Ogden Publications, a consumer magazine publisher located in Topeka, Kansas, publishes magazines and books for people interested in self-sufficiency, sustainability, rural lifestyles and farm memorabilia.  Their magazine titles include Mother Earth News, Utne Reader, Natural Home, The Herb Companion, Grit, Capper’s, Motorcycle Classics, Farm Collector, Gas Engine Magazine, and Good Things to Eat. The company also offers select products to its readers, including insurance and financial services.

Ogden is a company that practices what it preaches in its office building and publishing operations.  Their numerous green initiatives in recent years include installing solar tubes to supplement with natural light and eliminating artificial light where possible, providing designated carpool spaces, replacing all Styrofoam cups with glass mugs, providing each employee with recycling bins at their desk for paper, providing recycling bins throughout the office for aluminum cans, cardboard, chipboard, paper, plastic, steel and glass, and holding recycling drives for employees to bring in used home computers and tennis shoes to recycle.  Their magazines are printed on recycled paper using soy-based inks, and they use as little film and film processing as possible in production.  Plus, Ogden Publications has purchased 2.4 million kilowatt-hours of renewable energy credits, effectively offsetting 100 percent of its electricity usage.

Ogden became an Advantage client in 2001.  They were searching for a reliable system and a vendor that they could partner with for the long-term, and they found both with Advantage.  Account manager Ken Darnell has worked with the Ogden team on a number of projects and upgrades.  He says that Ogden played a significant role in helping the Advantage Web Module become what it is today.  “Ogden had a real vision for what they wanted their web sites to be for their customers,” says Ken.  “They were well ahead of most publishers at the time and knew what they wanted in providing a web experience that was flexible and easy to use.”

“Efficient database management is at the very heart of Ogden’s business model,” says Bryan Welch, Ogden’s publisher.  “We believe our publishing business is migrating toward a model based on large and highly detailed databases of customers whose interests and passions are the driving force behind our enterprise. Obviously, our relationship with Advantage has been a key component in the development of our business.”

MOTOR Information Systems is the world’s premier supplier of automotive data.  In business since 1903, MOTOR has compiled a vast knowledge base - most of which is categorized by year, make, model, engine, VIN and AAIA vehicle classification. The company provides millions of data points to its customers, which include software and/or interactive developers who need automotive data to drive their end user applications, business owners who need parts and labor data for accurate repair estimating and technicians who need the most current automotive reference materials to diagnose and repair any vehicle that comes into their shop.

It’s no surprise that the methods of compiling and then distributing that data have changed drastically since the company’s origins more than 100 years ago. What once involved laborious manual efforts and large amounts of printed and bound pages, is now updated continuously and distributed electronically in an instant.

MOTOR came to Advantage in 2001, looking for more extensive web capability, better analysis and reports and greater system integration.  They went live on Advantage in 2002, and recently celebrated the successful launch of Crash Online—a database of information on specific car models, which is used by collision shops to estimate repair costs.  Previously, the data had been provided via quarterly print directories, which were costly to print and mail. Housing it online is much more efficient, and that is just the sort of application for which the Access Management and Billing (AMB) module of Advantage was created.

MOTOR purchased the Advantage AMB module to handle the authentication of customers and manage billing and accounts receivable for its database customers.  A large benefit of using AMB is its integration with the rest of the system. The previous method involved several disparate systems requiring manual updating. 

Along with the CRASH database, MOTOR also converted many other print products to their e-Tech platform, including such things as wiring diagrams, heavy truck repair information and technical service bulletins.

“Since bringing Advantage on board, our operation has come a long way.  Using Advantage has allowed MOTOR to integrate many parts of our business into a very interactive fulfillment system.” says Todd Ladson, MOTOR’s Director of Finance.  “Our team and the ACS people work together extremely well and we are pleased with the partnership, especially the relationship we developed with our Account Manager, Ken Darnell.”  

