Leisure Trends Group acquires Customers First marketing company from SIA

Leisure Trends Group acquires Customers First marketing company from SIA{mosimage}SIA — SnowSports Industries America has announced the sale of Customers First to the Leisure Trends Group (LTG), based in Boulder, Colorado. Leisure Trends’ acquisition will enable Customers First to enhance its product line, offer a broader scope of services and tap into potential new markets.

A for-profit entity and division of SIA, Customers First is a technology-based customer relationship marketing company that specializes in database management, direct marketing, e-mail marketing and data capture and hygiene services. Leisure Trends Group is a market research and strategy company with a sharp focus on sports and recreation. Its products and services are broadly used by an international list of clients in the apparel, footwear, equipment, travel and resort industries.

“This sale allows Customers First to take database marketing to the next level and explore new opportunities while experiencing continued growth,” said David Ingemie, president of SIA, based in McLean, Virgina. “We are confident that Customers First will continue to grow by providing broader services and technology for their current client base of resorts, retailers and suppliers.”

Currently operating out of Bethel, Maine, and Rutland, Vermont, Customers First will maintain business operations there. Ongoing services and contracts will stay in place and Bruce McCloy will continue as president of the company. “We anticipate that this will be a seamless transition and we see this as a big step forward for Customers First and our clients,” said McCloy.

“Adding value for our clients has always been the guiding business principle at Leisure Trends,” said Jim Spring, president of LTG. “In Customers First we see many ways we can enhance the product and build upon the very sound business that Bruce and SIA have developed over the last few years. Our goal is to offer the state-of-the-art database management products and other services to snow sport customers that our clients in other industries enjoy. Customers First has demonstrated its value and we are very excited to be part of its future.”

Customers First was established in the fall of 1997 to help grow the snowsports market by making database management systems and direct marketing services available to the industry. The Leisure Trends Group, founded in 1990 by Spring and Bill Danner, is one of the largest market research and strategy companies in the sport, recreation and leisure time industries.