Amerivon

Headquarters: 3301 Atlantic Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11208

Background

Chloé Foods Corporation, with over 500 employees, represents one of the largest food manufacturers and distributors in North America. With over 60 years of operating history, the Chloé Foods Corporation specializes in fresh, healthy, home-made entrees, sides, and salads, including olives, which are harvested and imported from company-owned orchards in Greece.

Challenges

Despite having over 1,200 unique recipes, Chloe is largely recognized as a leading supplier of potato, macaroni, and coleslaw salads in the NorthEast. Chloe's opportunity is to extend geographic reach and help grocery and mass market retailers drive growth and profitability within the emerging fresh foods and packaged entrée category.

Amerivon Contribution

Amerivon's partnership with Chloe reflects strategic management, sales and financing support. Additionally, Amerivon is bringing operating experience in the fresh food industry, expert knowledge of consumer and retail needs in the deli and fresh foods category, and sales execution to help Chloe accelerate growth within target market segments.

Results

"It's a rarity in business that a company such as Chloe Food Corporation would find such a complimentary partner as that of the Amerivon team," said Andrew Themis, President, Chloe. "As a result of this exclusive agreement and the possibilities it will create for all involved, I foresee achieving record growth and nationwide recognition by implementing the strategies proposed."

Headquarters: 11781 S. Lone Peak Parkway, Suite 22-270/ Draper, UT 84020
CEO: Chett Paulsen
www.sequoiamg.com

Background
Sequoia Media’s aVinci Instant Movie is an innovative, easy-to-use solution for mass market consumers to create and produce complete professional-quality DVD movie presentations.

Challenges
Founded in 2003, Sequoia Media Group quickly discovered the aVinci Instant Movie would be successful among consumers with its Photo Max product being distributed through a large direct marketing organization. The challenge, however, would be bringing aVinci Instant Movie to mass retail channels.

Amerivon Contribution
Amerivon provides critical support and resources in executing Sequoia Media’s strategic retail roadmap, including a private equity investment necessary to accelerate the growth opportunities within mass retail channels and introductions to executive-level decision makers. Amerivon serves on the company's Board of Managers and is the largest single equity holder.

Results
In June, 2007, Wal-Mart integrated the aVinci Instant Movie in over 4,500 stores covering nearly 14,000 photo kiosks. In March, 2008, Costco.com debuted MomentsCaptured by aVinci, offering members an opportunity to quickly, and easily create themed DVD productions.

Headquarters: 8644 154th Ave NE/ Redmond / Washington /  98052  

CEO: John Wall
www.innuity.com

Background: Headquartered in Redmond, WA, Innuity is a Software as a Service (SaaS) company that designs, acquires and integrates applications to deliver solutions for small business. Innuity's Internet technology is based on an affordable, on-demand model that allows small businesses to simply interact with customers, business partners and vendors and efficiently manage their businesses. Innuity delivers its on-demand applications through its Internet technology platform, Innuity Velocity^TM. 

Challenges: Accelerate customer acquisition by further penetrating mass market retail distribution channels.

Amerivon Contribution: The Amerivon partnership provides Innuity, currently selling its SaaS offerings via private label under the Sam's Club brand since 2004, a strong platform by which to broaden its mass market distribution strategy. Innuity plans to sell its SaaS offerings either under the Innuity brand, the retail partner's brand or via a combined Innuity-retailer brand.

Results: Innuity and Amerivon are currently in discussions with strategic mass market retailers. Targeted product distribution is anticipated in 2008.  

Headquarters: 1388 Bridgewater Road/Bensalem, PA 19020
CEO: Mark Byron
www.smartpacksolutions.com

Background: Smart Pack Solutions is the largest national supplier of complete residential moving kits, fulfilling thousands of customer orders from its distribution centers in Jacksonville, Chicago, Dallas, Fresno and their headquarters in Philadelphia.