Senior Account Manager Ken Darnell has worked with MOTOR since their original implementation.  “The staff at MOTOR has made it a priority to get the best use they can out of every Advantage feature,” says Ken.  “Since their original implementation in 2001, they’ve added the Advertising Module in 2006, Royalty Module in 2008, and most recently, AMB in 2009. Each of these new modules went in smoothly and efficiently and filled a real need.  It’s been a pleasure working with Todd Ladson and his team.  They learn the system well and become extremely knowledgeable users.”

MOTOR’s Troy, Michigan headquarters, in the automotive capital of the world, employs more than 100 people.  MOTOR is owned by the Hearst Corporation.

Oxford University Press (OUP), a department of the University of Oxford, is the world's largest and most international university press. Their mission is to fulfill the University’s objective of excellence in education, scholarship, and research. They believe in bringing the highest quality educational resources to the widest possible audience.

Founded in 1478, OUP has become familiar to millions through a diverse publishing program that includes scholarly works in all academic disciplines, bibles, music, school and college textbooks, children's books, materials for teaching English as a foreign language, business books, dictionaries and reference books, and journals.  Currently they publish more than 6,000 new publications a year.

OUP approached ACS in 2001 because they needed a more flexible and powerful journal subscription platform which would enable them to sell and market their products more effectively, and to take advantage of growing sales opportunities.  The growth in online journals was leading to new ways of selling content.  Consortia deals, involving multiple institutions negotiating for access to hundreds of titles, were being handled manually, since

OUP’s current subscription platform couldn’t handle the ever-changing sales models.  After a thorough analysis and a design phase, OUP chose Advantage as their new journal subscription platform.

OUP now uses Advantage to manage other sources of revenue in addition to subscriptions. In the years since 2001, ACS has worked with OUP so that sales of advertising, consortia deals, miscellaneous invoicing, and reprints are now processed through Advantage.  A project is currently underway to allow OUP to sell online books on Advantage as well as journals.

Dan Heffernan, then project manager for OUP’s projects, says “OUP’s discipline in carrying out projects is second to none.  They control scope and risk and are completely committed from the top down to the success of every project they undertake.  They are competent, calm and completely dedicated to success.  On top of that, it is a pleasure to work with them.”

Andy Wright, System Manager for Advantage at OUP: “Our business models are changing fast with the academic publishing sector moving ever more rapidly to online as their preferred method of communication, and the purchase and delivery of content.  Having a system as flexible and versatile as Advantage means I can be confident in delivering system solutions that work in the time-frame asked of me. The people at ACS understand what we are wanting to do, often anticipate our needs before they become apparent to us, and respond quickly, adapting and developing the software as required.”

Agora, Inc. is a holding company for more than 20 publishers of financial, health, travel and special interest books and newsletters -- each offering unique ideas, information and insights. Altogether, Agora companies publish more than 300 books and 40 newsletters, reaching 1 million readers from around the world. 

Based in the historic Mount Vernon district of Baltimore, Agora is housed in a collection of 19th century mansions. They also have offices in London, Bonn, Paris, Johannesburg, Buenos Aires, Melbourne and Waterford, and many of their titles are available in French, Spanish, German and Italian.

The company’s name has its origin in history.  The Agora was a lively marketplace for the ancient Greeks, where people came not only to buy and sell goods but also to meet to exchange news and ideas. That same philosophy is what drives Agora, Inc.

As Agora founder and president William Bonner explains: “Agora is a publishing company. We offer our customers ideas, information, and insights. But we do so in a manner very different from that of the traditional publishing house.  Rather than being centered on the medium—whether a given publication is, say, a book, a magazine, or a newsletter—Agora is centered on the ideas themselves. When we have something to say about a subject—whether it be speculative investing or natural health—we offer our ideas in many different ways, including books, newsletters, Web sites, conferences, tours and special reports.

The medium is important from a business perspective…but it is not as important as the message itself.And what is the message? We publish ideas on a variety of subjects. Some of these ideas are very practical—such as how to get the best price on an airline ticket. Others are rather abstract—such as our discussion of man’s relationship to the state. But all of Agora’s messages have something in common. They all celebrate the virtue of thinking independently and taking responsibility for your own life.”

