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THE JANLYNN CORPORATION

CORPORATE OVERVIEW

Incorporated in 1979, The Janlynn Corporation ("Janlynn") is a dominant worldwide craft supplier.   Janlynn is a private, family business, whose core values center on maintaining the "family" in family business... treating employees, customers, consumers and suppliers with the same degree of respect as is found in strong family units.

 

MANAGEMENT TEAM:

John F. Kozub, President & CEO - After spending his entire adult life at Janlynn, John is the true embodiment of a third generation man following his roots in the family business. John's focus for the Company continues to emphasize the strength of Janlynn's position in the hobby & craft marketplace, as well as the need for diversification in it's product development strategy. John continues to lead Janlynn into new growth areas with lines of prefinished products for the general craft & market, premium and promotional business, and other specialty markets. John possesses a BS degree from American International College. He is the Company's sole stockholder.

Denise Carter, Vice President Merchandising / Product Development - Denise joined the Janlynn senior management team in June 2007, bringing with her a strong background in the Arts and Crafts industry including 20 + years merchandising and product development experience in both high volume national chain stores and Business to Business catalog industries. Denise's proven results in trend identification, product selection and development, along with her abilities in sourcing internationally, will team up well with Janlynn's strategy to diversify product lines and offerings to better fulfill customer needs.

Vincent M. Welch, Vice President of Finance - Vince joined the senior management team in January, 2005 after developing broad financial skills and delivering positive bottom line results through 2 years with Air Express (an air vending company), 7 years with ADVO (targeted direct mail company), 11 years with Pepsi, and 5 years with FMC (Link Belt Bearing). Vince’s broad background has been employed in a variety of ways including mergers and acquisitions, strategic initiatives, and new products. These skills will be put to good use as Vince partners with the rest of the Team to drive Janlynn's continued success.

Paul St. Jean, Vice President of Manufacturing, joined the Janlynn management team in August 2000.   Paul brings 20+ years of management experience in both aerospace and consumer products manufacturing. His extensive knowledge of manufacturing systems and lean manufacturing techniques makes him well suited to develop and lead Janlynn's plant.   In 2003, Paul was promoted to Vice President of Manufacturing.

PRODUCTS:

JANLYNN BRAND         

Product Development is crucial to Company growth, and Janlynn constantly seeks new trends and concepts to appeal to the needlearts consumer. The Janlynn needlecraft operation has over sixty independent designers who create original artwork under royalty agreements. The in-house design staff also contributes fresh ideas to the needlecraft product line.

Outside and in-house stitcher's are always at work at transforming designs and artwork into original stitchery models. Independent contractors, under close supervision of the Janlynn design office, do much of this work.   Full time design and development professionals develop all instructions and stitch guide materials in-house.   Product charts, instructions, packaging and sales materials are created using Macintosh Desktop Publishing and custom designed needleart-charting

programs.

The Company licenses the rights to convert both artwork and characters into needlearts, and such licensing arrangements enliven the product line with such favorites as Disney and Suzy's Zoo.

 

SALES & MARKETING:

DOMESTIC:

Janlynn's key U.S.A. markets include needlecraft mail order catalogs (such as Herrschner's, The Stitchery, and Mary Maxim), major craft and variety retail chains (Michaels, A.C. Moore, Wal-Mart, Toys R Us, Jo-Ann's and Hobby Lobby), and a customer base of some 2,000 small retailers.

INTERNATIONAL:

The international market represents a promising growth area for the Company.   Janlynn's aggressive pursuit of overseas business has resulted in increased exports to the U.K., Europe (Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden, etc.), Canada, Mexico, South Africa, Australia, Chile, Japan, and many other countries.   In most instances, wholesale distributors handle the Janlynn product line whose independent or staff sales representatives have well-established customer bases, as well as intimate knowledge of local needs, customs, and trends.

In the United Kingdom, the Company enjoys successful relationships with major direct mail craft companies and with a growing number of independent outlets. Janlynn's presence at international trade shows in England, Germany and Japan continues to broaden Company exposure throughout Europe, where export sales are expected to expand substantially in the next few years.   Multilingual packaging and other sales materials have been developed to support this expansion.

OPERATIONS:

The Company consists of the following operating units:

  • Janlynn® Brand Needlecraft & Craft Design/Development

  • Janlynn China Manufacturing & Operations / DI Shipping

  • Sanook Paper Company Design / Development / Importing

  • Stamps Happen Design / Development

  • USA Manufacturing/Operations/Distribution

Janlynn employs approximately 75 full time employees. The factory and general offices in a state-of-the-art location based in Chicopee, MA, sitting on over five acres of land for future plant expansion.

 

Read about Janlynn's Founder Ed Kozub

Janlynn's Headquarters