Business Partnering International, Ltd., parent of AgencyFinder.com and AgencyFinder.eu, today launched an exploratory project to design and develop a new website. The current sites, circa 2006, have been incrementally-updated since inception, but Chuck Meyst, AgencyFinder CEO agreed that “it’s time for something new! I’ve set no hard boundaries or design limitations; just that our new look be contemporary, highly and intuitively navigable and functional.” No target date for launch has been identified …

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

P&G veteran will be responsible for the continued growth and development of the largest online database of agency information in the advertising and marketing profession, worldwide.

Richmond, VA, May 4,, 2009 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) – Charles Meyst, Chairman and CEO of AgencyFinder, announced the appointment of Jon Damiano as the search and selection service’s new Manager of Agency Relations. Mr. Damiano’s primary responsibility will be the continued expansion of the AgencyFinder database of US-based ad agencies, PR firms and marketing consultancies. The AgencyFinder database currently includes information on over 5,000 agency offices operating in over 45 countries. The majority of those offices are located in the United States.

“Even in these rough economic times, we’re seeing clients come to AgencyFinder to find new and additional marketing service agencies to help them through,” said Mr. Meyst. “Jon’s primary responsibility will be to make sure we’re recruiting and retaining the best agencies in America to be part of the online portfolio we make available to clients at no charge.”

The firm’s offices – based in Richmond (VA) and London – has continued to see vigorous search and business development activities through their respective web sites from both clients and agencies, but the personal interaction with the AgencyFinder staff seems to make the difference. “There is a lot of ‘tire-kicking’ going on right now,” explained Mr. Meyst. “And that’s pretty easy to do online, that’s why we insist on personal interactions with every client. It’s imperative the agencies who subscribe to our service understand that.”

“There may not be many people better equipped to do that than Jon Damiano,” continued Mr. Meyst. According to the AgencyFinder Chairman, it was Mr. Damiano’s experience in the consumer-products word at global marketing powerhouse Procter & Gamble and Reynolds that made him a top contender for the agency-relations position.

“I think I bring an important voice the agency needs to hear when they’re considering the service AgencyFinder provides,” explained Mr. Damiano. “I’ve been on the client side and I’ve worked with agencies. I’ve seen agencies that were a good fit from the start and I’ve seen some disasters. It will be my job to make sure agency new business people will see how AgencyFinder can help reduce the risk of a total failure to connect during the pursuit of a new account.”

“AgencyFinder reduces that risk by making sure the right agencies are in the running for the right accounts,” said Mr. Damiano. “That’s why we ask agencies and clients to complete detailed questionnaires and provide comprehensive information about their capabilities (from agencies) and the nature of the assignment (from clients).

Mr. Damiano’s professional background includes over fifteen years of marketing and business-building experience with some of America’s best known brands while at P&G and Reynolds Consumer Products. He also has a long history of successfully managing the agency-client relationship from the client’s side of the desk in marketing planning and agency performance evaluations.

AgencyFinder assisted in the placement of over $278 million in new business with advertising agencies and PR firms in the US and UK last year. The average account size was in excess of $1 million.

# # #

About AgencyFinder – AgencyFinder and its companion web site, agencyfinder.com, is a service of Business Partnering, Int. (BPI), a Virginia corporation founded in February of 1997. The service is unique in its match-making process for pairing advertising, public relations and marketing agencies with clients and is intended for use by companies seeking agency support for projects, campaigns or long-term relationships. Searching is free to marketers and supported with complimentary search consulting advice (telephone and on-site consultations) provided by BPI’s executive staff. Advertising agencies and public relations firms (right-sized for budgets less than $100,000 to more than $100 million) pay an annual registration fee to be in the on line database and to be eligible to participate in reviews.

Contact: Mike Bawden

Principal – Bawden & Lareau Public Relations

563-359-8654 – phone

563-343-0411 – mobile

In the quest to form the ‘perfect union’ between advertiser and agency, a human touch works wonders

RICHMOND, Va., March 11, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The global economic downturn that accelerated in the second half of 2008 created an increase in the number of advertisers looking to re-deploy their marketing budgets – and often replace their incumbent advertising agencies and PR firms in the process. But according to marketing matchmaker, AgencyFinder, the pace of the downturn and the resulting climate changes inside the clients’ businesses have made the search and selection process difficult to keep on track.

“We’ve always known that in spite of the increased sophistication of web site technology and automation, nothing beats the ‘human element’ of a friendly, knowledgeable voice on the phone and direct oversight of the search process,” explained AgencyFinder Chairman and CEO, Chuck Meyst. “With the rapid decline of the world’s economies, we’ve found clients here and in the UK relying on us more than ever to help them search and find the right marketing service firms based on their revised requirements.”