Agora became an Advantage client in 2000.  The evaluation team wanted a better integrated system for their newsletters, supplements and list business. They were also looking for a system flexible enough to accommodate the fast-changing needs of their growing business.  Daryl Berver, President of the Publishing Services Division, says:  “We need our fulfillment system vendor to be a true partner, almost an extension of our staff, and we have that with ACS.  Since we went live in early 2001, Advantage has been instrumental in Agora’s continued evolution and growth.”

Agora puts its publishing philosophy into practice in its business operations as well.  Independent thinking and taking responsibility are watchwords of the business and technical staff, not just editors and writers.  Currently, electronic marketing is a major focus, and Agora is looking to pave new ground in this area.

Tara Rebak, Vice President of Fulfillment Systems, has this to say: “When our business needs shift, we always know that ACS is going to be supportive of the new endeavors we want to pursue and they work with us every step of the way. We just completed a major implementation of the new customer service letters feature that will enable us to electronically reply to customer correspondence in a more efficient and timely manner. This was just another example of the partnership we’ve developed with ACS and why we’ll continue to develop the functionality of the software.”

This month, Customer Portrait presents Network Services Company, a division of ACP Magazines in Australia.  ACP joined the Advantage community in 2004.

Network Services Company, a division of ACP Magazines, is Australia's leading distributor of quality publications providing both retail and subscriptions services to more than 100 Australian and International publishers including ACP Magazines. Some of ACP Magazines best known titles include the Australian Women's Weekly, Woman's Day, TV Week, Cleo, Cosmopolitan, Madison, Australian House & Garden, Gourmet Traveller, and Wheels. ACP Magazines is the magazine arm of leading Australian media and entertainment company, PBL Media.

Network Services began looking for a Customer Management System in 2003, and went through a thorough evaluation process, including an RFP, several software presentations, and both site and vendor visits. Their key objectives included: to obtain comprehensive marketing information and analysis, to be able to market more effectively to their existing base, to increase renewal rates overall, and to improve data entry accuracy and efficiency. Advantage was the choice to best satisfy these needs. Network Services went live on Advantage in 2004.
"The functionality in Advantage provides an integrated customer management solution," says Tonya James, Subscription Services Manager. "And the analysis reports are great."

Since going live on Advantage, Network Services Subscriptions Services has grown considerably. Today, Network Services is the largest subscriptions services provider in Australia, offering a full-suite of services across the subscriptions lifecycle. They continue to add new titles published by ACP and also increase the business from other publishers. Examples include the launches of Top Gear and Good Food, both joint ventures between ACP Magazines and BBC, as well as the acquisition of eMap and the migration of their 14 titles from a competitor's system. Network Services has also expanded services to a number of other domestic and international publishers, including Puzzler Media, Future Media Australia, and McHugh Media.

Recently, Network Services completed the migration of Australian Geographic to Advantage. This award-winning journal of the Geographic Society showcases the amazing plants and animals of Australia not found anywhere else on earth. Rather than becoming subscribers, readers become members of the society and receive the publication as a benefit of membership. The Australian Geographic Society is committed to supporting scientific research, protecting and fostering a love for our environment and natural heritage, encouraging the spirit of discovery and adventure and spreading knowledge of Australia to Australians and the world. The society also sponsors events such as lecture series and expeditions. The project involved migrating more than 20 years of historical customer management information. It also involved identifying and implementing 16 different service solutions to meet the unique requirements of the publisher.

"We consider the Advantage system and the Advantage support team integral to our ability to expand and develop our service offerings to meet the breadth of service requirements of our publishers", says Tonya. "We have invested in increasing our own knowledge of the Advantage system and developing a strong partnership with Advantage. We believe this is key to our ability to continue to grow and develop as "First Choice" for subscriptions management services."

Ken Darnell, the ACS account manager for Network Services, Karl Davis recently spent a week at their Sydney offices holding training on circulation-related subjects. Ken said that the training went very well and that the Network Services team was enthusiastic and eager to learn. Network Services upgraded a few months ago to Advantage 8R1 and Ken and Karl were also able to help them apply some of the new features and functionality.

