Valpak® Announces New Franchisee in Greater Rockford, Illinois

LARGO, FL — Valpak, a leader in local print and digital coupons, announced it has signed a franchise agreement with Timothy Powers to acquire the Valpak of Rockford, Ill., territory. Powers, a first-time franchisee, has assumed The Blue Envelope® distribution and began mailing to residents and businesses in Rockford, Loves Park, Machesney Park, Belvidere, Roscoe, Rockton and Cherry Valley communities in December.

“I was ready to make the move from corporate America to entrepreneurism and begin running my own business,” said Timothy Powers, Valpak of Rockford franchisee. “After doing my research on different franchise organizations, my desire to be part of a strong organization led me to Valpak. The solid corporate support, in-demand product and its new digital offering really stood out to me.”

Powers has extensive experience in the technology industry. He spent 11 years as a software director at Michigan State University. Following that, he spent 18 years as a senior director at Motorola responsible for planning the software for a global cell phone portfolio. He also worked five years at GE Healthcare as a senior director responsible for the global development of portable x-ray machines. He is active within the Rockford community and sees it as a growing area with strong potential for business development.

“Timothy’s background will be a great asset in helping merchants reach customers in order to help grow their business,” said Greg Courchane, Valpak’s director of franchise sales. “As the Rockford community grows, we are confident that Timothy will thrive.”

A leader in cooperative direct mail, Valpak mails over 20 billion coupons to more than 40 million demographically-targeted households per month in more than 100 markets in 45 states and four Canadian provinces. Today, in addition to its flagship blue envelope, the brand offers its business customers an impressive portfolio of digital advertising products including Smartphone apps, which are also integrated into the Samsung Wallet, iOS Passbook, Google Wallet and Windows Phone Wallet, as well as QR codes and online coupons to reach consumers at home, and on-the-go.

Ideal candidates for Valpak franchise ownership should possess a desire to join a trusted industry-leading brand, work within a proven franchise system, develop relationships with local businesses and have a comfort level with selling new, digital technologies. Franchisees should also possess a minimum liquidity of $75,000, and a minimum net worth of $150,000.

Since its launch in 1968, Valpak has been broadly recognized and trusted, which has contributed significantly to its current success. Valpak’s state-of-the-art, 470,000-square-foot manufacturing center in St. Petersburg, Fla., makes it possible for the company to mail to more than 500 million homes in North America. Valpak is also backed by experienced leadership with Cox Enterprises, one of the largest media companies in North America, which acquired the brand in 1991. Recently, Cox Target Media also acquired Savings.com, a leading online source for savings and personalized deals. Working together, Valpak and Savings.com will offer consumers a more extensive selection of offers and rewarding shopping experience as content is shared across platforms.

For more information on Valpak franchise opportunities, please contact Greg Courchane at greg_courchane@valpak.com or (800) 678-2743 or visit www.valpakfranchising.com.

About Valpak®
Valpak, one of the leading direct marketing companies in North America, is owned and operated by Cox Target Media. With nearly 170 franchises across the United States and Canada, the signature Blue Envelope® delivers coupons and savings to nearly 40 million households each month. Annually, Valpak will distribute some 20 billion offers inserted in more than 500 million envelopes. Valpak also offers digital solutions online through http://www.valpak.com and http://www.valpak.ca, sites offering free coupons, e-commerce and coupon codes. Additionally, the Valpak coupon mobile coupon app for smartphone platforms delivers easy to find savings for consumers. For more information about advertising with Valpak, please contact 1-800-676-6878.

About Cox Media GroupCox
Cox Media Group is an integrated broadcasting, publishing, direct marketing and digital media company that includes the national advertising rep firms of CoxReps. Additionally, CMG owns Cox Target Media, which operates Valpak, one of North America’s leading direct marketing companies, and Savings.com, a leading online source for savings. The company’s operations currently include 14 broadcast television stations and one local cable channel, 57 radio stations, eight daily newspapers and more than a dozen non-daily publications, and more than 100 digital services. CMG currently operates in more than 20 media markets and reaches approximately 52 million Americans weekly, including more than 30 million TV viewers, more than 4 million print and online newspaper readers, and 14 million radio listeners. For more information about Cox Media Group, please check us out online at www.coxmediagroup.com.