New Technology Resources Boost Events Management & Distance Learning Productivity for Clients
JULY 1, 2008, St. Louis, Missouri... The Kerry Group, a brand marketing and events promotions firm in St. Louis with clients locally and nationally, has announced the acquisition of RJ/RG, LLC, an Internet-based multi-media marketing intelligence, data research, distance learning and event services management firm.
The acquisition expands the Kerry Group's events management and marketing services with new web-based technology and expertise. Ronald J. Garnier and Ryan Jarrell, who co-developed RJ/RG's proprietary web-based technology, have joined the Kerry Group as Senior Vice President of Strategic Planning & Administration and Director of Information Technology Services, respectively. The firm also has hired two additional programmers. Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.
Robert McCann, President of the Kerry Group, said, "These extensive new web technology resources increase our events management productivity, program tracking and audience response tracking in consumer and business-to-business marketing programs to help improve our clients' profitability.
"Our broader capabilities provide more cost-effective production efficiencies, ‘distance learning' capabilities and real-time statistical analysis services for our clients," McCann said. "The acquisition also enables our firm to develop new methods of client communications, ‘virtual events,' and event measurements to improve clients' return on investment."
As a result of the acquisition, the Kerry Group is now serving two new clients, Cooper Bussmann, a division of Cooper Industries in Ellisville, Missouri which manufactures and markets circuit protection products globally, and Good Earth Tools, a specialty manufacturer of tungsten carbide protected wear parts in Crystal City, Missouri. The new web-based technology service also is being utilized in national marketing and distance learning programs by existing Kerry Group clients including Shell Oil Products.
Ronald J. Garnier said, "This web-based multi-media technology provides real-time applications for many different marketing, distance learning and event management areas, based on creating ‘next level' client or server applications using HTML, ASP, PHP, PERL, JAVA, JAVASCRIPT, Python, C, C++ and SQL standards for any platform."
These include automated events scheduling; real-time analysis of mobile marketing programs; interactive training; e-commerce; on-site field survey capabilities; remote data collection and analysis; "instant expert" programs; catalog management for products and services; plus additional capabilities to enhance bottom line marketing results for large and small organizations, Garnier said.
Garnier has more than 25 years of technology development and management experience. Before co-founding RJ/RG, LLC, he owned an animation, film and broadcast video production company and, also, an interactive multimedia and Internet-based production firm. He co-developed and managed a web-based distance learning application service for the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana. Garnier earned a Masters degree in teaching from Webster University and has taught advanced Interactive Media courses.
Ryan Jarrell was formerly Director of Program Development and Systems Administration at Thin Ice Communications for eight years and at NETBias, Inc. for six years. He also worked as a software development engineer with Garnier to develop the proprietary systems and multi-media technology applications for RJ/RG, LLC. After studying Geo-Physics at the University of Missouri-Rolla, Jarrell helped design and develop the framework for LearningBias, a real-time distance learning software created in partnership with the University of Illinois.
Founded in 1996, The Kerry Group provides clients including Fortune 500 companies, private corporations, colleges and universities with brand engagement programs, guerilla marketing, event-driven promotions, mobile marketing, multi-media advertising, consumer response programs and retail education services, in addition to strategic business-to-business promotions and advertising management services.
The Kerry Group's clients have included Shell, Pennzoil, Anheuser-Busch Cos., Inc., Citibank, EA Sports, the Missouri Department of Health, St. Louis Community College and 20th Century Fox, among others. The Kerry Group now has 25 full-time employees, plus 50 field personnel working on special programs nationwide.
The Kerry Group headquarters are at 10805 Sunset Office Drive, Suite 415, in suburban St. Louis. For information, please contact Robert McCann, President, or Tom Tipton, Senior Vice President-Client Services, at the Kerry Group by calling 314.822.1711.
