CROSSMARK CELEBRATES 100 YEARS OF SERVICE TO CLIENTS IN THE CONSUMER PACKAGED GOODS INDUSTRY

(Plano, TX) -- Proudly celebrating its 100-year anniversary, CROSSMARK kicked off its Centennial Celebration with a two-day event for many of its clients – a virtual “who’s who” in the Consumer Goods industry. Those clients included top executives from Kimberly-Clark, Mead Johnson, Gerber Products, Frito-Lay, Rayovac, J.M. Smucker Company, Dannon, Land O’Lakes, Novartis, Del Pharmaceuticals, Reckitt Benckiser, Cadbury Adams, Tyson Foods, Chicken of the Sea, Fujifilm, Perfetti Van Melle, Daisy Brand, ConAgra Foods, Kikkoman, Dole Food Company, Topps Company, Sara Lee Bakery Company, Pactiv Corporation, Filippo Berrio Olive Oil, Reilly Foods Company, and more.

Clients and CROSSMARK associates gathered in Plano in May for a series of events celebrating the company’s first 100 years. Activities included a golf tournament and casino night at the Westin Stonebriar Resort in Frisco, and a party at CROSSMARK’s Legacy Park headquarters in Plano. The keynote speaker at the party was 2004 British Open Winner Todd Hamilton.

Also attending the event were several of CROSSMARK’s “founding fathers” -- including retired CROSSMARK executives Austin Bell, Fred Arnold, Bill Phillips and Peter Powell. The first three were also all former chairmen of the National Food Brokers Association.
CROSSMARK is a professional business services company that helps consumer goods manufacturers and retailers reach their performance objectives. Committed to delivering customized client solutions and unparalleled execution to the consumer goods industry, CROSSMARK excels in four key areas – headquarter selling, retail merchandising, store level marketing, and streamlining trade practices.

CROSSMARK’s roots date back to 1905 when Cooper & Johnson, an Arkansas-based food broker, began serving the local market. That company, which later became known as SalesMark, eventually joined forces with the Gordon Company and the Phillips Company and formed a new entity called CROSSMARK.

CROSSMARK immediately embarked on an aggressive national roll-up to accommodate a consolidated marketplace. Fifty-five mergers and acquisitions later, CROSSMARK realized its goal of being a premier provider of consumer goods solutions at the national and regional levels. Today, CROSSMARK has 52 offices worldwide, with more than 17,000 associates in the U.S., Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

100 Years of Providing Clients with Customized Solutions

CROSSMARK is proudly celebrating its 100-year anniversary this year by doing what it does best – providing clients with customized solutions and unparalleled execution.

“Our clients include both retailers and manufacturers, and therefore, they have different needs and expectations,” states Ben Fischer, president, CROSSMARK Sales Agency. “We have a customized approach to meet the specific needs of each client. That’s one of the reasons we’ve been successful for 100 years.”

CROSSMARK develops individual strategies for each client, taking into consideration such variables as the brand, category, channel, retailer, and selling season. Then that strategy is executed using a variety of headquarter and retail service models, including syndicated, dedicated, task driven and reset coverage.

“Not all stores are created equal,” states Fischer. “Using our store-level, SKU-specific data, CROSSMARK provides our clients with invaluable insight into store conditions. We are able to direct resources into stores where opportunities to grow sales and share have been identified.”

CROSSMARK also utilizes store-level insight to identify in-store opportunities that need to be addressed at a headquarter level. CROSSMARK works closely with their clients and retailers in developing solutions, including category reviews, schematics, order processing, and communications to satellite divisions.

“We know we’re in the right stores, at the right time, taking the right action,” adds Fischer.

For more information:
Guy Davis
469-814-1349
guy.davis@crossmark.com