“Finding, evaluating and hiring the best advertising agency or PR firm for your business isn’t something you can just type into a search engine or look up in a phone book or on-line directory. There’s a methodology to it that produces the best results every time,” continued Mr. Meyst. We’ve honed that methodology over the past twelve years – and it requires a live human being’s participation to make it work. Our consultants walk through that process with advertisers and marketing firms to make sure they understand how and why it works. And when you’ve conducted hundreds of reviews a year and thousands over twelve years, you can make a pretty convincing argument.”

The firm’s offices – based in Richmond (VA) and London – saw a twenty-three percent increase in initiated search activity in 2008 over 2007, but the number of completed searches stayed about the same. “Quite frankly, I’m not sure we would have seen the number of completed searches remain constant if we didn’t have personal interactions with every client,” said Mr. Meyst.

AgencyFinder assisted in the placement of over $278 million in new business with advertising agencies and PR firms in the U.S. and UK last year. The average account size was slightly less than $1 million.

About AgencyFinder – AgencyFinder and its companion web sites, agencyfinder.com and agencyfinder.eu, is a service of Business Partnering, Int. (BPI), a Virginia corporation founded in February 1997. The service is unique in its match-making process for pairing advertising, public relations and marketing agencies with clients and is intended for use by companies seeking agency support for projects, campaigns or long-term relationships. Searching is free to marketers and supported with complimentary search consulting advice (telephone and on-site consultations) provided by BPI’s executive staff. Advertising agencies and public relations firms (right-sized for budgets less than $100,000 to more than $100 million) pay an annual registration fee to be in the on-line database and eligible to participate in reviews.



The marketing profession’s largest on-line, client/agency matchmaker sees explosive growth following the launch of its service in the UK on April 1, 2008.

Richmond, VA, September 4, 2008 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) – After its first 150 days of operation in the United Kingdom, AgencyFinder’s Chairman has declared the International launch of the on-line, search-and-selection consultancy an “unquestionable success.” Clients based in the UK and Europe have already initiated over 59 searches through the service with the intention of identifying, meeting and selecting new advertising and PR marketing partners.

“I’m not sure we could have picked a more critical time to expand into the United Kingdom and Europe,” said Charles G. Meyst, Chairman of Business Partnering International, Ltd., the parent company of AgencyFinder. “And our partners in London have done a great job ramping up to accommodate the client requests and new agency registrations.”

Following their initial meetings last September, AgencyFinder selected Reardon Smith Whittaker as the exclusive agent for AgencyFinder (www.agencyfinder.eu) in the UK and Europe and Mr. Meyst seems very pleased with the selection. “Adam Whittaker is a well-known and highly-respected expert on business development for marketing service firms and his partner, Sam (Samantha) Reardon Smith has performed admirably as the Managing Director of AgencyFinder’s operations in London.”

RSW is a leading provider of outbound business development services for marketing service companies in the UK. The consultancy’s clients range from leading advertising and PR agency brands to niche boutiques. “The approach we take with AgencyFinder is different than our outbound marketing efforts on behalf of client agencies,” explained Ms. Reardon Smith. “The AgencyFinder process enables clients who have an immediate and pressing need to define the precise attributes they’re looking for in a marketing service provider and then employ the AgencyFinder search engine and database to identify the most suitable agencies based on that profile.

“Once that’s done, our consultants step in and help guide the client through the selection, introduction and review process. The service is free to clients and offers a unique mix of online and personal consulting that, to our knowledge, isn’t available anywhere else in the UK or Europe.” Ms. Reardon Smith also mentioned that RSW has designated and trained senior staff consultants to handle the client-side consulting work.

Opportunities Abound in UK and EU

“When we started looking at the global marketing services market, it became clear that London is a hotbed of creativity and agency growth,” explained BPI’s Mr. Meyst. “That’s why we decided to set up our operations at RSW’s offices in London and manage our growth throughout the UK and Europe from there.”

Mr. Meyst envisions a scenario in which AgencyFinder will assist a marketer in one European country with finding suitable service providers in different regions throughout the UK and EU. “In much the same way we help clients in the US find ‘local’ advertising and PR firms in other parts of the country, I think the European version of the AgencyFinder database will be able to help make matches on this side of the Atlantic,” he continued.

Mr. Meyst also projects further increases in search activity in both the US and Europe once AgencyFinder’s operation in London hits full stride: “We handle some searches for European companies in the US for agency support now, but with a consulting staff based in London, we expect to see that number increase dramatically. The same can be said for US companies looking for assistance with advertising and PR programs in the UK and throughout Europe.”

