of the Reliable Home Office & Durham brands,
combined with the fast-growing online and offline brands of Awards.com and T.
Shipley, make for a combination that is properly positioned as the world of
retailing gets back to the basics," commented Thomas Shipley, President of B2B
Brand Group.
$5 million in funding has been invested to this new group by both existing
and new investors. This funding will be used to fuel rapid expansion of the
business.
"While there has been a shakeout in the e-commerce and catalog industry
lately, we believe that the metrics of each of these businesses show solid
positive cashflow and `fundamentals` that position us well for the future."
"And, our management team -- who over the last 15 years have managed over
30 direct marketing businesses -- have learned the pitfalls and opportunities
of this industry, and that experience will ensure that we achieve our
ambitious goals," Struhl added.
Shareholders in B2B Brand Group include TWS Partnership; Ascend Financial
Group; Warren Struhl; Skymall / Gemstar-TV Guide International; Advance
Publications; Robert H. Lessin; Hicks, Muse, Tate & Furst; Pandion Capital, as
well as existing management.
About B2B Brand Group
B2B Brand Group consists of Awards.com, T. Shipley, Reliable Home Office,
Durham & Company and Express Awards. Warren Struhl is the Chairman and Thomas
Shipley is the President.
CONTACT:
Mitch Rothschild
B2B Brand Group
+1-201-964-1777, ext. 1650
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