Brand Fuel Revenues Soar 45 Percent, Blasting Industry Trends

Revenues at Brand Fuel Promotions are up 45 percent for the first half of fiscal year 2003, compared to results in the same period of fiscal year 2002, say company co-founders Robert Fiveash and Danny Rosin. Brand Fuel is succeeding in spite of industry trends. In 2002, distributors of promotional products saw sales volume fall 5.59 percent overall. In keeping with a strategy of smart growth, Brand Fuel announces it is launching a second location, in Norfolk, Virginia.

Success paves the way for September expansion into Virginia market

(PRWEB) August, 2003 -- Revenues at Brand Fuel Promotions are up 45 percent for the first half of fiscal year 2003, compared to results in the same period of fiscal year 2002, say company co-founders Robert Fiveash and Danny Rosin.

In FY2002, Brand Fuels annual revenues were $2.9 million. Looking forward, the company is on track to produce annual revenues of $4.2 million in FY2003.

"Corporate marketing and promotional budgets are coming back, and Brand Fuel is in a position to feel the impact of the change first," said acting vice president Robert Fiveash. (The co-founders trade executive titles each year.) "We are pleased to be working again with past clients whose budgets had been frozen, and with contacts who moved to new companies when their former employers folded during the bust. And, thanks to our strong reputation, the loyalty of our clients, and their willingness to send us referrals, we are adding new clients every day."

In the first half of 2003, Brand Fuel launched its largest online company store to date for Safety-Kleen Corporation (http://www.safety-kleen.com), a 6,000-employee company based in Plano, Texas, with branches nationwide. During the same period, Brand Fuel fulfilled its largest promotional products order on record, as part of a solution Brand Fuel developed for one of the leading advertising agencies in the Southeast.

Success bucks the trends

Brand Fuel is succeeding in spite of industry trends. In 2002, distributors of promotional products saw sales volume fall 5.59 percent overall. Industry group Promotional Products Association International (PPAI), which calculated the drop, attributed the results to fewer companies spending in the wake of mergers, a reduction in the number of distributors, and the slow economy. PPAI notes those results came on the heels of poor performance in 2001, when the promotional products industry experienced its first spending slump in 40 years.

"When the bubble burst in 2001, it was a slap in the face-and it felt good," said acting president Danny Rosin. "It taught us we needed to get lean and work harder and smarter. We were reminded of the importance of building relationships with our clients and staying in front of them, even when they weren't able to spend. Instead of cutting budgets and laying off folks, Brand Fuel stayed true to its strategic focus."

Rosin and Fiveash attribute Brand Fuel's strongly positive performance so far this year to a combination of factors, including the following:

· stepped-up strategic marketing efforts
· renewed dedication to its corporate mission to provide creative promotional solutions, acting as a partner rather than a commodity-broker
· relationship-building with existing clients, including events such as the first annual Rocket Day celebration, held in June
· a shift in strategic focus towards signing larger clients and securing larger orders
· increased reliance on technology, electronic tools, and web-based solutions for the company and for clients
· partnering with professional organizations that share Brand Fuels target market, including Raleigh American Institute of Graphic Artists (AIGA), Triangle American Marketing Association (AMA), and the Durham Bulls.

Announcing expansion into Norfolk, Virginia

Brand Fuel has also been growing its client base in areas outside of its traditional stronghold in North Carolina's Triangle and Triad regions. The company has clients in metropolitan areas nationwide, with a concentration of clients on the Eastern Seaboard from Baltimore to Atlanta.

In keeping with a strategy of smart growth, Brand Fuel announces it is launching a second location, in Norfolk, Virginia. Rosin and Fiveash, both of whom grew up in Norfolk and attended Norfolk Academy, say their many personal and professional ties in the area will spur the growth of Brand Fuel's Norfolk location.

"Opening a second location in Norfolk will allow for the creation of a large base from which to grow," said Robert Fiveash, who will head up the Norfolk location. "Having two offices will also put Brand Fuel on a wider radar screen, leading to greater vendor interest and even better pricing for our clients."

Fiveash and Rosin expect the Norfolk location to reach the size of today's Triangle location within five years. The Norfolk office will concentrate on serving Brand Fuel's clients in the Washington, D.C., Northern Virginia, Hampton Roads, Richmond, and Charlottesville areas.

About Brand Fuel Promotions

Brand Fuel is a specialty advertising, promotional products, and web merchandising company with a large showroom and in-house graphic design, marketing, and web services departments. Located in the Morrisville, NC, the company ranks in the top 4 percent of its industry and has about 1,500 active clients, including Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina, Cisco Systems, Carolina Hurricanes, Legg Mason Funds Marketing, Kellogg's, Safety-Kleen Corp., and KPMG.

For more about Brand Fuel, please visit http://www.brandfuel.com.

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