This month, Customer Portrait presents The Pacific Press Publishing Association in Nampa, Idaho.  Pacific Press joined the Advantage community in 1997.

The Pacific Press® Publishing Association, established in 1874, is owned and operated by the Seventh-day Adventist Church, and publishes books and periodicals with Christian themes, for both children and adults. Specialties include books for Christian women and books and magazines in foreign languages, including Spanish, French, Afrikaans, and even Samoan.

Their monthly magazine called Signs of the Times, has been in continuous circulation since the Press began in 1874. Pacific Press publishes other periodicals as well, and also produces many of the materials used in Seventh-day Adventist Sabbath Schools and churches. In addition, they distribute easy-listening and inspirational music through their Chapel® Music division, as well as producing a variety of media, including software to spice up church presentations, videos, and DVDs.

Their beautifully landscaped and maintained two-story building is located in Nampa, Idaho—close to Boise and surrounded by scenic mountains. In addition to housing the editorial, customer service, sales and marketing and other publishing employees, the building contains the printing plant where much of their material is printed. So much mail goes out of their printing plant every day that they even have an onsite post office.

At the time Pacific Press installed Advantage in 1997, they were looking for an integrated book and magazine system, expanded marketing and promotion capabilities, improved customer service functionality and the latest Windows technology. Nearly 12 years later, they have realized all those goals and more.

Ed Bahr, the IT Director at Pacific Press, has this to say about Advantage: "This software has served our needs well here at Pacific Press. Because our business model is somewhat unique, Advantage has provided the flexibility and customization we need for an efficient workflow."

Stu Pottle, tech support person for the Advantage system, just retired after 14 years at Pacific Press. He was there through the original conversion and all the upgrades since then. He has been training his replacement, Rick Johnson, for a while now. Although he is looking forward to retirement, Stu will miss his coworkers, and also his friends at ACS. "I've enjoyed working with ACS people—they are always willing to help out with a question or concern," says Stu.

Bill Pinard was the ACS project manager in the original implementation. He says: "As the PPPA project manager, Stu did an outstanding job driving the many aspects of the project to completion and learning all about Advantage. Stu was trained in Advantage's Tools programming language and went on to develop PPPA's forms and custom reports. He made it his business to understand the users' needs and how they could be met with Advantage functionality. He was a real champion for Advantage within the PPPA organization and he will be greatly missed."

Account Manager Ev Acton agrees with Bill. She says: "Over the years, Stu has really "owned" the system. There has never been a question of that. He's worked side by side with his end users and has been able to walk through any issue he has reported to Advantage. When you talk with Stu, it's clear he understands not only their business but he also understands how the processes work etc. I've always thoroughly enjoyed working with Stu."

Rick has a background in networking, programming, and technical support. His main duties at Pacific Press will be administering and facilitating use of the Advantage system at Pacific Press. Rick says (about Stu), "I've never worked with someone who has such a complete understanding of the system he is administering. On top of that, Stu understands nearly every aspect of the user interaction with Advantage and can help them understand how their jobs mesh with Advantage."

Editor's note: Rick, you have some big shoes to fill, but we know you will do a fantastic job. Stu, best wishes on your retirement! It's been great working with you and we will miss you.

This month, Customer Portrait presents Kalmbach Publishing in Waukesha, Wisconsin.  Kalmbach joined the Advantage community in 1982.

In 2008, Kalmbach Publishing celebrated their 75th anniversary as a special interest publisher serving a diverse set of hobbyist markets. Kalmbach provides information to their customers through a variety of media channels including books, events, magazines, television partnerships and web sites.

Kalmbach editors and many other staff members are active enthusiasts themselves, sharing the same passion and curiosity for their leisure time pursuits as their readers. This mutual enthusiasm fosters long-term relationships with customers, and their Advantage system supports that effort with extensive customer loyalty-building features.

