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denotes chief executive officer
(Please note: As several companies declined to provide updated information, some of the material here represents what The Counselor could collect on its own from other sources.) |
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Day-Timers Inc.
East Texas, PA
Sales: $205 million (E)
Workforce: 1,500-2,000
Privately held
Dave Clark, president
A manufacturer/reseller/direct marketer of business planners/diaries, time-management systems/services and stationery/writing instruments, Day-Timers was established in 1947 as a joint venture between Morris Perkin and Dorney Printing Co. To help lawyers maintain their hectic schedules, Perkin designed a “Lawyer’s Day” planner, which he gave to attorney friends as holiday gifts. Demand grew quickly, and Dorney ultimately developed the line into a business that eventually offered over 30 different Day-Timer formats, as well as other
related products. In 1972, the firm was acquired by Beatrice Cos. Inc., which operated it as a division until 1981, and a subsidiary thereafter. In 1988, Beatrice sold Day-Timers to Fortune Brands Inc., which made it a subsidiary of its ACCO World Corp. division. Personalization and logo-imprinting is available for most Day-Timer products. In addition to its warehouse/office/call center in Allentown, PA, Day-Timers has subsidiary operations in Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the UK. It sells to customers directly via
catalog sales, its Web site, and through commercial contract dealers/wholesalers and office supply superstores.
Tiffany & Co.
New York, NY
Sales: $1.6 billion
Workforce: 5,960
Publicly Held
William R. Chaney, chairman
A name that’s become almost synonomous with fine jewelry, Tiffany was founded in 1837 by Charles L. Tiffany. In 1867, it won a gold medal for silver craftmanship at the Paris Exposition Universelle. It ultimately became the
premiere U.S. silversmith, and silver/goldsmith to 17 European crowned heads. Since then, Tiffany has become known for its innovative techniques and designs. It was the first US firm to embrace the 925/1,000 silver purity measure, later adopted as national standard. It was also responsible for first using color gems in fine jewelry, cutting diamonds for brilliance rather than size, and the six-prong Tiffany setting, the most popular engagement ring in the world. Other notable events include the redesign of the Great Seal of the United States and creating the Vince Lombardi trophy for the NFL. Tiffany operates over 100 retail stores worldwide. In 2001, it acquired a 45% interest in Little Switzerland Inc., based in the Virgin Islands. Its Corporate Sales division, though its roots go back to the Civil War, was established in 1960. Using items from Tiffany’s inventory or custom merchandise, it specializes in the design/manufacture of awards and trophies; structuring/developing employee recognition programs; catalogs; and creating items for special events and business gifts. Many are engraved or personalized, most of which is done in-house. Tiffany sells primarily in three channels – retail, international retail and direct marketing. The latter includes catalog and corporate sales as well as those from the Web site, and is roughly 10% of its fiscal sales. Tiffany trades on the NYSE system.
O.C. Tanner Co.
Salt Lake City, UT
Sales: $269 million (E)
Workforce: 2,200
Privately Held
Kent Murdock, president/CEO
A supplier/manufacturer of service recognition awards, Tanner was founded in 1927 when Obert Tanner, a
high school teacher, conceived the idea of a graduation pin. He eventually opened a manufacturing shop and by the mid-1940s, had pioneered the expansion into the corporate arena in the form of recognition and service awards. Today, Tanner offers almost 4,000 award products covering a wide range of name-brand products. It provides awards to 86 Fortune 100 firms and thousands of other companies in 166 countries. The line includes custom jewelry, rings, watches, active/sports accessories, clocks, electronics, office accessories, crystal, etc. Most are customized with corporate logos/symbols. Tanner also offers administrative, promotional and training services. It also recently developed fully integrated online award programs and provided the medals for the 2002 Winter Olympics. In addition to its headquarters in Salt Lake City, Tanner maintains a manufacturing/customer service center in Canada, and has many regional sales offices throughout North America. 100% of the capital stock is owned by the Tanner family.
WearGuard Corp.
Norwell, MA
Sales: $260 million (E)
Workforce:1,300
Privately held
David Gold, president
A subsidiary of the Philadelphia-based Aramark Uniform and Career Apparel Group, a major uniform firm with annual revenues exceeding $1.4 billion, Wear- Guard deals in men’s/women’s uniforms and work clothes. The firm was founded in 1952 by Eugene Salem as Eastern Uniform Co. Inc. It changed its name to WearGuard in 1986 and was acquired by Aramark in 1992.