AgencyFinder’s Soft Opening Starts with a Bang

According to Mr. Meyst, AgencyFinder conducted a soft launch in April allowing agencies time to register and complete their records. Each agency file contains more than 500 data options plus seven essay and case history narratives. The precision of the AgencyFinder matchmaking process depends on accurate and complete data, so this is a critical task for each agency. Following the formal, June 10th “search” opening, the London office quickly received requests from 24 blue-chip clients.

According to AgencyFinder, the company’s database currently contains information on over 5,000 agency offices located throughout the world – and that number is growing daily. According to Ms. Reardon Smith: “Our outreach efforts to agencies are already generating new registrations. The more agencies in the database, the more opportunities for clients to find a perfect match.”

Search Process Allows for Objective Comparison

One major distinction that sets AgencyFinder apart from services offered by paid search consultants is the scope, breadth and depth of the agency database available to clients on-line. During a client search, agency records are scanned by the AgencyFinder search engine to determine the likelihood of a “match” with similar profiles constructed by the client. For the client, definition is an easy and aided experience – AgencyFinder provides extensive menu options to present the choices of vertical market experience, agency services, marketing experience, media experience, agency size, employee count, location and more. Matching profiles are presented to the client in a manner that does not initially reveal agency identities, and that allows for client evaluation on the objective comparison of one profile against another rather than brand awareness. Agencies favor that since it tends to level the playing field.”

After reviewing and ranking candidates, AgencyFinder extends invitations on behalf of the client and makes introductions to selected agencies. Each agency invitation includes search process guidelines along with the Client Search Criteria (CSC) that identifies marketing needs, service requirements, budgets and contact information. From that point forward, it is up to the marketing services agency to evaluate the opportunity, conduct their no-obligation telephone due-diligence interview, deliver relevant agency samples, conduct an agency capabilities tour and finally, make their winning “pitch!”

“The AgencyFinder process has been recognized by organizations like the InfoCommerce Group for its unique blend of automation, speed and hands-on attention,” said Mr. Meyst. “So much of a successful agency-client relationship depends on chemistry and it’s important to make sure the search and selection process allows that to happen.”

“We’re there with the client, every step of the way,” explained Ms. Reardon Smith. “We’ll handle the invitations and follow-ups with the candidate agencies and, if necessary, work with the client to make sure the search terms are sufficiently broad to ensure a slate of high-quality agency candidates for review.”

Based on AgencyFinder’s experience in the USA, clients are frequently surprised to “discover” a number of highly-qualified agencies they’ve never heard of before. According to Mr. Meyst, who has been working with clients and their searches for over a decade, “We’re careful to give clients an opportunity to name known agencies they want to invite to their pitch – but often conflicts prevent those preferred agencies from participating. Instead, what often happens is the client is delighted by three or four newcomer agencies and ends up selecting according to personality and chemistry once all else is declared equal.”

Proven Methodology, Fast Turnaround at an Unbelievable Price

“The AgencyFinder methodology is proven. Our system works,” says Mr. Meyst. “With over 8,600 searches in the past ten years, we know how to match clients with marketing agencies. And it’s fast, too.”

In fact, in the US, the average time required from the date of the initiation of a search to its completion is just over seven weeks. “That’s almost unheard of here in the UK,” says Ms. Reardon Smith. “We think clients will really like the idea of being able to add to their marketing services portfolio quickly in order to stay one step ahead of the competition. The key to satisfying this sense of urgency means UK and EU agencies will need to take these introductions and invitations seriously.

“These aren’t ‘leads’ in the normal sense,” she continued. “These are red-hot introductions to pre-screened clients who are looking to hire someone right away. Agencies who dawdle will lose out.”

From a client’s perspective, AgencyFinder offers a unique service that deserves further consideration. But it’s the price for the service really attracts attention.

“It’s important to stress that the service is free to clients and search/selection consultants,” says Ms. Reardon Smith. “Clients who may be accustomed to paying intermediaries tens of thousands of pounds to find a marketing services firm can now do it themselves using AgencyFinder.”

“Since clients don’t pay, people recognize and respect that the agencies do. The AgencyFinder business model accepts the fact that agencies acknowledge the need to fund their own business development activities,” explained Mr. Meyst. “With that in mind, we constructed a subscription model that makes it affordable for virtually any size marketing services firm.”

The annual subscription is paid in two parts. An initial investment of a few hundred pounds is paid upon registration and on annual renewal. Agency introductions are not limited or restricted as to quantity. When an agency elects to pursue its first opportunity, the agency settles up on the balance of the subscription fee. Having done so, the agency is fee-paid for the remainder of the subscription period, and there is no charge for subsequent introductions.

