IRVINE, Calif.—

“With this landmark partnership, I am pleased to launch ASM into the foodservice industry,” said Sonny King, ASM chairman and chief executive officer. “Advantage Waypoint allows ASM to provide our clients with unparalleled service in the foodservice industry nationwide.”

Advantage Waypoint LLC is comprised of the eight companies that currently form a working alliance under the name of Waypoint including Apex Foodservice Group, Benchmark Sales, Dougherty Brokerage Company, Food Sales West, FSI Southwest, Innovative Concept Group, Inter-Mark Sales, and Midwest Venture Partners. A ninth company independent of the current Waypoint alliance, C Mascari & Associates, will also join Advantage Waypoint LLC.

Advantage Waypoint LLC is headquartered in Tampa, Fla. and led by Bud Taylor, chief executive officer, former president of Innovative Concept Group. Advantage Waypoint LLC will have its own officers and board of directors.

“By unifying nine outstanding companies and partnering with ASM, Advantage Waypoint LLC will become the first sales and marketing company to provide national coverage for food service clients,” said Taylor. “We look forward to building upon the current success of these great companies.”

“Rick represents an extraordinary addition to our board given the breadth and depth of his experience within the food and consumer packaged goods industry,” said Chairman and CEO Sonny King. “His experience and leadership will provide significant value to ASM’s stakeholders.”

Wolford started in the food industry at Dole Foods. He has lived and worked in Central America and the Philippines, where he directed Dole’s operations. Later he was responsible for Dole’s worldwide packaged operations in Thailand, the Philippines, Hawaii, Korea and the U.S. mainland. In 1982, Wolford was named president of Dole Packaged Foods, a position he held for five years.

In 1987, Wolford joined with private equity investors to invest in and develop businesses in the food industry. In 1996, having identified Del Monte Foods as a high potential acquisition opportunity, he worked with a private equity firm, to acquire the company. On completion of the acquisition, he was named chief executive officer in April 1997. He successfully took Del Monte public in a 1999 IPO and was elected chairman of the board in May 2000.

Under Wolford’s leadership, Del Monte successfully acquired several Heinz food businesses including their pet business in a Reverse Morris trust transaction. Through a series of acquisitions and divestitures, Wolford realigned Del Monte’s portfolio and grew the pet business with a resulting portfolio that combined the high growth pet business with the company’s more mature fruit and vegetable business. Wolford led Del Monte from a $1 billion consumer foods business into a branded pet and consumer products company with close to $4 billion in revenues. During his tenure, Del Monte’s portfolio was transformed by building and acquiring strong and growing brand equities. The company’s growth included enhancing its margin structure and building a talented team.

Wolford has served as a member of the board of directors of the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) and in January 2010, was elected its chairman of the board. Since April 2011, he has been member of the board of directors of Diamond Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ: DMND). He also served as a member of the board of directors of the Consumer Goods Forum and now serves as a member of the board of directors for Schiff Nutrition International since September 2011. Wolford is the recipient of the 2011 GMA Hall of Achievement award honoring extraordinary leadership and commitment to the consumer packaged goods industry and the 2011 Food Marketing Institute (FMI) William H. Albers Award recognizing excellence in trading partner relations and consumer and community service. Wolford graduated from Harvard University with a degree in economics.

IRVINE, Calif.—Integrated Marketing Services was ranked sixth in the 2011 Promo 100, an annual list of the top 100 U.S. promotion agencies.  Promo magazine, a division of Chief Marketer Network, uses domestic net revenue to fashion its list. 

On two separate Promo 100 lists highlighting agencies with promotional marketing specialty in retail and on behalf of retailers, Integrated placed first.

“It has been a wild ride going from one of the best kept secrets in the world of promotions agencies to a blue-ribbon competitor in our space,” said Gary Wagner, president of Integrated’s Shopper Marketing Division. “As we’ve grown into a large scale agency with a comprehensive suite of retail-based services, we have not lost sight of the basic premise we set out with 11 years ago. Specifically that marrying winning creative with the ability to apply insights derived from data sources and firsthand retailer knowledge would generate the most compelling, shopper-centric programming that excites all parties involved.”

Integrated Marketing Services is Advantage Sales and Marketing’s full-service promotion agency specializing in shopper marketing, event marketing, in-store demos and custom publishing while focusing on influencing buyer behavior and driving sales.

 “We are proud to have moved up four notches from last year’s overall rankings and to top both lists of agencies specializing in retail marketing,” said Jill Griffin, President of Integrated’s Experiential Marketing Division. “Of course we owe this ascent to our client and retailer partners who have shared our vision of a better way to practice shopper marketing and one-to-one consumer interactions, as well as the associates whose passion and collaborative spirit have fueled it.   From the hallways of our California and Connecticut offices to every field office in between, to the thousands of stores in which we are engaging consumers every week – our dynamic and entrepreneurial Integrated culture is as responsible for our success as anything.”