It’s involved in the direct sale of uniforms to businesses throughout the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. WearGuard sells primarily through catalogs, but also utilizes telemarketing and an outside sales force. Its forte is embroidering or silkscreening
company names/logos on a wide assortment of products for all-sized firms. The parent company owns 100% of the capital stock.
Bloomingdale’s Inc.
New York, NY
Sales: $1.8 billion
Workforce: 10,400
Publicly held
Michael Gould, chairman/CEO
A subsidiary of Federated Department Stores Inc. (Cincinnati) Bloomingdale’s was founded in 1872 by Lyman and Joseph Bloomingdale as the East Side Bazaar, offering women’s fashions. In 1886, it moved to its present Manhattan location, which remains the flagship/headquarters store. Bloomingdale’s was one of the founding companies that established Federated in 1929. Over the years, the store became noted as a trend-setter and for its exclusive merchandise. Its corporate-services division was established about 19 years ago. Targeted to corporate customers for business gift-giving, recognition, employee programs, incentives, etc., needs, Bloomingdale’s offers a representative selection of items in its catalog, but can provide almost anything requested, including merchandise not normally stocked. Monograms, personalization and logo imprinting are also offered, done on- or off-premises, depending on the item. Federated is traded on the NYSE system. Its total 2001 sales were approximately $18.4 billion.
Excelled Sheepskin & Leather Coat Corp.
New York, NY
Sales: $50 million (E)
Workforce: 230
Privately held
Myron Goldman, president
A manufacturer/importer of leather, sheepskin and wool jackets, coats, vests and pants, Excelled was established in 1927 by Sol Goldman. It was acquired by U.S. Industries in 1970, and repurchased by the Goldman family, which owns 100% of the capital stock, six years later. Excelled sells largely to department stores, mail-order houses and specialty shops. About 10% of its sales involve custom-logoed work for licensed properties, schools, athletic teams, businesses and so on. Imprinting is done off-site. In addition to its headquarters, Excelled occupies a 150,000-square foot factory in Carteret, NJ and another in Chicago of the same size.
Lands’ End Inc.
Dodgeville, WI
Sales: $1.6 billion
Workforce: 7,000-10,800
Publicly held
David Dyer, president/CEO
A direct merchant of business/casual clothing, shoes, accessories and soft luggage, Lands’ End was founded by Gary Comer, a former ad copywriter, in 1963 in Chicago. Originally called Lands’ End Yacht Stores Inc., it offered sailboat equipment. By 1977, it focused on clothing, and in 1978, moved to its present location. Today it distributes over 270 million catalogs annually and receives an average of 45,000 calls daily. Its first Corporate Sales division catalog appeared in 1993. Lands’ End Corporate Sales provides apparel/ accessories, custom embroidery services and gift-certificate programs for promotions, sales incentives, employee gifts and special events. The division also outfits and counsels companies on business-casual issues, including guidelines and policies. Sales for the division in fiscal 2001 were about $170 million. In 2000, the company became one of the first apparel retailers to establish business-to-business e-commerce partnerships with on-line procurement companies. Also offered is the design/construction of on-line custom stores for companies. Lands’ End went public in 1986, trading on NYSE. Its headquarters occupies 200 acres. It operates 20 outlet stores in the US, UK and Japan. In June 2002, Lands’ End became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sears, Roebuck and Co.
Hallmark Cards Inc.
Kansas City, MO
Sales: $4 billion
Workforce: 25,000
Privately held
Donald Hall Jr., president/CEO
Hallmark was founded by Joyce C. Hall in 1910 as a mail-order business for picture postcards. It’s now the largest greeting-card manufacturer in the world, published in over 30 languages and distributed in over 100 countries. Hallmark has three major divisions – Personal Expressions, involving cards, calendars, holiday ornaments, collectibles, gifts, gift wrapping/ trim, party goods, software, stickers and writing paper; Hallmark Entertainment Inc., involving the production of family oriented TV; and Personal Development, involving art supplies, crayons, markers, modeling materials, creativity kits, creative software and model kits. Its Hallmark Business Expressions entity, part of the Personal Expressions arm, was established in 1994. A consulting service, it helps firms achieve business objectives via measurable programs that typically involve the use of a custom-created greeting card as part of the overall program. Clients include several Fortune 500 firms. Business Expressions also offers a stock catalog for firms wishing to order cards but with no current need for an entire program. Hallmark operates numerous sales offices and manufacturing/production centers in the US and abroad. Hallmark occupies 3-million-square-feet at its headquarters. Two-thirds of the capital stock is owned by the Hall family; the remainder by employees via a profit-sharing plan.
