Affinity Express Hires Bob Hartmann
Outsourced printing premedia services firm names former Vertis, RR Donnelley exec VP Sales
By Graphic Arts Online Staff -- Graphic Arts Online, June 22, 2009
Chicago, June 22, 2009–Affinity Express Inc., the leading multi-shore provider of outsourced, high-volume advertising and marketing design solutions, which supports retailer, newspaper, publication, direct mail, corporate and advertising agency clients, announced the appointment of Robert Hartmann as vice president of sales. In this role, Mr. Hartmann will be responsible for establishing new revenue opportunities and developing strategic partnerships to expand the Affinity Express presence in the retail industry.
According to Chief Executive Officer Kenneth W. Swanson, “Affinity Express has successfully been serving the marketing communications needs of major retailers and their customers in the office supply and apparel categories for several years. In light of the challenging economy, tight credit and overall weak business environment, as well as the need for all retailers to differentiate from competitors, build strong brand equity and ensure an exciting consumer experience, Affinity Express has decided to invest further in this segment. With Bob’s domain expertise and leadership, we will not only develop new relationships, Affinity Express will offer expanded services to current clients, including support for circulars, print and online advertising, in-store promotions and direct mail to reduce our clients’ advertising and marketing costs.”
Mr. Hartmann commented, “Many retailers are re-thinking their workflows to take advantage of lower costs. Affinity Express fits right in with this strategy, facilitating the ability for clients to source design talent using the same approach they take with other products and services. We enable them to do more with their promotional and merchandising budgets; as the full range of Affinity Express print and online products means clients can leverage assets across media and engage in multi-channel marketing with greater effectiveness.”
Affinity Express offers retailers and other clients solutions that include more than 800 designers, Internet-based workflows and a comprehensive array of print and online services and multi-shore production facilities. The company produces most designs in 24 hours or less and services are available 24/7. Affinity Express reduces operating costs and streamlines production while providing high-quality designs on demand. At the same time, the company empowers retailers through technology-based processes and workflow on the web, scalability to support peaks in volumes and a U.S. based communications network. Plus, Affinity Express mitigates risks through disaster recovery with complete duplication in multi-shore production facilities and proven results helping companies to focus on their core business and reduce operating costs.
Before joining Affinity Express, Mr. Hartmann was the executive vice president of sales and operations for Hipzone, Inc., a provider of high-quality hybrid integrated premedia production solutions. During his tenure, he created business process outsourcing solutions for retailers, manufacturers, cataloguers, ad agencies, magazine publishers and corporate clients.
Previously, Mr. Hartmann served as senior vice president of sales and client services for Vertis Communications, a $1.5 billion marketing communications firm, where he directed a team of 155 sales, client service and sales vice presidents. He was responsible for over $1 billion in revenue and 500 client relationships, having managed the sale of all Vertis products and services to the retail, consumer packaged goods, ad agency and newspaper markets. Mr. Hartmann was also senior vice president of supply chain at Vertis, where he managed all corporate staff departments and was responsible for outsourcing, creating strategic partnerships and developing new revenue streams. Earlier in his career, Mr. Hartmann was a sales executive for R.R. Donnelley & Sons.
Mr. Hartmann earned his bachelor of arts/bachelor of science in business administration and marketing from Clarion University and his master of business administration at the University of Texas at Austin.
About Affinity Express
Affinity Express is the leading business process outsourcing company that is 100% dedicated to graphic and design services. Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, Affinity Express has over 800 employees and maintains production centers in Pune, India and Manila, Philippines. The company is the only multi-shore BPO in the outsourced graphic space, which offers disaster recovery and business continuity planning for clients. Affinity Express delivers services 24 hours per day and seven days per week, producing products in more than 30 software packages and multiple platforms. The company manages its unique creative process with a continuous improvement approach based on Lean Six Sigma, so that clients receive reliable output with fast turn times for their mission-critical digital files. The comprehensive, customized graphics solutions of Affinity Express help clients lower production costs, generate higher profits and gain a competitive edge, without having to invest in establishing and maintaining these capabilities internally.
At the end of 2006, LiveIt Global Solutions, the holding company for Ayala Corporation’s investments in the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) sector, acquired 100% of Delaware-incorporated Affinity Express. Founded in 1834, Ayala Corporation is the oldest business house in the Philippines and one of the largest conglomerates in the country. Ayala Corporation and its listed subsidiaries have a combined market capitalization of approximately $12.7 billion.
For more information about Affinity Express, please visit www.affinityexpress.com
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