DailyFranchiseNews.com

ValPak developing $200 Million print/mail center

Leave it to those ValPak guys to come up with a fabulous new state-of-the-art $200 million facility scheduled to open in St. Petersburg, Fla. in May of 2007.  Ever the innovators, they raised the bar even further when they were acquired in 1991 by media conglomerate Cox Enterprises.  In 2002 Cox executives got together and decided to reinvent a decades-old production process for coupon printing and distribution. The end result is an ultra-lean manufacturing platform and print/mail center featuring the latest in plant automation. This company has upwards of 200 franchisees and their new facility sits on a 20 acre site and is hurricane resistant—perfect for consistent growth expected for the next 10-20 years.  And we don’t doubt it.

Read more about the facility and see more photos in the October issue of Graphic Arts Monthly.

Adventures in Advertising Poised for Growth

It always hasn’t been smooth sailing for Adventures in Advertising (AIA), a promotional product and corporate apparel distributor founded in 1981. After more than a decade of business success, the company moved operations to Boston in 1994. Franchising began the same year and the company experienced tremendous growth. The AIA network peaked at more than 560 franchises in North America in 2002, but the company was losing money due to underperforming franchisees.

In 2003, AIA’s parent company, 4imprint Group plc, recruited current AIA president and CEO David Woods to turnaround the company. Financial and operational improvements were implemented and franchising was halted. By January 2004, AIA was profitable again.