Pioneer Thinking
Innovative Product Lines
Bannerflex® Systems
Dori Pole®
FlagTrax®
DisplayOne®
Abstracta®
Mya®
W
What made + makes this business stand out?
Podia®/SNAPSignTM
Defined.
WaterJet
True Innovation The company has grown from a single productinnovation (street pole banners) to a full-service, design and innovation-oriented manufacturer of seven distinctive, visual display product lines. Consort Display Group has always been recognized as being “unique within the visual display industry.” It’s a very diverse company that offers creative ideas and a strong focus on design, as well as innovative and diverse product lines. These products had no other model and are unique both within their industry and that they are sold globally.
We have consistently created innovative products that fill customer needs – for which there are no similar products available on the market. Consort bootstraps new ideas to life and subsequently supports their growth through acquisition of manufacuring capabilities and new product lines.
consort.com
Corporate Offices 2129 Portage Road Kalamazoo, MI 49001 (269) 388-4532
– is coming up with a product that the customer didn’t even know they needed.
Inspiration – 1983 Kalamazoo, MI
Perfomance Plus IDEAS
INNOVATION INGENUITY
By 1994: 50 states 1,900 U.S. Cities Canada (all 5 provinces) Mexico United Kingdom
BannerFlex®
LunchNotes®
New Facility
Inc. 500!
®
Display One
®
Abstracta /Mya
Kalamazoo Banner Works
W
1983
What sparked the founding of this business?
1984
1985
1986
Roger M. Lepley, architect, created Kalamazoo Banner Works, (today Consort Display Group), based on a request from the City of Kalamazoo for vertical street pole banners. The new company was the first to market this product, both nationally and internationally – and to manufacture (patented) banner brackets, designed to spill wind and reduce wind force on the banner and light pole. In 1985 Roger introduced a specialty gift ® item (LunchNotes ), designed by KBW’s first employee Edward Tereshinski.
1989
1992
The vast popularity of LunchNotes (as seen on the Johnny Carson and Today shows), helped sell millions of foam sandwiches – enabling Roger to direct profits back, into the fledgling banner company. Production of LunchNotes also provided jobs for McKercher Rehabilitation Center. Forty employees of the local nonprofit assembled, packaged and prepared the gift item for shipping. 1989 – Inc. Magazine named KBW as one of the nation’s fastest growing 500 private companies.
®
1998
2003 2004 2006 2007 2014
Podia® BannerFlex Airow® Dori Pole® WaterJet Services FlagTrax®