The Montvale, NJ offices of ESM Ferolie will be the headquarters of BeaconUnited, the newly formed national alliance among eight regional sales and marketing agencies. The aim of the new organization will be to provide national coverage to compete against other national brokerage firms, while maintaining their regional strengths and focus.
BeaconUnited, which officially launched July 19, combines eight regional brokerage firms from across the county, including: ArchPoint Sales, headquartered in San Antonio, TX; Blackford Brokerage, based in Shawnee Mission, KS; Brennan & Nagel Marketing and Sales, which covers the greater St. Louis area; Carlin O’Brien, covering the Midwest; Co-Sales company, headquartered in Phoenix and covering the Western U.S.; ESM (Ferolie and Integrity divisions), headquartered in Montvale with additional offices along the East Coast and west to Michigan; KCBS, headquartered in Cincinnati; and Riteway Sales & Marketing, headquartered in Lakeland, FL.
The combined BeaconUnited organization will have a national reach and will offer strong relationships at the local level throughout the country and the company believes it will change the go-to-market strategy of many consumer packaged goods companies across the country.
BeaconUnited will operate three centers of excellence in Montvale, Chicago and Phoenix that will serve the national platform and customers. Additionally the company will work with Nielsen to access best-in-class marketing and analytical data that will be easily accessible to all clients through its centers of excellence.
“Our new business model can assist clients both tactical and strategically,” said Tony Scudieri, BeaconUnited president. “Along with world class marketing and merchandising services, BeaconUnited will provide thought leadership for strategic planning, consumer-centric category management, space technology and sales support services.”
Richard Spoon, ArchPoint Consulting managing director said that the time is right for a company like BeaconUnited to emerge. “From our consulting engagements across many top CPG manufacturers, we know clients are looking for better performance from their investment in third party solutions. BeaconUnited is built for performance, bringing the best of both worlds – national scale with local market and retailer expertise.”
The venture has been four years in the making as the key principals sought to create a strongly crafted business model designed to address national scale and enhance local relationships. The organization was well thought-out with companies from all of the key markets across the U.S. included.
“Individuals need flexibility to try on new and challenging roles, and organizations need flexibility to shift according to market demand,” said Scudieri. “If the past tells us anything, it’s that adaptability is critical to survival. As the food industry continues to be more competitive and commoditized, we recognize we cannot cost cut our way to growth and sustainability. Instead, our growth will depend on building scale, and scale means building a national presence.”