“Our subscription model is unusual and unique, but once an agency understands, they tend to agree it’s an intriguing, tantalizing and virtually no-risk proposition! A minimum-cost, maximized opportunity to interview screened and legitimate clients looking to hire.”

# # #

About AgencyFinder – AgencyFinder and its companion web sites offer the services of Business Partnering, Int. (BPI), a Virginia corporation founded in February of 1997. The service is unique in its match-making process for pairing advertising, public relations and marketing agencies with clients and is intended for use by companies seeking agency support for projects, campaigns or long-term relationships. Searching is free to marketers and supported with complimentary search consulting advice (telephone and on-site consultations) provided by BPI’s executive staff. Advertising agencies and public relations firms (right-sized for budgets less than $100,000 to more than $100 million) pay an annual registration fee to be in the on line database and to be eligible to participate in reviews.

About Reardon Smith Whittaker – RSW is the UK’s leading business development firm for marketing service companies. RSW works hand in hand with each agency and take on the responsibility of getting them meetings with prospective clients so that they can develop a relationship with a view to securing new business.

Contact:
Mike Bawden
Principal – Bawden & Lareau Public Relations
563-359-8654 – phone
563-343-0411 – mobile

March 4,2008 — AgencyFinder Launches First Industry Agency Rating Index

RICHMOND, VA (PRIME NEWSWIRE) — Clients conducting an agency search have a new, sophisticated tool to better qualify prospects in the agency search and selection process. Business Partnering International’s agencyfinder.com, the world’s largest on line client/agency matchmaker, has announced its launch of the AgencyFinder Power Index(tm) (AFPI). The index provides searchers (clients and search consultants) with an objective measure of every registered agency’s “readiness” for new business.

“Ensuring the best possible match between agencies and clients has taken another leap forward,” says Charles G. Meyst, Chairman of BPI. “One of our on-going goals continues to be to reduce the guesswork in the agency search process. We believe the most prepared agencies deserve the opportunity to land the right client. Our AFPI rating will communicate an agency’s responsiveness to information requests, the completeness of its on line profile and interest in working within the structure of the AgencyFinder new business process,” Meyst added.

Mathematical Formula Measures New Business Readiness

“For more than a decade, our objective methodology of pairing up marketers with service firms has allowed clients to compare prospective agencies on nearly 500 different characteristics without relying on brand names or reputations. AgencyFinder provides a valid and fair way to create a short list for a search where every choice is a winner,” Meyst explains. “But now, we’ve created another indicator for clients to consider.”

“The AFPI uses a proprietary mathematical formula that measures registered agencies on certain criteria within the AgencyFinder database. Clients have told us they do not have time to hunt down certain information, case studies, or determine fiscal responsibility in the search process,” says Meyst. “The AFPI essentially rates each of our registered agencies on the completeness of their files, among other factors, which results in a rating. The higher the rating (a perfect score is 100), the more we can assure the client that the agency has provided thoroughly prepared and up-to-date information to search against. Since the AFPI is a real-time computation, anything the agency does to improve its record is reflected immediately.”

A power rating score also continuously reflects the agency’s historical record on invitation responsiveness, process compliance and fiscal responsibility.

Rankings vs. Ratings

“There are a number of industry rankings that measure agencies’ capitalized billings, work force, or number of offices, but clients are telling us what matters more is whether a prospective agency has actual expertise, reliability and fiscal responsibility relative to their needs. There have been countless times a client will develop a preliminary list of prospective agencies, only to find that critical information is missing from an agency’s data file. They simply do not have time to launch an investigation to find missing case studies, essays or other pertinent information.

“Now a client with a list of agency prospects can consider the AFPI ranking as an indicator that the agency has provided enough information for the client to conduct a fair and comprehensive preliminary evaluation as part of their initial due diligence.

“We want to make sure all of our agencies have an excellent chance of landing new business and are in good standing,” explains Meyst. “The AFPI algorithm reflects the completeness of the agency data file while not discriminating between large, mid-size and small agencies with regard to capitalized billings, or employee counts.

“It’s a matter of trust,” adds Meyst, an ad industry business development authority but seldom-mentioned degree-holder in mechanical engineering who developed the formula. “The AFPI allows clients and agencies to participate in a search process where each is confident that each party has passed muster with AgencyFinder standards.”

About AgencyFinder – AgencyFinder and its companion web site, agencyfinder.com, is a service of Business Partnering, Int. (BPI), a Virginia corporation founded in February of 1997. The service is unique in its match-making process for pairing advertising, public relations and marketing agencies with clients and is intended for use by companies seeking agency support for projects, campaigns or long-term relationships. Searching is free to marketers and supported with complimentary search consulting advice (telephone and on-site consultations) provided by BPI’s executive staff. Advertising agencies and public relations firms (right-sized for budgets less than $100,000 to more than $100 million) pay an annual registration fee to be in the on line database and to be eligible to participate in reviews.

