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CIS Merges With Marketing Innovators

October 2004



Corporate Incentive Solutions (CIS, asi/168979) has merged with New York-based Marketing Innovators (MI, asi/261657). CIS, an integrated incentive company, was officially launched in June.

“CIS is the combination of many organizations coming together as one,” says CEO Marc Baron. “It’s really the next generation of travel-incentive companies.” The goal is to bring aboard established promotional products salespeople to cross-train with the travel/meeting staff.

“Where we distinguish ourselves is using the existing promotional products sales channel to gain access to cross-sell meeting and travel logistics,” Baron explains. “Promotional products salespeople already have the relationships with many clients involved in planning. A large percentage of all orders written by them complement meeting or travel programs.”

While promotional products have been CIS’s main focus during its first year, Baron expects the ratio to flip: “Currently, promotional products are two-to-one over travel as far as our overall sales volume. By our second year, however, travel should be [on top].” The firm’s growth centers on mergers with established distributorships in major metropolitan markets. Through this, CIS has already met 75% of its two-year sales goal. Baron projects the firm will be among the industry’s 50 largest distributorships within its second 12 months.

The merger brings four more salespeople to CIS, in addition to MI founder Suzan Bresler, who will remain as team leader of the New York office. “Suzan was at a point in her career where she was spending time day-to-day on administrative duties. Joining CIS gave her the opportunity to focus on her relationships with clients. In the two months since the merger, her sales have shown the system is working,” says Richard Spector, CIS vice president of strategic development. All employees have been retained and computer systems have been integrated with CIS’s main office, which will handle matters such as order entry and billing. MI will now operate under the CIS umbrella and ASI number.