New sales and marketing division to provide industry-leading retail meat, seafood, deli and bakery services

IRVINE, Calif.—Advantage Sales & Marketing LLC (ASM) today revealed its plans to launch a new division focused on retail meat, seafood, deli and bakery clients and customers.  The move will be fueled by ASM’s planned acquisition of six companies that currently form a working alliance under the name of Action West Group.  Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

“With these steps, I am pleased to establish ASM as a leader in the perishable industry,” said Sonny King, ASM chairman and chief executive officer. “Action West will bring expertise to ASM that will enable us to provide our clients and customers with unparalleled service in the meat, seafood, deli and bakery arenas.”

The new division will operate as Advantage Action and be headquartered in Foothill Ranch, Calif. Jeff Pakula, who previously served as president of Action West Group Southern California, will lead the new division.

“We are excited to become a part of the Advantage family,” said Pakula. “This opportunity enables us to maintain the singular focus we have always had on providing the very best perishable-focused retail and headquarter services, but to now do so with more dedicated resources and broader support from North America’s leading sales and marketing agency.”

Oct. 4

About Sargento Foods Inc.
Sargento Foods Inc. has demonstrated its passion for cheese and cheese-based meal solutions throughout its history. Founded in 1953 in Plymouth, Wis., Sargento is a leading manufacturer, packager and marketer of natural shredded, sliced and snack cheeses, cheese appetizers, ingredients, sauces and other culinary solutions. Sargento, owned and operated by the Gentine family, has annual net sales of more than $1 billion. For more information, please visit www.sargento.com.

For More Information:

Barbara Gannon                  
Sargento Foods Inc.
(920) 892-3530
barbara.gannon@sargento.com

GolinHarris
312-729-4038
gferroni@golinharris.com             

Bethany Slentz
Advantage Sales and Marketing
949-214-2512
Bethany.slentz@asmnet.com

Publication Recognized Corporate Attorney’s Exceptional Contributions, Exemplary Leadership at Company for more than a Decade

IRVINE, Calif.–Advantage Sales and Marketing (ASM), a leader in the sales and marketing of consumer packaged goods, today announces that Tania King, ASM General Counsel, has been awarded General Counsel of the Year by the Orange County Business Journal.

“Tania has demonstrated the utmost professionalism, leadership and passion for our business for more than a decade”

Ms. King was recognized on Wednesday, September 19 at the General Counsel Awards in Irvine, California, where she was chosen as General Counsel of the Year of a Private Company from among a wide range of esteemed nominees. Candidates were selected for exceptional legal skill and achievement across the full spectrum of in-house responsibility, exemplary leadership as evidenced by the highest professional and ethical standards, and for contributions to the community. The award and Ms. King’s accomplishments are also featured in the current online version and future September 24 hard copy of the Orange County Business Journal.

“Tania has demonstrated the utmost professionalism, leadership and passion for our business for more than a decade,” said Tanya Domier, COO and recently appointed CEO effective Jan. 1, of ASM. “Seeing Tania recognized by the community for her extraordinary legal savvy and contributions to our growth and success is gratifying to us all.”

King, who also serves in the role of corporate secretary and ethics and compliance officer, was recently named interim Senior Vice President of Human Resources at ASM.

During the award ceremony, a representative from the judging committee acknowledged her numerous achievements at ASM, including providing corporate counsel on nearly 50 acquisitions and three private equity transactions, as well as transformational legal leadership, valued counsel and ethics and compliance guidance to all of the ASM business units.

“I am honored to receive this award from the Orange County Business Journal,” stated Ms. King. “Recently, the general counsel role has undergone a sea change, bringing both exciting new paths to climb and hurdles to challenge us. My experience as General Counsel at ASM has been exhilarating and rewarding. I am grateful for the opportunity I’ve had to work alongside our accomplished and supportive leaders and dedicated associates.”

In addition to her role at ASM, Ms. King serves on the Board of VOSS Water. She is an alumna of Santa Clara Law School and participates in the Chapman University School of Law Mentor Program.

Sonny King to Assume Role of Executive Chairman  

IRVINE, Calif.– Advantage Sales and Marketing, LLC (ASM) announced Monday that Tanya Domier, its current President and Chief Operating Officer, will assume the role of Chief Executive Officer effective Jan. 1. Sonny King, current Chairman of the Board, CEO, and founder of the company will transition to the role of Executive Chairman. With annual revenue exceeding $1.4B and over 30,000 associates, ASM serves the CPG industry with outsourced sales, marketing, and retail merchandising services in the Grocery, Foodservice, Convenience, Drug, Dollar, Mass/Warehouse, and Natural/Specialty classes of trade.

“In only two years under her leadership, Advantage has seen tremendous and measurable growth in associate engagement, talent and succession planning, and client and customer service”

“Over two years ago, I worked with our Board of Directors to identify my successor,” said King. “We looked both inside and outside the company to ensure we had the right leaders for the future and all agreed that the person to lead the company was Tanya Domier.”

After beginning her career with the J.M. Smucker Company, Domier joined ASM in 1990. She quickly rose through the company’s ranks, holding a variety of executive-level positions in sales, marketing, and operations.