L.L. Bean Inc.
Freeport, ME
Sales: $1.7 billion (E)
Workforce: 6,000
Privately held
Christopher McCormick, president/CEO
One of the best-known mail-order retailers in the world, Bean was established by Leon Leonwood Bean in 1912, offering outdoor gear and waterproof hunting boots. Annually, it produces about 70
different catalogs, distributes about 200 million, receives approximately 13 million calls and mails out about 11 million packages. Bean stocks 16,000 items (clothing, tote bags, soft luggage, watches, camping gear, etc.) 90% of which bear its own label. The Corporate Sales Division was created in the 1970s. It offers a selection of products for imprinting or personalization, but Bean will work with clients on any other item from its catalogs. Bean does all embroidery in-house; other processes are outsourced. In addition to its 700,000-square-foot headquarters, Bean operates four retail stores, 12 outlet stores, nine stores in Japan, two customer-service
centers and a manufacturing facility. The majority of its capital stock is owned by the Bean family.
Cartier Inc.
New York, NY
Sales: $225 million (E)
Workforce: 400
Privately held
Simon J. Critchell, president/CEO
Established in 1847 by Louis-François Cartier, Cartier is an internationally known designer, manufacturer, distributor and retailer of fine jewelry, watches and gifts. It has served as crown jeweler to 19 royal houses. In addition to inventing the baguette cut and handling the sale of both the Hope diamond (1910) and the 69.4-carat stone purchased by actress Elizabeth Taylor (1968), Cartier is also credited with the design of the first modern wristwatch, as well as the tank watch. In 1993, it became part of the Vendome Luxury Group, an umbrella company that also encompasses Alfred Dunhill, Piaget, Baume & Mercier, Vacheron Constatin and other similar businesses. Cartier has over 170 stores worldwide and a network of authorized dealers in 123 countries. Cartier Corporate Gifts, begun in 1980, offers items for the purpose of business-to-business and incentive gifts/awards. Custom engraving of personalization, logos, monograms, signatures, crests, etc. is available on most silver/gold and stationery items.
G. Neil Cos.
Sunrise, FL
Sales: $53 million (E)
Workforce: 330
Privately held
Gary N. Brown, CEO
Henry Reed, president
A mail-order and direct marketer of human-resources-related products, including forms, employee awards, etc., G. Neil, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Centis Inc.,was founded by Brown in 1988. Its catalog includes a small selection of promotional products as well. While most of the customized products G. Neil sells are personalized via engraving, approximately 10% is custom-logoed, at clients’ requests. Imprinting and engraving is done in-house. G. Neil’s headquarters occupies over 70,000 square feet.
Coach Leatherware Inc.
New York, NY
Sales: $710 million (E)
Workforce: 3,000
Publicly held
Lewis Frankfort, chairman/CEO
Coach was established in 1941 by Miles Cahn as a family workshop producing quality handcrafted leather goods. Today, all Coach products (wallets, handbags, business cases, travel cases, portfolios) are still handmade. Coach introduced its first corporate catalog in 1994. The
catalog features a group of selected best-selling items, but all Coach products are available for corporate purchase. Most businesses tend to use them for sales or recognition awards, holiday gifts and incentives. In addition to its Manhattan headquarters, Coach has a worldwide distribution and customer-service center in Jacksonville, FL. It was acquired by the Sara Lee Corp. in 1985, but became an independent company again in April, 2001. In addition to selling via major department stores, it operates over 138 retail stores nationwide, 73 factory outlet locations, 85 stores in Japan, and 110 worldwide. Coach is traded on the NYSE system.
Tee Jays Manufacturing Co. Inc.