The AgencyFinder logo is available at http://www.primenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=3303

CONTACT: B & L Public Relations
Mike Bawden
563-359-8654 Ext. 101

(Richmond, VA) – A lackluster holiday season in the fourth quarter of ’07 and questions surrounding the health of the national economy may have contributed to a slightly delayed start to agency search activity in January of 2008. The largest online service specializing in helping clients find new and additional marketing service providers recorded 52 new search registrations in January, down slightly from January of 2007, but activity picked up again by mid-month leading the company to stick with its projection for conducting over 950 searches by the close of 2008.

“Between a red-hot political season and a hangover from a sluggish holiday, clients just didn’t seem in the mood to start searching for new, qualified marketing help like they did last year,” says Chuck Meyst, AgencyFinder’s Chairman and CEO. “We’re sticking by our prediction though that 2008 will be a very active year for new business reviews and assignments. Clients are telling us that as their situations get more difficult, they need to find and hire agencies who will be more effective with what they’re given.”

Last year, over 850 registrants conducted advertising and public relations searches at AgencyFinder, a service that allows clients and search consultants to tap into their 500 data-field database to identify and request introductions to agencies selected on qualifications, characteristics essays, case histories and their Power Index rating. The service is offered to clients and search consultants at no charge.

# # #

About AgencyFinder – AgencyFinder and its companion web site, agencyfinder.com, is a service of Business Partnering, Int. (BPI), a Virginia corporation founded in February 1997. The service is unique in its match-making process for pairing advertising, public relations and marketing agencies with clients and is intended for use by companies seeking agency support for projects, campaigns or long-term relationships. Searching is free to marketers and supported with complimentary search consulting advice (telephone and on-site consultations) provided by BPI’s executive staff. Advertising agencies and public relations firms (right-sized for budgets less than $100,000 to more than $100 million) pay an annual subscription fee to be in the database and eligible to participate in reviews.

Contact:
Mike Bawden
Principal – Bawden & Lareau Public Relations
563-359-8423 xt 1 – phone
563-343-0411 – mobile

July 26, 2007 — AgencyFinder.com Announces Advertising, Marketing & Public Relations Industry Agency Awards

Richmond, VA (PrimeNewswire) – Business Partnering International’s AgencyFinder.com, the world’s largest online client/agency matchmaker today announced a sampling of recently concluded client searches. Activities reported are for reviews where AgencyFinder.com conducted client due-diligence, invited agencies and managed the subsequent process. “As we approach the 8,000 mark in client searches, I continue to be impressed with the diversity of client categories we serve. Search registrations continue at a pace slightly ahead of last year, and clients continue to be optimistic. Contrary to current industry news, what we’re not hearing is anything that sounds like threatened CMO’s, or limited-life concerns for that job position,” remarked Charles Meyst, Chairman & CEO. “From another perspective, clients generally search for category experience, services and results, not agency types. So the distinction between an ad agency, an integrated marketing communications firm, a marketing agency and a public relations firm is not a pivotal selection criteria.”

Client: Maidenform, Inc., Bayonne, NJ and NYC, Budget: “Multiple Millions” Client-Category: Fashion accessories, Fashion – women’s & girls Status: Awarded to The VIA Group, New York, NY Contenders: Noble, Chicago; Della Femina, NYC; Cramer-Krasselt, NYC

Client: Pacific Bioscience Laboratories, Inc., (Clarisonic) Bellevue, WA Budget: $2.5 – $5 million Client-Category: Cosmetics, toiletries, package goods Status: Awarded to DiMassimoGoldstein, New York, NY Contender: ICEbox, Van Nuys, CA

Client: Best Health, Inc., Jersey City, NJ Budget: $500,001 – $1 million Client-Category: Eyecare, optical Awarded to: Trajectory, Morristown, NJ & S3, Boonton, NJ & Irvine, CA. Contenders: CKPR, New York; North Castle Partners, Stamford, CT.

