Smith & Associates Reports on Global and Market Expansion in 2011

Houston, TX (PRWEB) January 25, 2012

Smith & Associates, a leader in the independent distribution of semiconductors and electronic components, today announced significant organic growth in 2011, positioning the company as a clear leader in the component market. The strategic addition of three new global offices, a 25 percent increase in workforce, and the expansion of its successful service programs resulted in Smith reaching global annual revenue totaling US$ 513 million in 2011.

In 2011, Smith increased its workforce to 350 employees globally, and opened new offices in Singapore, Taipei, Taiwan and Denver, Colo. This expansion better positions Smith to serve its customers around the world. Continuing this corporate strategy, the company plans to add more global offices in 2012.

In addition to global expansion, Smith also expanded its flagship services. Smith's suite of services provides customized solutions to help businesses maximize the quality and stability of their inventory needs and safeguard against disruptions. Among those service programs that were expanded are:

????The PartBank Vendor Managed Inventory (VMI) program, which offers companies a fixed, cost-efficient source for managing inventory
????CycleIT, a secure and environmentally responsible asset disposition program
????The recently launched PPV Plus+ flexible cost-saving program, which helps customers find flexible ways of receiving high-quality components at the best price

?We live in a world where supply chain management is more critical than ever for electronics manufacturers? success,? said Marc Barnhill, chief trading officer at Smith & Associates. ?With a diversified, well-tested and quality-assured supply chain, manufacturers can withstand today?s increasingly common market uncertainties with confidence. Smith has the industry experience and knowledge to offer companies immediate solutions to their short- and long-term needs. Our clients know that they can count on us for tested and certified products when they need them.?

Smith's quality-first framework of programs and processes, SmithSecure, was also expanded in 2011, continuing the company's long-standing, staunch support of ensuring quality along the electronics supply chain. Smith further increased its leadership role against counterfeiting through the purchase of new, sophisticated, in-house, anti-counterfeiting laboratory equipment. In addition to the substantial investments and expansions in its anti-counterfeit lab equipment and inspectors' certifications, Smith was awarded a CCAP-101 certification, holding the company to a strict set of procedures for authenticating electronic components and ensuring product integrity. In turn, the standards for SmithSecure, the company?s overarching testing, sourcing, service and industry-awareness quality initiative, have also been increased.

Within Smith, the corporate responsibility to the environment was also a focus. As part of a companywide campaign to become fully sustainable and carbon-neutral by 2020, Smith completed an environmentally based, energy-efficient structural renovation, a "greenovation," of its Houston headquarters. Smith was also named an "e-Stewards Enterprise" by the Basel Action Network, the world?s only organization focused on confronting the global environmental injustice and economic inefficiency of toxic trade (toxic wastes, products and technologies) and its devastating impacts. The next phase of Smith's corporate sustainability campaign will be the "greenovation" of Smith's international offices.

Building upon the successes of 2011, Smith & Associates plans to further expand its service programs in 2012 to meet customer needs. Among the more immediate goals is Smith's diligent work toward earning an AS9120 quality management certification for aerospace product suppliers. More generally, Smith continues its pledge to providing leading commodity and market expertise through close industry monitoring and communication of findings through its MarketWatch updates and publications.

About Smith & Associates

Founded in Houston in 1984, Smith & Associates (http://www.smithweb.com) is a leader in the independent distribution of semiconductors and electronic components to electronics and high-tech manufacturers. Smith offers shortage sourcing for commodity and obsolete parts, innovative purchasing and inventory management solutions, redistribution of excess inventory, and component stocking for warranty and repair programs.

A privately held company, Smith & Associates employs more than 350 people worldwide, with annual revenue in excess of US$ 500 million. Smith's regional hubs in Houston, Hong Kong, and Amsterdam are ISO certified and IDEA compliant. In addition, sales and purchasing offices are located in Silicon Valley, Barcelona, Guadalajara, New York, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Seoul, Singapore, Taipei, and Denver. For more information or to reach a Smith representative 24 hours a day, please call: 1.800.HOUSTON or +1 713.430.3000

For more information, contact:

Mark Bollinger

Smith & Associates

V.P. of Marketing

Phone: +1 713.430.3000

Email: mbollinger(at)nfsmith(dot)com

Ashley Wilkinson

BOCA Communications

Phone: 415-738-7718

Email: smith(at)bocacommunications(dot)com

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Symmetry Corporation Rings in New Year as 2011 Best of Business

Milwaukee, WI (PRWEB) January 19, 2012

Symmetry Corporation, an SAP? certified hosting partner and industry leader in technical and security managed services for SAP customers, is pleased to announce its achievement as 2011 Best of Business awarded by SBCA Community.

?It?s an honor to be recognized for being best in the business,? said Dan Wilhelms, president of Symmetry Corporation. ?Symmetry accredits much of its 2011 success from continually delivering the highest level of customer service. This award reflects our team?s commitment to putting the customers first and accommodating their ever-evolving business needs.?

