| Naperville, Illinois, USA – December 9, 2003 – Allant, a data driven marketing services company, has announced today its newest member to the executive management team, Robert Early. As Executive Vice President of Corporate Development and a member of Allant’s Board of Directors since January 2003, Mr. Early will be involved in managing Allant’s overall corporate growth strategy.
“I am extremely pleased that Mr. Early , who has provided extremely valuable input towards the strategic direction of our company as a board member, has agreed to join our executive management team,” said Jim Eldridge, Allant CEO. “ Mr. Early ’s considerable experience and knowledge regarding the marketing services industry and his track record in growing successful companies gives us tremendous confidence going forward as we continue to align our organization and its offerings to a changing and evolving set of client marketing needs.”
Prior to joining Allant’s Board of Directors, Mr. Early spent eight years in marketing and outsourcing services with both Acxiom Corporation and May & Speh, Inc. Mr. Early joined Acxiom under a two year contract in 1998, through its merger with May & Speh, to co-lead the merger integration team and fill a newly created corporate role for mergers and acquisitions/business development. At the time of the merger, Mr. Early was Executive Vice President of Corporate Development and a member of the board of directors of May & Speh.
During the years leading up to May & Speh’s successful IPO in early 1996, the company’s revenue grew 24 percent CAGR, the net income grew 67 percent CAGR, and the operating margin expanded from 14 percent to over 22 percent. For the purpose of the IPO, Mr. Early served as Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer from October 1995 to January 1997. Mr. Early later became the architect of the successful merger of May & Speh with Acxiom in 1998 at a value of $625 million. Through subsequent stock price appreciation, the enterprise value of May & Speh exceeded $1 billion in early 2001.
Prior to joining May & Speh, Inc., Mr. Early worked with Ridge Capital Corporation providing merger and acquisition, capital financing and strategic planning services. He also spent 12 years at Grant Thornton, LLP and was the Partner responsible for the Chicago office's Capital Markets Consulting Group from 1985 to 1990. Prior to 1985, he was the Partner in charge of International Consulting. During this period he traveled to more than 30 countries.
Mr. Early earned his BA with honors from Duke University and his MBA from the University of Chicago. He is a certified public accountant and also serves as a board member of several privately held companies.
About Allant
The Allant Group provides data-driven strategic solutions to their clients marketing challenges through sophisticated analytics, leading edge database and data processing technology, industry best practices, and proven business methodologies. Allant transforms business data into actionable intelligence that drives revenue, profitability and competitive position. For more information on Allant and its products, services and solutions, call 800 367 7311 or visit Allant on-line at www.allantgroup.com.
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