Client: Santa Barbara Ceramic Design (Designs by Lolita), Santa Barbara, CA Budget: < $100,000 for public relations Client-Category: Fashion accessories, home furnishings, Awarded to: S3, Boonton, NJ & Irvine, CA. Contender: Allison & Partners, Santa Monica, CA Client: Living Essentials, (5-hour Energy), Novi, MI Budget: $500,00 (public relations) Client-Category: Beverages (non-alcoholic) Awarded to: Crosby-Volmer Intl Communications, Washington, DC, Beverly Hills, CA, Memphis, TN, Oklahoma City, OK. Contenders: CKPR, New York; Euro RSCG Magnet, New York; Client: Schüco International KG, Bielefeld, Nordrhein, Westfalia (Germany) Budget: $250-$500K Client-Category: Home improvement, Construction & Building - commercial Status: Awarded to Kelly, Habib John, Boston, MA Contenders: Connelly Partners, Boston; Underdog, Wilton, CT Client: Hospital de la Concepcion, San German, Puerto Rico Budget: $250,000 - $500,000 Client-Category: hospitals & healthcare facilities Status: Awarded to Brandt Ronat, Merrit Island, FL Contenders: EURO RSCG Puerto Rico; Point B, Atlanta, GA Client: Weber Asset Management, Lake Success, NY Budget: < $100,000 Client-Category: Financial services Status: Referred to ACT Communications Group, Inc. West Islip, NY Client: National TV Spots, Greensboro, NC Budget: $250,001 - $500,000 media buying Client-Category: Producer Status: Referred Thompson Everett, Inc., Glen Allen, VA Client: DirectorZ Channel, Port Hueneme, CA Budget: < $100,000 Client-Category: One-to-One marketing Status: Referred to Brand Central Station, Bettendorf, IA Client: American Document Destruction, Carrollton, TX Budget: < $100,000 (fees & production) Client-Category: Security systems & alarms Status: Referred to Directive Corporation, Addison, TX Client: SATAI (San Antonio Technology Accelerator Initiative), San Antonio, TX Budget: < $100,000 ad & pr Client-Category: biotechnology Status: Referred to Bastian Public Relations & Marketing, San Antonio, TX Client: Mullet Cabinet, Millersburg, OH Budget: $100,001 - $250,000 Client-Category: Home improvement Status: Referred to Penny/Ohlmann/Neiman, Inc., Dayton, OH # # # About AgencyFinder.com – AgencyFinder.com is a service of Business Partnering, Int. (BPI), a Virginia corporation founded in February of 1997. The service is unique in its match-making process for pairing advertising, public relations and marketing agencies with clients and is intended for use by companies seeking agency support for projects, campaigns or long-term relationships. Searching is free to marketers and supported with complimentary search consulting advice (telephone and on-site consultations) provided by BPI’s executive staff. Advertising agencies and public relations firms (right-sized for budgets less than $100,000 to more than $100 million) pay an annual registration fee to be in the online database and to be eligible to participate in reviews. www.agencyfinder.com Contact: Mike Bawden Principal – Bawden & Lareau Public Relations 563-359-8654 – phone 563-343-0411 - mobile

March 1, 2007 — AgencyFinder.com Celebrates Tenth Year as Advertising Industry’s Largest Online Client/Agency Matchmaker

Richmond, VA (PrimeNewswire) – Business Partnering International’s AgencyFinder.com, the world’s largest online client/agency matchmaker, celebrates its tenth anniversary as of February 18, 2007. “In the Internet world, where businesses and business models seem to change daily, ours was so grounded that we’ve been able to adapt to evolutionary and revolutionary changes without compromising our basic model,” says Charles G. Meyst, Chairman of AgencyFinder.

“Our methodology uses search engine algorithms addressing an extensive selection-set of more than 400 data points, agency essays and client case histories that objectively pair up marketers with service firms that fit them best. Unlike earlier practices that focused primarily on brand name, creative portfolios and reputations, our new model introduced a valid and fair way to create a short list of well-qualified candidates for an agency search where every choice is a winner,” he explains. “Of course, the fact the service is free to clients helps, too.”

AgencyFinder.com has become a de facto standard for helping clients search online for new or additional agency partners. The service has made well over 7,600 such matches for accounts as small as a few thousand dollars to larger assignments like LegalZoom.com paired to Ralston360, Bend, Oregon; larger assignments like the $25 million review that paired American Century Investments with TBWA\Chiat\Day, New York; the $25 million review that paired DuPont’s Corian Division with Doner, Southfield, Michigan; and the mammoth $100 million agency review that paired Lowe’s Home Improvement Centers with McCann Erickson, New York.

Early Adoption A Challenge

AgencyFinder’s success has been hard-won over the past ten years. The service’s business model and process broke with tradition and threatened the shadowy world of agency search and selection by offering a transparent and objective process.

“There were quite a few people in the advertising world who didn’t understand what we were doing and why we were doing things the way we were,” Meyst acknowledged.

“Some viewed AgencyFinder as a threat, but most accepted us as a breath of fresh air.”