The SBCA Community awards companies that go beyond standard business practices to excel across the board. Winners, such as Symmetry, are acknowledged for positively impacting their local communities, leading their industry in innovation and satisfying best-in-class service.

2011 marked another year of robust growth for Symmetry. The company?s customer adapted solutions attribute to its growing success and help set its business apart from other ERP competitors:

????Each client works long-term with a team of experts, rather than individual consultants.
????Clients receive 24x7 U.S.-based support, allowing timely resolution in the event of an emergency.
????Fixed-price contracts keep budgets on track and establish trust between the client and provider.

About Symmetry Corporation

Symmetry Corporation, an SAP hosting partner, provides technical managed services, security administration and project consulting for SAP? customers in the U.S. and around the world. Based at Symmetry?s Center of Excellence in Milwaukee, Wis., our large staff has extensive experience in Basis, SAP NetWeaver? and SAP security consulting. With a proven methodology for delivering SAP technical managed services, Symmetry delivers flexible, high-quality solutions that help reduce the total cost of ownership and enable high-performing, secure, stable SAP environments. For more information, go to http://www.sym-corp.com.

About SBCA Community

The Small Business Community Association is dedicated to collecting and organizing information, training, and services that are vital to small business owners, entrepreneurs, and anyone else that needs help running a business, operating a business, or wants to start a business.

The mission of the SBCA Community is to promote a vibrant and growing small business community, support education that will preserve and extend the future of small business and use our gifts within the small business community to serve others for the betterment of our world.

The SBCA Community vision is to enthusiastically advance small businesses in three key areas:

1.????Growth-- To assure a vibrant and growing small business community, our goal is to introduce, engage and mature the next generation of small business owners.

2.????Advocacy--We feel it is fundamental to support education and action outside the small business community that will preserve and extend the future of small businesses.

3.????Compassion--We believe it is essential that we use our gifts within the small business community to serve others for the betterment of our communities and world.

# # #

Sym-Hosting and Sym-Remote are service marks of Symmetry Corp. SAP, SAP NetWeaver, and all SAP logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of SAP AG in Germany and several other countries. All other marks are the property of their respective owners.

Patron Technology Wraps Up 2011 With More Than 250 PatronManager CRM Clients

New York, New York (PRWEB) January 25, 2012

Patron Technology ended 2011 on a high note with more than 250 clients for PatronManager CRM, the all-in-one cloud-based system that integrates box office functionality, fundraising, e-mail marketing, and staff collaboration. Since the launching of the system in 2010, small and mid-sized cultural organizations in more than 34 states, Canada, and the U.K. now use PatronManager CRM, and the list continues to grow as organizations realize the power and ease of use of PatronManager CRM.

Stephanie Riso, Operations Director of the Pittsburgh Irish & Classical Theatre, says, ?PatronManager CRM, which came highly recommended, finally enables us to consolidate our marketing, development, and ticketing into one place - a critical need for our company. It was brilliant of PatronManager to team up with Salesforce to create a dynamic system which will no doubt propel our 15-year old organization into adulthood. Thank you PatronManager!"

Mark Malkovich IV, General Manager of the Newport Music Festival, confidently adds, "We partner with excellence, and investing in the Newport Music Festival's future with PatronManager CRM was a no-brainer."

According to Eugene Carr, Founder and CEO of Patron Technology, ?What continues to energize us as we develop and increase PatronManager CRM?s functionality is the reality of having a system built on the Salesforce.com platform that offers small and mid-sized organizations technology just as powerful as that used by the biggest arts organizations. And since it?s a 100% cloud-based system, it?s affordable for these small and midsized arts organizations. The speed at which we've continued to sign up clients shows that PatronManager CRM fills a significant need in our industry.?

ABOUT PATRON TECHNOLOGY: Patron Technology strives to revolutionize the arts industry by offering world-class customer relationship management (CRM), ticketing and e-mail marketing technology at a price that every organization can afford. Its PatronManager CRM system, launched in 2010 and developed in partnership with Salesforce.com and the Salesforce Foundation, is a 100% cloud-based system that integrates box office functionality, fundraising, e-mail marketing, and staff collaboration, enabling organizations to put all their vital customer information in one place, accessible by the entire staff. With PatronManager CRM, organizations can sell more tickets, target their marketing and fundraising efforts more effectively, provide better customer service at the box office and beyond, and make their organization more efficient. Founded in 2001 by Eugene Carr, the New York City-based company is the leader in e-marketing technology for arts and non-profit organizations. The company?s PatronMail e-mail service is used by over 1,800 arts and cultural clients in all 50 states and eight countries overseas. Patron Technology is dedicated to educating the non-profit community about e-marketing and, in the spring of 2011, Eugene Carr (CEO) and Michelle Paul (Product Manager) co-authored and published the book Breaking the Fifth Wall: Rethinking Arts Marketing for the 21st Century. The company presents a regular schedule of live e-marketing seminars across the country, monthly e-mail newsletters, blogs, and live educational webinars.

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