Kalmbach's markets currently include model railroading—with the 75-year-old Model Railroader as the flagship—beading and jewelry making, astronomy, scale modeling, and bird watching. They produce 15 magazines and a host of special-interest publications (SIPs). The book division publishes about three dozen books annually, and they also maintain nearly 30 Web sites.

An independent and privately held publishing company in Waukesha, Wisconsin, Kalmbach continues to grow and diversify by acquiring and launching products, and by capitalizing on opportunities within their core markets. To support their growth strategy, they actively monitor trends and look for opportunities to acquire existing products and launch new ones. Advantage is an important tool in that effort.

Advantage has been a part of Kalmbach's success since 1982. At that time, Kalmbach was looking to expand and needed a system that could support their growth and help them build their special interest databases. Advantage fit the bill then and has supported their growth ever since. In 1982, Kalmbach converted less than 100,000 records onto Advantage, while today they serve nearly 1.5 million.

In addition to CIR (Circulation Management), PRO (Product Order) and other core modules, Kalmbach uses ADM (Advertising Management) and BDM (Bulk Distribution). They added the Web module in 1999 and CEM (Conference and Event) in 2004. CEM helps them to manage the Bead&Button show, which Kalmbach acquired along with Bead&Button magazine in 1996. They moved the show to Milwaukee in 2001 and it has grown to become the world's largest consumer bead show. The 2009 Show offers more than 500 beading classes and workshops and will feature nearly 300 exhibitors on the show floor. About 3500 seats were sold on opening day for class registration in January!

Nikki Lorenz, Business Systems Manager, has been working with Advantage since 1985, although she prefers not to be referred to as ACS' "oldest" client. "The Advantage product has really evolved since we signed on, as has the level of support ACS provides," says Nikki. "I have always been able to count on ACS to be there when I need them and to provide whatever services are necessary. We have developed a great partnership through the years."

Jim Schweder, Vice President of Technology at Kalmbach, has this to say about ACS/Advantage: "A true business partner. The ACS team has always been helpful and understanding as we expand our use of the Advantage system."

As a long-time Advantage client, Kalmbach has hosted many site visits for prospective Advantage customers. ACS is always happy to send prospects to Waukesha because Kalmbach's well-run operation never fails to impress other publishers. The company's strong emphasis on customer service is always noticed and remarked upon. Kalmbach employees know the Advantage software very well and use it to its full capacity, which also makes a very positive impression. These factors have made Kalmbach the leader in turning site visits into sales for Advantage. (We are still working out the sales commission details!)

ACS is happy to announce the addition of Vidal, our third client based in France. (Bayard Presse was the first, and Agora France became the second, going live in October 2008). Vidal became a client in mid-November and the implementation is well underway. Located in Issy-les-Moulineaux, just outside of Paris, Vidal publishes medical information to French healthcare professionals. They publish a well-known book which provides drug interaction information to medical professionals. They also publish a variety of other products including: subscription-based newsletters, electronic subscriptions, advertising and other one-off products.

Vidal began searching for a new system early in 2008 and was interested in seeing Advantage because they knew that Bayard Presse had gone live successfully on it. At a software presentation at Vidal's office in June, they were impressed with the functionality of Advantage and found that it could handle their business with little or no modification. After a six month evaluation of both French and American software systems, the decision was made that Advantage was the best product on the market and that it matched all of their needs.

Claire Baldeyrou, Vidal's CFO and executive sponsor of the project, has this to say about Advantage: "The functionality of Advantage is up-to-date and constantly improving to follow market trends." And regarding the project, Claire says: "The professionalism of both teams in Paris and Ann Arbor, Michigan is a great comfort (even if everyone does not speak French!)"

Levi Hyssong is the ACS project manager, working closely with Philippe van-Mastrigt as the European Project Director. The Vidal team includes Claire Baldeyrou as the executive sponsor and Martine Thiery as the project manager. Go-live is planned for mid-2009.

This month, the focus is on Oakstone Publishing in Birmingham, Alabama. They joined the Advantage community in 2000.

¹Editors Note: Sorry, Neal, we need her here!