Smart Pack Solutions buys boxes by the truckload and ships custom quantities direct to customers. The customized moving kits include all necessary boxes, supplies and packing materials for homes of all sizes. Orders are shipped the same day with nationwide home delivery typically within 1-2 business days.

Challenges: Smart Pack Solutions' required access to key retail channels to expand distribution within mass market retail environments.

Amerivon Contribution: Amerivon provided strategic product positioning, a comprehensive mass market retail strategy and execution, including participation on the company's board of directors. Amerivon is the second largest equity holder in the company.

Results: Smart Pack Solutions' moving kits are available at Costco.com, Samsclub.com, OverStock.com, Lowes.com, Office Depot, UPS stores, and PODS. Additionally, Smart Pack Solutions is the exclusive moving box distributor for the US Post Office online address change program.

Headquarters: 2101 4th Avenue Suite 1250 / Seattle / Washington / 98121
CEO: Dan Brettler
www.wirelessadvocates.com

Background
Wireless Advocates, founded in 2004, is a private partnership between Amerivon and Car Toys, one of the nation’s largest mobile electronic retailers. The company provides wireless telephones and accessories to Costco members from a manned, in-building kiosk model on site in all of Costco's warehouses in the United States utilizing a multi-carrier master agent model with Verizon, T-Mobile and Sprint PCS.

Challenges
Wireless Advocates sought to create, staff, and implement a nationwide roll-out of staffed wireless kiosks within Costco warehouses nationwide.

Amerivon Contribution
Amerivon helped create, prepare, and introduce Wireless Advocates to key decision makers within Costco and provides ongoing support leveraging Amerivon's retail consulting expertise and key headquarter relationships. Amerivon is also Wireless Advocates' second largest equity holder.

Results
Wireless Advocates kiosks are currently operating in every Costco store throughout the country. The success of Wireless Advocates is recognized by utilizing Wireless Advocates employees in a consultative sales approach and by having best in class agent agreements with multiple carriers.

Headquarters: 1416 W. San Pedro Street, Suite 101 / Gilbert, AZ 85233
CEO: Mel Sauder
www.microblendtechnologies.com

Background
MicroBlend Technologies is poised to revolutionize how a $60B paint industry manufactures, distributes and sells paint. Developed in the first half of the 20th century, today’s paint distribution process is antiquated. Relying on centralized manufacturing facilities the process requires substantial labor and overhead for filling, labeling, bailing, boxing, and palletizing. Paint is then transported to retail stores in small containers before being placed on racks and moved from shelf to shelf.

MicroBlend’s patented Automated Paint System™ is based on today’s latest technologies and innovations resulting in a significant reduction in inventory, labor, and overhead. Collapsing the traditional supply chain, the five essential raw materials used in producing latex paints are instead manufactured in bulk and shipped directly to retail stores. The materials are placed in large permanent tanks, one for each material, within a kiosk located on the retailer’s store floor. Using a touch screen computer a kiosk’s attendant blends the components and colorants to produce an exact formulation and color. Container sizes range from a quart to five-gallons.

Challenges
MicroBlend recognized a great fit for the company’s Automated Paint System™ existed for mass market retailers wanting to be in the retail paint business, but couldn’t due to the required store metrics. They also believed traditional big box retailers already in the paint business could benefit substantially from reduced footprint and inventory requirements offered by MicroBlend.

Amerivon Contribution
An investment by Amerivon in MicroBlend Technologies provided necessary capital to successfully implement pilot programs and enhance further research and development. Amerivon executives, Spike Anderson and John Tyson, joined the MicroBlend Board of Directors in September 2006 to further assist MicroBlend with strategic planning, corporate governance and growth planning. Amerivon is the largest shareholder.

Results
The partnership between MicroBlend and Amerivon helped support efforts with Costco. Within a few months a pilot test was underway at the retailer’s Tukwila, Washington location. Quickly meeting Costco’s demanding expectations, Costco agreed to continue rolling out the program to additional test markets, including San Jose, California in November of 2006 with expectations for an additional 14 retail locations nationwide beginning in early 2008.