Florence, AL
Sales: $121.7 million (E)
Workforce: 650
Privately held
John T. Wylie, president
Tee Jays was founded in 1976 by Terry and Paul Wylie, and became a subsidiary of Tee Jays Holding Corp., also in Florence, AL in 1988. A manufacturer of T-shirts, fleece activewear, tank tops, golf/polo shirts and baseball-style jerseys, the company primarily provides blanks and private-label goods to decorators and retailers. Tee Jays also offers custom-imprinted clothing, which is done via screenprinting and embroidery, both done on-site at its headquarters.
Quill Corp.
Lincolnshire, IL
Sales: $850 million (E)
Workforce: 1,400
Publicly held (subsidiary)
Larry Morse, president
Founded by Jack Miller in 1956, Quill grew from a one-person shop to a direct marketer of office supplies with over 800,000 customers nationwide. In 1996, it expanded its 20,000-plus product offerings to include some promotional products and custom imprinting. Both represent a moderate but growing portion of its sales. All imprinting is outsourced. Quillmails its targeted catalogs on a monthly and semi-annual basis. In addition to its headquarters, the company maintains eight regional distribution centers. In June, 1998, Quill was acquired by Staples Inc. While a wholly-owned subsidiary, it continues to function as an independent business. In 2000, Quill expanded its customer base into Europe and now maintains a call center and distribution center in England. It also maintains a growing e-commerce business via its Web site.
Cintas Corp.
Cincinnati, OH
Sales: $2.2 billion
Workforce: 22,000+
Publicly held
Robert J. Kohlhepp, CEO
Founded in 1929, Cintas designs, manufactures, and implements corporate-identity uniform programs. The firm is owned by the officers and directors of the group. Cintas operates through four main internal avenues. The corporate group
provides strategic planning, financial, accounting, data-processing, marketing, and similar services. It incorporates the merchanding unit that offers custom-designed uniforms for national companies. The rental division serves a diversity of corporate customers on a nationwide basis. The national account division serves over 300,000 customers in the transportation, petroleum,
food-processing, automotive, and other industries through direct sales and rental programs. The manufacturing/distribution division produces its own uniforms and develops exclusive new/ innovative designs that bear company imprints and logos.
Cintas operates over 200 uniform-rental operations nationwide, as well as several garment-manufacturing plants and distribution centers. It trades on the NASDAQ system.
J.C. Penney Co. Inc.
Plano, TX
Sales: $31.8 billion
Workforce: 264,500
Publicly held
Allen Questrom, chairman/CEO
J.C. Penney was founded in 1902, when James Cash Penney opened the Golden Rule Store in Kemmerer, WY. When his partners dissolved their alliance in 1907, he became sole owner and, two years later, established headquarters in Salt Lake City. In 1913, the name changed to the present and the store relocated to New York the next year. Between 1920 and 1930, it opened over 1,250 stores nationwide, and sales surpassed $1 billion in 1951. The company moved to its present location in 1992. Targeting middle-income consumers, Penney focuses on its private and national brand names for apparel and home furnishings, available through stores and its catalog. Its corporate division is involved in programs such as recognition and incentives, offering items that may not be normally stocked, sometimes imprinted. The company operates approximately 1,074 stores within the United States, Puerto Rico and Mexico, and 54 Renner stores in Brazil. The Eckerd Drug Stores division operates about 2,643 stores in the Southeast, Sunbelt and Northeast areas. Penney trades on the NYSE system.
Standard Register Co.
Dayton, OH
Sales: $1.2 billion
Workforce: 7,718
Publicly held
Peter Redding, president/CEO
Standard offers customized document management and workflow solutions
to the healthcare, financial and general business markets. Founded in 1912 by William C. and John Q. Sherman, it sold autographic registers featuring a then-revolutionary paper-feeding mechanism. In 1981, Standard acquired Lambooy-Unique Co., positioning itself as a player in the
pressure-sensitive label market. Four years later, it ranked in the Fortune 500. In 1986, Standard acquired the U.S. Business Forms Division of Burroughs Corp., becoming the second-largest business forms company in the world. In 1998,
it acquired UARCO Inc., a wholesale stationery/office supply firm, and in
2000, launched SMARTworks.com Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary for e-procurement of print services and integrated document management via the Internet. Standard has a nationwide force of 1,000 sales consultants and support teams with 59 production facilities. Clients can also get customized products and services. Standard is listed on the NYSE system.