Early in her tenure at ASM, Domier realized that the company was uniquely positioned to address the shortcomings of traditional promotional agencies, which often delivered ideas that were not executable in a store environment or within brand budgets. In response, ASM launched IN Marketing Services, a customer-centric experiential and shopper marketing agency, under her leadership. The agency rose rapidly to the top of the Promo 100, an annual list of the top 100 U.S. promotion agencies. As President of Marketing, Domier was instrumental in creating a strategic partnership with Walmart focused on improving the in-store interaction between brands and shoppers at the retail giant.

In 2010, Domier was named ASM’s President and Chief Operating Officer, and as her first move designed a new strategic plan for the company that places a relentless focus throughout the organization on five key pillars: People, Culture, Creating Raving Fans of Clients and Customers, Operational Efficiency, and Growth.

“In only two years under her leadership, Advantage has seen tremendous and measurable growth in associate engagement, talent and succession planning, and client and customer service,” said King, who in addition to serving as Executive Chairman, will continue overseeing ASM’s foodservice company, Advantage Waypoint.

In her new role as CEO, Domier will oversee ASM’s Sales and Marketing functions, as well as its Finance, Legal, Information Technology, and Human Resources divisions.

“I firmly believe that ASM’s flexible and innovative model, coupled with our strong leadership and vision for the future, will catapult us to an undeniably dominant position among our competition,” said Domier. “I will work closely with Sonny to ensure that we continue to advance our company’s growth around our five key pillars and that we execute our long-term vision, designed to allow Advantage to build on its history of great success in the coming years.”

About Advantage Sales and Marketing, LLC

Advantage Sales and Marketing, LLC (ASM) is a premier consumer packaged goods sales and marketing agency, committed to building brand value for our clients and customers. ASM’s innovative and flexible customized sales and marketing solutions includes headquarter sales, retail merchandising and marketing services, specializing in client and customer events, publications and assisted-selling services for the Grocery, Foodservice, Convenience, Drug, Dollar, Mass/Warehouse, and Natural/Specialty classes of trade. Headquartered in Irvine, Calif., ASM has 66 offices in the United States and Canada. Visit www.asmnet.com today.

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=50411607&lang=en

Contacts

Advantage Sales and Marketing, LLC
Bethany Slentz, 949-214-2512
Corporate Communications
bethany.slentz@asmnet.com

Industry-leading marketing agency enhances robust, innovative technology portfolio

IRVINE, Calif.—Integrated Marketing Services today announced the launch of a $10 million technology solution to enhance their in-store events capabilities. Integrated, a division of Advantage Sales & Marketing LLC (ASM), has unveiled their next-level, best-in-class technology portfolio branded INvision.

INvision will not only create an efficient, streamlined process for managing Integrated’s in-store events but will also provide clients and customers with dynamic reporting and insights into their businesses.

“Over the past two years, Integrated’s in-store events business unit has grown exponentially and we needed a cutting-edge platform to support this growth. We were looking for an innovative method to accurately provide metrics in program planning and execution while improving efficiencies in events sales and planning processes,” said April Zauri, ASM National Technology Director. “Launching the INvision technology platform really raises the bar in dashboard reporting and analytics and will allow us to better serve our clients and customers. INvision’s performance surpassed our expectations throughout our extensive test and beta phases and we are confident that the transition will be seamless.”

INvision integrates ASM’s current suite of technology solutions which will enhance reporting, analytics, resource management, scheduling and execution. 

“INvision provides the Integrated team with increased operational efficiencies throughout the entire event planning process and eliminates any redundancies ultimately adding value for their in-store event clients,” said Jillian Plummer, Industry Technology Consultant. “The tools within INvision are remarkable and will push Integrated and their in-store events clients a step ahead of the competition.”

In conjunction with the launch of the INvision, ASM has also developed a new dashboard reporting and analytics tool. This facet of the INvision technology suite consolidates data from Integrated’s technology solution portfolio and provides meaningful analytics and metrics on program performance and future program planning.

“Integrated’s technology portfolio is among the best in the industry. Their reporting capabilities are more robust and sophisticated which empowers their clients and customers with a greater level of productivity,” said Vic Hernandez, Industry Technology Consultant. “With the launch of INvision, Integrated has made significant enhancements giving them a competitive edge and securing their position as the industry leader in providing information and insights.”

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.

Whether it’s aspirin or shaving cream, HBC is a growing category that deserves a renewed focus.

Source: Convenience Store Decisions

HBC is making a comeback from coast to coast.

The category—from shampoos and skin creams to cough drops and cold remedies—has always had its rightful place in a convenience store—providing a grab-and-go remedy for a variety of ailments. Still, the category has been stigmatized at c-stores as an offering that commands a much higher price than the local drug store or supermarket. But the times have changed. More and more retailers are taking the time to find single-serve and lower-cost solutions that are helping to improve sales.

“HBC is not the ideal category to drive people into the store necessarily, but it’s a category that stores must have so they don’t upset anyone by not carrying what consumers would expect to find at their local convenience store,” said David Bishop, managing partner of Balvor, a retail consulting firm based in Barrington, Ill. “We offer it so we don’t lose credibility with customers.”

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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.

SymphonyIRI Group said it will partner with Walmart to create a new collaborative planning platform called Customer Advantage.

The Customer Advantage solution identifies and sizes opportunities among shopper segments, trips and categories that will better enable Walmart and its supplier partners to grow their businesses through a deeper understanding of our customers,” said Cindy Davis, executive vice president of Walmart global customer insights, in a prepared statement.

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