Woodinville, WA – May 9, 2011 — Bensussen Deutsch & Associates, Inc. (BDA), the Merchandise Agency™ of more than half the Fortune 50, today announced it received platinum status in the Caterpillar Inc. licensee excellence and recognition program.

In its first year of eligibility, BDA achieved a perfect score and received platinum-level promotional licensee status for 2010. BDA became an approved Caterpillar licensee in November 2008.

“These results confirm what we suspected all along—BDA is a model licensee,” Caterpillar program manager Lesley Godby said. “BDA delivers safe, quality products on time and on budget. They maintain inventory levels. They’re out in the field. Our dealers are in very capable hands. Caterpillar has found a longtime merchandise partner in BDA.”

Caterpillar licensees are reviewed on customer service, sales growth, advertising spend, training, field coverage, territory coverage, e-commerce, royalties, product development and design capabilities and forecast accuracy. BDA produces print catalogs and operates a Caterpillar merchandise e-commerce site, featuring headwear, apparel, drinkware, bags, sports gear, office items and event products. Merchandise is refreshed twice a year. Employees and dealers also partner with BDA for custom orders.

Throughout the year, BDA regularly distributes flyers, e-blasts and the “Dirty Scoop” newsletter, highlighting select products, special offers and success stories. Twice a year, BDA stages an open house at the Caterpillar corporate offices in Peoria, Ill.

In 2010, BDA maintained an average in-stock rate of 95% for Caterpillar and processed over 90% of orders within 1-2 business days. Sales grew by 46% from 2009.

“It’s truly an honor to receive this type of recognition from a client of Caterpillar’s stature. We view this as validation that we’re hitting the mark and consistently delivering the BDA quality standard for Cat and its entire dealer network,” BDA director of client services Jackie Brown said. “The success we’ve experienced is the result of a collaborative effort between Cat and our team of in-house experts. An award like this inspires the BDA team to continue looking for ways to improve and grow the Cat program.”

ABOUT BDA
Bensussen Deutsch & Associates, Inc. (BDA), the nation's first and only Merchandise Agency™, provides marketing services and customized branded merchandise to Fortune 500 enterprises, major sports leagues and global entertainment holding companies. Clients come to BDA to extend their reach through custom branded-merchandise campaigns, integrated e-commerce marketing, and sports and entertainment sponsorship activation. Global brands such as Bank of America, Dell, GlaxoSmithKline, ExxonMobil, FedEx, Ford Motor Company, and Major League Baseball are but a few of the household names that rely on BDA to bring their marketing campaigns to life through merchandise. BDA attained the coveted Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) certification in 2008 highlighting the company’s advanced quality assurance practices for importing products from overseas. For more information on the power of merchandise, visit www.bdainc.com.

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Media Contact:
Catharine Neblett
Barokas PR for BDA
206.264.8220
Catharine@barokas.com