Staples Inc.
Framingham, MA
Sales: $10.7 billion
Workforce: 53,000
Publicly held
Thomas G. Stemberg, Chairman/CEO
Founded in 1986 by Stemberg and powered by the 1990s growth of small-business entrepreneurs, Staples is a multibillion-dollar enterprise with over 1,300 stores in six countries. One division, Staples Direct, offers several catalogs, including one devoted to promotional products. Staples uses a strategy of maintaining a one-stop shop of over 7,000 brand-name office products. In 1997, it abandoned a merger with Office Depot after the deal drew scrutiny from the FTC. It acquired Quill Inc. in 1998. In 2001, it sold its communications arm to a California firm. Staples is traded on the NASDAQ system under the symbol SPLS.
Harry And David Co.
Medford, OR
Sales: $400 million+ (E of parent co.)
Workforce: 500
Privately Held
Nancy Tait, president/CEO
A division of Bear Creek Corp., Harry and David, a mail-order firm specializing in fruit baskets and gift boxes, had its origins in 1914 when two brothers, Harry and David Holmes, took over their family’s pear orchard, selling them to first-class hotels/resorts in the U.S. and Europe. The Depression killed the market. In 1934, the Holmes’ offered the pears by mail as holiday gifts. By year-end, they booked over 2,000 orders, largely business-to-business gifts. The business steadily grew.
Today, it offers hundreds of food and non-food goods, including plants, cakes, nuts and bath products. It has 8 million customers and mails out over 80 million catalogs a year, in addition to online sales. Harry and David’s corporate gift division, which represents a substantial portion of its sales, offers stock and custom-designed personalized/logoed gift packages. All imprinting is done off-premises. Bear Creek, a holding company, was established in 1986. A sister company, Jackson & Perkins, offering flowers and plants via mail-order, was started in 1972.
Starbucks Corp.
Seattle, WA
Sales: $2.6 billion
Workforce: 54,000
Publicly held
Orin Smith, CEO
Originally founded by Gordon Bowker, Zev Siegl and Gerald Baldwin, Starbucks began in 1971 as a retailer offering coffee beans and coffee-related merchandise, and supplying area restaurants. In 1983, Howard Schultz, then director of retail operations/marketing, decided to develop American coffee bars following a visit to Italy. He founded Il Giornale, a coffee/espresso bar using Starbucks beans, in 1985. Two years later, Schultz and other investors acquired Starbucks via an asset purchase, renaming Il Giornale and opening in several cities. Today, Starbucks has over 4,700 locations worldwide servicing almost 10 million customers weekly. It also markets ice cream and bottled
coffee beverages through joint ventures with Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream Inc. and PepsiCo. Starbucks mail-order division, launched in 1988, offers gift packages of its coffee blends and related goods, including mugs, jars, thermoses, etc., bearing the Starbucks name/logo. It introduced a similar catalog for business gifts in 1998, and combined the catalogs in 1999. Starbucks trades on the NASDAQ system.
Equity Marketing Inc.
Los Angeles, CA
Sales: $144.3 million
Workforce: 140
Publicly held
David Kurtz, chairman/CEO
A provider of custom promotional products and services, Equity began in 1984 as Marketing Equities International, a travel-incentive firm. Several years later, Equity was established as a division, providing custom products for various promotional purposes. The first project was for Burger King Inc., followed by other fast-food giants. Eventually, Equity was spun off as a separate organization. It went public in 1994. Today, the majority of Equity’s business involves creating custom products, generally toys, for use in promotional programs. Clients have included Burger King, CVS Pharmacies Inc., Coca-Cola Corp., Havoline Inc. and many others. The remainder of its business is given over to retail consumer sales, where it markets a line of toys, including licensed properties. In 1998, Equity acquired Corinthian Marketing Inc., producer/distributor of Headliners collectible licensed sports figurines, repositioning it into a licensed personalities line. In 2001, it acquired Logistix, a marketing services agency in London, and in early 2002, acquired Upshot from HALO. Beyond its Los Angeles headquarters, Equity maintains offices in London, Paris, Hong Kong and New York. It trades on the NASDAQ system.
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