AgencyFinder’s practice of charging agencies an annual registration fee to be eligible for selection and invitation drew attention to a practice agency search consultants had engaged in for years. Prior to AgencyFinder’s debut, agencies often found themselves paying fees to search consultants for services like “portfolio reviews” or “new business advice” in order to be considered for future assignments. At the same time, these same search consultants were charging clients for organizing and managing the agency selection process. Many consultants still continue to charge both agencies and clients.

“Nobody had ever chosen to publicly challenge the consultants,” continued Meyst. “When AgencyFinder launched, we were very open about our agency fees; they’ve always been posted prominently for all to see. The press and some agencies mistakenly accused us of running a “pay-to-play” operation while failing to acknowledge what had been going on in the profession for years. I recall several heated discussions with reporters, agency principals and industry leaders about the subject. Sure we charge agencies an annual fee to be listed and participate in reviews – but we don’t charge clients anything for all the things we do to run their searches. When that all sinks in, the “pay-to-play” allegation vanishes!”

Although free to those who search, the service is subject to posted terms & conditions. Clients who fail to take their search past a certain point in the selection process and conclude, or who don’t update agencies and AgencyFinder in a timely fashion may be subject to a penalty surcharge. But AgencyFinder’s Meyst explains that the surcharge is a pre-qualification condition, intended to make sure every prospect that starts is serious about concluding their search and awarding the business to an invited agency.

The AgencyFinder Difference Makes A Difference

What makes AgencyFinder different? Client control.

AgencyFinder puts clients in control of the search process. According to AgencyFinder’s Meyst: “Most clients are capable and willing to manage the actual review. What they lack are the resources and expert ‘assistance’ needed to identify qualified candidates.”

“Clients have told us repeatedly that they don’t think they should have to pay someone to help them bring in a marketing partner,” Meyst continues. As a result, AgencyFinder.com provides free staff consulting to clients actively looking for an advertising agency, PR firm or other form of integrated agency. It’s at this interactive consulting stage that agency creative and chemistry is explored and evaluated.

This personal service was enough to get the attention of InfoCommerce in 2005 when they awarded the site with their “Model of Excellence” Award. InfoCommerce stated, “AgencyFinder is a fascinating blend of data-driven screening coupled with highly personalized assistance, placing it somewhere between a traditional buying guide and a search consulting firm. It’s a powerful combination.”

The relationships that AgencyFinder has helped broker over the past ten years have been more successful than the average agency-client marriage. While the industry average for an agency/client relationship is around three years, AgencyFinder has helped form relationships that have lasted nearly as long as AgencyFinder has been in business. “Hickman & Associates, located in Carmel, Indiana, was one of our first registered agencies,” Meyst explains. “In early ’98, a client found and hired Hickman through AgencyFinder. That client, located in Washington, DC, still works with Hickman today.”

A Look Back and A Look Ahead

Reflecting on the past ten years, AgencyFinder’s Meyst draws a distinct parallel between his experience in the agency new business consulting business (all prior to 1997) and the online search and selection business he now runs. “We had no assurances our concept would work. Now, having helped create thousands of new agency/client relationships, I look back and am really grateful for those first agencies that took a gamble by registering with us for what was the advertising industry’s first and only client/agency match-making service.”

AgencyFinder’s future is bright – according to Meyst – with opportunities both domestically and abroad. “As the world marketplace continues to open up, there will be a greater need to facilitate relationships across borders, and we’re already prepared. A cursory search of our database finds registered agencies in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Finland, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, Pakistan, Portugal, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom.

Not all assignments will be multi-million dollar accounts. We’ll have to scale with the market and facilitate accounts of various sizes and make sure they get placed with agencies that are the right size to handle them.”

And if Meyst has anything to do with it, AgencyFinder.com is already poised to do so.

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About AgencyFinder.com – AgencyFinder.com is a service of Business Partnering, Int. (BPI), a Virginia corporation founded in February of 1997. The service is unique in its match-making process for pairing advertising, public relations and marketing agencies with clients and is intended for use by companies seeking agency support for projects, campaigns or long-term relationships. Searching is free to marketers and supported with complimentary search consulting advice (telephone and on-site consultations) provided by BPI’s executive staff. Advertising agencies and public relations firms (right-sized for budgets less than $100,000 to more than $100 million) pay an annual registration fee to be in the online database and to be eligible to participate in reviews. www.agencyfinder.com

Contact: Mike Bawden
Principal – Bawden & Lareau Public Relations
563-359-8654 – phone
563-343-0411 – mobile

October 10, 2006 — AgencyFinder contributes to InfoCommerce 2006 – the single publishing conference that transcends traditional media categories.

