Impressions On Hold - Astro Van Accelerates into the Future with a Lasting Impression

TULSA, Oklahoma (December 20, 1999) - During a 31 day whirlwind tour nine years ago to Franchise shows across the country promoting his company, John "Bengy" Bersin, slempt in the back of an uncomfortable Astro Van, ate nothing but Fast Food to save money and showered free at local health clubs.

Now, the 33 year-old Bersin, president of Impressions On Hold International (IOHI), an on-hold advertising and marketing franchise that produces customized sales messages for over 17,000 clients nationwide, boasts 54 franchise territories in 32 states and is projecting over $15 million in gross sales for fiscal year 2000.

According to new research, an increasing number of companies are exploring "non-traditional" formats of advertising. On-hold messaging, because of its targeted phone-in audience, works side by side with this growing trend. Non-traditional media is expected to become a leading advertising vehicle due to increasing web traffic, as on-hold advertising is being recognized for increasing web viewers by 30 percent.

"We know that the on-hold messaging industry is about to explode and Impressions on Hold International is now ready to take this industry to the next level," Bersin said.

In preparation for this explosion, Bersin, the 1999 Blue Chip Entrepreneurship Award winner, not only moved his company into a new state-of-the-art on-hold messaging facility, but reinforced his core management team and went one step further by boldly opening a separate marketing branch in San Diego.

Movin' On Up For On-Hold: The New Tulsa Headquarters:

The current 65 IOHI employees that once worked in a comfortable 5,000 square foot office were elated to move into the 12,000 square foot luxurious office suite at 4880 South Lewis Street in Tulsa. The new facility, which includes six editing rooms, two isolation booths for recording, state-of-the-art pro-tools, sound editing equipment and high-powered phone lines has drastically increased the development of IOHI. According to Bruce Guthrie, project manager/information specialist at Impressions On Hold International, "With this new equipment, what used to take us 10 days, from start to finish to make an on-hold message for a customer, now takes us five." In addition, with the new technical savvy telecommunications equipment, producers are now able to deliver completed messages to customers over high-speed phone lines in five minutes compared to five days via U.S. mail.

This new facility coupled with Bersin's powerful additions to the already skilled management team, is preparing Impressions On Hold International for a successful future.

Reinforcing Core Management Team

With seasoned industry experts like John Miller, former 25 year franchise sales veteran for Century 21, who now leads the IOHI sales force, to Brett Bond, who has been at Bengy's side since those Astro van days, has recently been promoted as vice president of corporate expansion; to Kurt Murdoch, the current corporate controller who brings many years experience to the table and finally to Amy James who runs the new San Diego marketing office. These key players and many more who have been hired or promoted are a part of Bersin's big picture.

Marketing Team: San Diego:

For the past year, Bersin's commitment to grow IOHI inspired him to open the marketing branch office in San Diego with a highly experienced marketing team, lead by marketing guru and former Coverall director of marketing, Amy James.

"The IOHI marketing team has been able to instruct and develop national and regional programs for franchisees on how to market themselves in their territory, resulting in actively promoting the IOHI concept and overall business growth," said James.

"The response from the franchisees has been incredible, and we expect an increase in franchise sales to reflect that. Amy is recognized for her talent in creating, developing and establishing leading brands within industries. She was able to bring Coverall to the top of its industry, and we expect her to play a key role in Impressions On Hold's future," added Bersin.

The Impressions On Hold International staff, franchisees and customers aren't the only ones taking notice to the incredible growth Bengy's company has seen since those Astro Van days. In October 1999, Oklahoma Business Monthly Magazine voted Impressions On Hold International the "26th fastest growing company in Tulsa."

Impressions On Hold International was established in 1991. The company began Franchising in 1994 and sales doubled, then tripled. The company has been recognized by Entrepreneur Magazine as the #1 ranked Advertising franchise in both 1996 and 1998.

Impressions On Hold International, 918-744-0988