The rankings will appear in the August/September issue of Chief Marketer magazine, which hits newsstands this week.

IRVINE, Calif.—

“With more than two decades of experience, Todd is an industry veteran and brings a wealth of experience and leadership expertise to his new role,” said Domier. “He has helped to build ASM’s best-in-class Retail division and as president of sales, Todd will continue to drive our Sales team to deliver outstanding results and make a profound impact for our clients and customers.”

Baird previously served as ASM’s division vice president of channel and retail leading the company’s Channel, Home Center, Retail Operations, and Organizational Effectiveness divisions. He has held a variety of management positions during his career at ASM including department manager and general manager for various customer teams and market offices as well as vice president of retail/c-store. Baird started his career as a retail sales representative in Sioux City, Iowa.

“I am very excited for the opportunity to expand my role and lead ASM’s Sales divisions,” said Baird. “We have built a performance-based culture at ASM and I am looking forward working with our Sales associates to continue our mission to grow market share for our clients and customers.”

Baird holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from Upper Iowa University and is a graduate of the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School.

ASM, which provides outsourced sales, marketing and merchandising services to manufacturers, suppliers and producers of consumer packaged goods (CPGs), has 2010 revenues of approximately $1 billion.  Upon completion of the transaction, ASM’s senior leadership team will continue to manage the Company’s day-to-day operations. 

“I am very excited to embark on our new partnership with Apax Partners. Their global reach and large network of relationships will not only drive value for ASM but also create opportunities for further growth,” said Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Sonny King. “Apax is an ideal partner for our company given their deep expertise in Retail & Consumer Products.”

 “ASM has established an impressive track record of generating value for its clients and customers through its operational excellence in both Sales and Marketing,” said John Megrue, Chief Executive Officer of Apax Partners U.S. and co-head of the Apax Retail & Consumer team.  “We look forward to partnering with the Company’s outstanding management team led by Sonny King and Tanya Domier.”

Alex Pellegrini, Partner in the Retail & Consumer Group at Apax Partners, commented: “We believe that ASM operates in a favorable industry that features strong secular growth trends, including more outsourcing by CPGs and a greater focus on in-store marketing.  Advantage is well positioned to further build brand value for its clients and customers through its industry-leading sales and marketing capabilities.”

 “This transaction marks a new chapter in the growth of our business,” said Tanya Domier, President and Chief Operating Officer. “We look forward to pursuing our growth strategy with the support of Apax.”

The transaction, which is subject to customary approvals, is expected to close prior to the end of 2010. 

Sawaya Segalas & Co., LLC, a leading consumer investment banking firm, acted as exclusive financial adviser to the Company in connection with the transaction. 

About Apax Partners

Apax Partners is one of the world’s leading private equity investment groups. It operates across the United States, Europe and Asia and has more than 30 years of investing experience. Funds under the advice and management of Apax Partners globally total around $40 billion. These Funds provide long-term equity financing to build and strengthen world-class companies. Apax Partners Funds invest in companies across its global sectors of Retail & Consumer, Tech & Telecom, Media, Healthcare and Financial & Business Services. For more information visit: www.apax.com.

Contacts:            

Tania King
Advantage Sales & Marketing LLC
Tel: 949-797-3162
Email: tania.king@asmnet.com 

Ben Harding
Apax Partners
Tel: +44 (0)20 7872 6401
Email: ben.harding@apax.com

Todd Fogarty
Kekst and Company
Tel: 212-521-4854
Email: todd-fogarty@kekst.com

“We are delighted to announce Tanya’s promotion to president and chief operating officer. She has a 20 year track record of success and leadership at Advantage. She began her career and spent the first 10 years on the sales side of the business, quickly rising through the ranks to vice president,” said King. “She has spent the last 10 years on the marketing side of the business creating our best-in-class marketing businesses, Integrated Marketing Services and PromoPoint Marketing. In her new position, she will help ASM continue to expand our leading market position in the Sales and Marketing Agency arena.”

In her role as president and chief operating officer, Domier will have responsibility for the worldwide oversight of ASM’s sales and marketing business units along with a newly created business innovation group.

“I look forward to leading in this new capacity and am humbled by the opportunity to assist our executive team in taking Advantage to the next level. We will continue to focus on our vision of Winning Together and adding value for our clients and customers,” said Domier. “With talented associates focused on building brands and outstanding client and customer service, as well as our competencies in both sales and marketing, we are uniquely positioned to provide best-in-class service. This is an exciting time in ASM’s history and I am happy to be part of such a high growth company.”