Philadelphia, PA – The most interesting and successful data producers can no longer be pigeonholed by traditional media definitions. And that’s where the InfoCommerce conference breaks the mold – it convenes all kinds of publishers who are bound only by their ability and willingness to pioneer, experiment and take risks.

InfoCommerce 2006 provides a platform unlike any other conference, and it delivers an audience that no other venue reaches – b2b data publishers. Attendees include the old-guard powerhouses, the independents, and the new Web-based content producers. What they all have in common is a willingness to pursue change, and they therefore represent a very receptive audience.

For the 2006 Philadelphia conference, AgencyFinder (winner of InfoCommerce Group’s 2005 Model of Excellence Award) was invited to participate in the session entitled “Licensing: Can This Deal Be Saved?” – Many a publisher has been seduced by the promise of easy money from licensing and joint ventures, only to be jilted at the altar. This group discussion dissected several real-world successes and failures, to minimize the pain and maximize the gain of individual licensing deals.

Tom Johnson, Executive Vice president
Carroll Publishing
JoAnn Amore, Director
Professional Certification Directory Business,
Elsevier
Janice McCallum, Principal
GrandView Insight, Inc.
Charles Meyst, CEO
Business Partnering International
(AgencyFinder.com)

Licensing remains a hot button topic for many in the industry. The opportunities to work with channel partners via licensing deals are proliferating in this era when market segmentation and multiplying technology platforms are all the rage. Some publishers have never negotiated licensing deals beyond their own customer sales agreements; some have dabbled in licensing deals (without ever feeling as if they are good at it); and few if any benchmarks or best practices exist to guide the way. This typically leaves publishers with a lot of hand-crafted agreements that are hard to administer because they are all slightly different, and a nagging sense they may be leaving money on the table. When one extends into the topic of joint ventures, multiply all these issues by two, along with some added strategic complexities.

ABOUT INFOCOMMERCE GROUP INC. InfoCommerce Group provides consulting and research to its clients — publishers of commercial databases from nearly 30 companies in seven countries. InfoCommerce Group also publishes InfoCommerce Report, produces the annual InfoCommerce Conference and the Models of Excellence list and identifies opportunities and coordinates investments in early-stage database content companies. For more information please visit http://www.infocommercegroup.com , or call 610-649-1200, ext. 252.

November 7, 2005 — InfoCommerce 2005 Showcases Best of Breed Information Products; Internet Publishing Experts Name 10 Products as ”Models of Excellence”

Philadelphia, PA – (BUSINESS WIRE) – To illustrate the transformative effect the Web has had on data publishing, InfoCommerce Group will award 10 “Models of Excellence” at its InfoCommerce 2005 conference, November 7, at an awards cocktail reception sponsored by media investment bankers DeSilva & Phillips.

InfoCommerce Group President Russell Perkins, who is also the conference’s producer, said the defining characteristic for each Model of Excellence is that each combines top-quality data with world class software.

Perkins said, “The Internet is more than just a distribution platform. Its interactive nature has accelerated the convergence of content with commerce – and these Models of Excellence show how data publishers are using the Web to create successful new products and to reassert their significance in the information supply chain.”

The InfoCommerce Models of Excellence products were developed by both online publishers and old line print-based publishers. Perkins said online

publishers had the clean-slate advantage, allowing them to design a product without having to accommodate an existing base of business, along with its associated expectations and processes. Print-based publishers, on the other hand, had to innovate to preserve their core value propositions.

The 2005 InfoCommerce Models of Excellence selections include:

Agencyfinder.com, produced by Business Partnering International; ESPOnline, produced by Advertising Specialty Institute; epipeline, produced by epipeline, inc.; Goliath, produced by Thomson Gale; GovSearch, produced by Carroll Publishing; Jigsaw, produced by Jigsaw Data Corp.; FundXtra, produced by Uptick Data Technologies, Inc.; ValueStar, produced by Service Ratings, LLC; Who’s Mailing What, produced by North American Publishing Company; and Ziggs, produced by Ziggs, Inc.

InfoCommerce 2005 provides a fertile environment in which business publishers will find new content, distribution and technology partners. It is produced by InfoCommerce Group and takes place November 6 – 8 at The Westin Philadelphia. More information about the conference can be found at www.infocommercegroup.com/conference or by calling the InfoCommerce Group at 610-649-1200 ext. 252

ABOUT INFOCOMMERCE GROUP INC.

InfoCommerce Group provides consulting and research to its clients — publishers of commercial databases from nearly 30 companies in seven countries. InfoCommerce Group also publishes InfoCommerce Report, produces the annual InfoCommerce Conference and the Models of Excellence list and identifies opportunities and coordinates investments in early-stage database content companies. For more information please visit http://www.infocommercegroup.com , or call 610-649-1200, ext. 252.