Endcap

ENDCAP An interview with

Dana Flaherty

The annual We Connect School Supply Conference, introduced in 2017, is the newest offering from CSI Connect Marketing. It’s the only traditional trade show focused on instructional materials and classroom resources for grades pre-K through 12.

In 2020, Catalog Solutions Inc. rebranded as CSI Connect Marketing, a name that better represents its mission to offer marketing materials in both digital and print formats.

“Changing the name did not have anything to do with what we provide our customer. That has not changed,” explained company President Dana Flaherty. “The name ‘Catalog Solutions’ created a misconception that we are only a catalog company. It remains one company with one vision, but in addition to printing catalogs, we also print marketing materials, design and manage websites, create digital marketing, and provide branded products for our customers.”

Formerly with Creative Catalog Concepts, Dana formed Catalog Solutions in 2006. “CCC had always been known for its customer-first mentality,” Dana explained, “but new owners, an investment group, changed the focus of the business. They felt that sales and the bottom line were more important than spending time getting to know customers.”

He left and started CSI, and then purchased CCC in 2013. He believes that building relationships with customers remains very valuable to the company’s success today.

Ed Dealer: What was your original mission for the company, Dana?

Dana Flaherty: Our goal has always focused on striving to exceed the expectations of every customer, both in product and service, to make “going the extra mile” an everyday occurrence, and to build lasting relationships that turn customers into friends. Every customer is important to us and we will do everything we can to help them be successful – just as if they were family.

How many different kinds of catalogs do you offer in the school supply industry? Do you also do product fulfillment?

Currently, we create an Early Childhood catalog once a year, a Furniture, Equipment & Technology catalog once a year, and a full-line Educational Materials catalog twice a year, with many types of inserts that can be added to each catalog, like Arts, Crafts & Office Supplies, Furniture, or Special Needs.

We have a partnership with Educators Resource that they will support our full-line catalogs and Arts, Crafts & Office Supplies supplement for wholesale fulfillment. Many of our website customers utilize our Click N Ship program through Educators Resource, to streamline the order process and have direct order fulfillment.

What other markets do you serve?

We do many projects for art materials customers, and our Toy Collection department creates marketing materials for local toy dealers, just like we do in education. Our largest customer base is education and its subcategories including school furniture, for instance, and office supplies.

WeConnect is the newest CSI Connect Marketing offering. This was only created out of necessity. Our industry tradeshow was losing traction and we were asked by so many of our customers and vendors to create a more intimate tradeshow – one that showcased a smaller venue with more focus on networking and personal attention, similar to older shows like EDSA. (continued on page 29)

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