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Jostens and Sports Inc. - Background, Relationship and Execution Arrangement
Jostens has been the premier provider in helping people capture moments that matter and
memorializing them in custom fine jewelry, graduation items, and yearbooks for more than 100
years. We specialize in using various programs to help schools across the nation connect students
and communities to their school by partnering with them to improve climate and culture. We also
have expertise helping schools create a “Brand” program for the school to tell their unique story
to the community they serve and finally produce custom products to help students share their
stories of success in those schools and the ultimate story of their graduation.
One of the markets Jostens is very active in servicing is the High School market. At times, school
administrators would like a program to address their needs that includes: creating and/or
enhancing the High School branding in their community, custom products that highlight the school
branding and enhance school spirit (e.g. scholastic graduation products and yearbooks), a solution
to improve the school’s climate and culture to encourage graduation, an online school store for
fund raising and selling the branded merchandise, and a partner to provide their sporting
merchandise and equipment needs for the athletic department.
Jostens has a program that addresses all of the items above called the School Mark program.
Jostens provides for all the items in the program except for the sporting goods and equipment
piece. We believe the best way to provide this is to partner with a local sporting goods company
that is within that community and has a similar philosophy, passion, reputation that Jostens has
for its products.
Our relationship with the Sports Inc. dealers would be for the Jostens independent sales channel
to work with the Sports Inc. dealer supporting each other where market conditions warrant that
relationship. The Jostens sales channel and the Sports Inc. dealer, will work together to provide a
total school solution under the School Mark program with Jostens providing and being responsible
for the following: 1) branding, 2) custom products, 3) climate and culture, and 4) the school store
solutions. The Sports Inc. dealer would be responsible for and provide the sporting goods and
equipment.
Although it would be presented and executed as a total program solution to the school, Jostens
and the Sports Inc. dealer would each be responsible for their own piece of the program as it
relates to the school contract, price, discounting, execution, warranties, service support, and
invoicing.
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