PPB January 2015

65 / 108

JANUARY 2015 • PPB • 65
On The Up And Up
MATCH-UP PROMOTIONS (D)
Longwood, Florida
Adam Thornton, principal
• Founded: 2002
• 2014 Inc. 5000 Ranking: 4741
• Three-Year Growth Rate: 50%
• 2013 Revenue: $15.6 million
• Number of Employees: 30 (18 new jobs added within
the past three years)
• Previous Years On Inc. 5000 list: First-Timer
Customer Service 24/7 Sets This Team Apart
Ever have a customer who calls after hours with something needed
ASAP? What do you do? Who do you call? Match-Up Promotions is
a distributor that’s dedicated itself to customer service available 24
hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. “That’s not to say
we’re always working,” says Principal Adam Thornton. “We are just
always available. Sometimes businesses have different hours than we
do, or have a question that arises in the middle of the night that can’t
wait. We understand. And we are available. Always.”
In addition to providing round-the-clock customer service, Match-
Up, founded in 2002, is a full-service brand engagement and promo-
tional products agency that specializes in connecting people and brands.
In 2004, Thornton took over as general manager and helped the company
grow from $3 million to more than $10.4 million by 2010.
Strategy For Growth
Match-Up Promotions believes in the value of exceptional service
and rapid, real-time response. “We live and breathe it every day,” says
Thornton. “We are a wonderful company with a wonderful technolog-
ical platform.”
Creating Differentiation
Among its clients, Match-Up has successful connections with
sports teams such as the Orlando Magic and the Miami Marlins.
“We’ve been working with them for 11 years, and they are still with
us. It has been a great relationship,” says Thornton. The company also
is working with teams across the country including the Atlanta
Falcons, Kansas City Royals, Dallas Stars and others.
What also differentiates the company is its vision for customer
service, committed to 10 years ago and influenced from people outside
the industry based on what kind of service they expect and appreciate.
“For us, quality customer service is what we do,” says Thornton.
Sustaining Growth
Much of the company’s organic growth from 2003 to 2012 is
referral based, he says. “We’ve introduced new products to rave reviews
which resulted in referrals and new business.”
In the next two years he hopes to expand the client base outside of
the current Match-Up model, a relatively new practice. “We want to
look at and identify opportunities we can acquire outside of the
Orlando area.”
What’s Ahead In 2015
“We have introduced an acquisition for a print distribu-
tor, a new concept for us with our marketing mix. At the
same time we are looking at moving into the Dallas market
with a great new sales division,” says Thornton.
We have a number of new initiatives and plans to ramp
up the staff to support these initiatives, says Thornton. “As
we grow, we never want to forget where we came from.
There is tremendous talent at Match-Up—we want to
blend that talent with new talent.”
“We are just always available.
Sometimes businesses have different
hours than we do, or have a question
that arises in the middle of the night
that can’t wait. We understand. And
we are available. Always.” The Match-Up Promotions team prides itself on quality customer
service.