“The turn-out alone to the Color of Hope charity event was outstanding. We had a dramatic increase in attendance from previous years,” said Kevin Kraning, Vice President, Walmart Team. “By that measure alone, the event was a huge success and the growing support for the Arkansas Children’s Hospital is a true inspiration.”

With more than 1,200 guests including ASM’s Bentonville-based team and several ASM client partners, the Color of Hope charity event raised nearly $344,300. The Will Golf 4 Kids charity golf tournament had more than 1,000 participants and raised $460,000.

Arkansas Children’s Hospital’s mission is to enhance, sustain and restore health and development of children by providing cutting-edge clinical services, teaching and research. ACH is committed to working with others to achieve high quality, cost-effective, fully accessible services for Arkansas’s children, without regard to race, religion or inability to pay.

“Thank you to ASM for its participation, support and leadership in this year’s event,” , said Steve Collins, Mars Vice President, Walmart Global Sales. ”Over the many years I’ve been associated with ASM, I have always admired the company’s leadership, people and partnership. I am proud to have ASM join this worthy cause as it reflects the culture of the company and what it represents.”

Michael Adamson

Advantage Sales and Marketing appointed Michael Adamson to Vice President, Human Resources, effective June 22. Adamson reports to Chief Executive Officer Sonny King.

Adamson is responsible for overseeing talent acquisition, talent development, employee relations, rewards and recognition, benefits and corporate communications for the entire organization.

“Michael has more than 30 years of Human Resources experience with a global outsourcing company that will be an invaluable asset to our organization,” said King. “I am delighted to have such an accomplished senior HR executive with deep experience at a large outsourced services provider join the ASM team.”

Prior to joining ASM, Adamson served as Account HR Lead at Accenture—a global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company. He led and managed HR strategy, operations, recruitment, performance management, employee engagement, analytics and communication for more than 4,000 employees across 10 countries for one of Accenture’s largest clients.

Adamson also previously served as HR Infrastructure Senior Director where he led all aspects of HR Shared Services including strategy, operations, talent management, technology and management.

“I am excited to have the opportunity to build upon the successes of ASM’s HR team and look forward to working with ASM’s entire associate base,” said Adamson.

Adamson holds an MBA from Northwestern University and a Bachelor of Science degree in Public Administration from the University of Arizona.

“Shooting straight to the top ten of the Promo 100 the very first year we applied for consideration is an incredible accomplishment for the entire Integrated Marketing Services organization,” said Tanya Domier, President.  “The decision for four business units to go to market as one formidable Integrated Marketing Services agency is already paying dividends and helping deliver the industry recognition we have earned over the past decade.”

Integrated Marketing Services is Advantage Sales and Marketing’s full-service promotion agency specializing in shopper marketing, field events, in-store demos and custom publishing.

» Click here to view the magazine article highlighting the 2010 rankings. (PDF format)

“NEW has more than 2,500 members who represent more than 400 companies nationwide,” said Stephanie McFee, NEW Client Services Director. “Our organization strives to attract and advance women in the CPG and retail industries by providing them with education, mentoring, leadership and business development. We educate industry leaders about the benefits of gender diversity and directly support the career development of our members.”

NEW promotes gender diversity, career development and networking online and face-to face at national leadership conferences, educational workshops, and regional networking events in more than 15 American cities.

“In today’s workforce, women and minorities are the majority. NEW’s perpetual focus on the full spectrum of diversity management issues and the resources they provide are invaluable,” said Pamela James, Vice President, Human Resources. “We look forward to gaining deeper insights and best practices for supporting and advancing our diverse workforce as we enter our second year as a NEW sponsor and beyond.”

Workin’ the Network

NEW allows members to increase their professional networks by encouraging participation in regional committees, providing opportunities to attend national events and offering online communities and resources.

Timme Taylor, Business Development Manager on ASM’s Safeway team, has been involved with NEW for four years.

“It’s been an incredible organization to be associated with,” said Taylor. “The networking possibilities with other CPG colleagues and retailers are priceless.”

Timme has served on several NEW committees but is currently working on the Monthly Mixer Committee which plans events sponsored by the Regional Committees. These monthly get-togethers promote networking and strengthen relationships with the committee member’s professional circle.

“The event is open to NEW members and their friends who would like to connect with other professionals in the region,” Taylor explained. “There is no agenda— just networking, networking, networking. It’s great to have the ability to get to know other industry professionals who I otherwise probably would not have had the opportunity to meet.”

ASM’s Sponsorship

“ASM’s NEW sponsorship sends a resounding message to clients, customers and the CPG and retail industry,” said McFee. “Through our partnership, ASM is better able to expand and strengthen its business relationships and at the same time advance the leadership development of your members.”