As a business, the important questions you sometimes ask yourself are: How is it that you want every team member to perform? How do you want to be seen and remembered in the eyes of your clients, suppliers, staff, investors and industry? How do you want to engage your clients and build relationships that extend beyond the day to day?

Recently joining the highly successful STW Group (whose logo is made up of a ‘7 Pointed Star’) made answering these above questions quite simple…

Further to a 1 day Management Workshop at Ogilvy House which involved reviewing the success of the prior quarter’s theme (Delivering Happiness) as well as setting strategy for the next 3 months, it was agreed that Markitforce’s Quarter 1 2013 Theme would be ROCKSTARS!

Perform like ROCKSTARS!

Be seen and remembered as ROCKSTARS!

Go beyond the call of duty to assist our clients in being ROCKSTARS!

To communicate this and to engage the entire business, a launch party was held on Thursday 31^st January in Sydney and Friday 1^st February in Melbourne, promoting all things ROCK & ROLL!

BBQ Breakfast equipped with a Coffee Van; ROCKSTAR Musical Chairs; ROCKSTAR Backstage at a Gig Photo Booth; ROCKSTAR Trivial Pursuit; and the ROCKSTAR Red Carpet Best Dressed were just a few of the fun activities that the entire business participated in.

Alan Higgins (dressed as ELVIS, yes ELVIS!!!) presented a full summary of the 1 day Workshop and staff were given ROCKSTAR Gold Bling Necklaces, ELVIS Wigs and ROCKSTAR Temporary Tattoos!

The action doesn’t stop there! There will be numerous initiatives throughout the quarter both internally and externally to the business – keep your eyes open! Clients, please make sure you visit us over the next 3 months as we have ROCKSTAR Gifts to Give!

A huge Markitforce shout out goes to our generous friends at Frucor Beverages. Thank you for kindly donating ROCKSTAR branded merchandise as prizes to our competitions. The ROCKSTAR branded fridge filled with ROCKSTAR Energy Drinks certainly kept the entire team humming all day long!

As ELVIS would say… “Thank you very much”.

Markitforce Melbourne has received the ‘Chairperson’s Award’ from Whitelion. The award was presented to Markitforce for employing Whitelion youth and being a dedicated supporter of the programme.  It is Markitforce’s first year of being involved in the programme and it has been a very successful year in changing the lives of 2 young men. Markitforce have given them both a new start in their careers in warehousing & logistics and an opportunity to succeed in life with a bright future.

Whitelion is a non-profit community organisation that provides youth-focused gender and culturally specific services in several areas which include; mentoring, employment, role modeling, specialist outreach support and education based prevention programs.

Markitforce recently presented some Christmas joy and spirit to The Starlight Children’s Foundation in the form of a $6,500 financial donation.

The donation was presented to Starlight’s Partnerships Executive Julia Glaser at Markitforce’s celebratory Christmas event and will help grant a seriously ill child their Starlight wish of a lifetime.

“Markitforce has had a long association with Starlight and we were delighted to deliver some Christmas happiness to a very special child and their family,” said Alan Higgins, CEO Markitforce.

“We have always been inspired by the passionate and amazing team at Starlight and so jumped at the opportunity to help brighten the life of a Starlight child and their family through the Starlight Wish Granting program.”

Starlight CEO Louise Baxter says, “Thanks to the wonderful support of Markitforce we are now able to grant a life-changing wish for a child at a time when they need it most.”

 “A Starlight Wish is quite literally a dream come true for a child battling a chronic or life-threatening illness and we know that these Starlight Wishes can be a crucial turning point in helping a child to manage the pain and stress of treatment.”

Delivering Happiness was the recent theme behind one of Markitforce’s quarterly client satisfaction indicators. 

“Delivering Happiness was largely focused on exceeding the expectations of our clients. I am extremely proud of the way our entire business rose to this challenge and exceeded all client expectations,” said Higgins.  “I would like to thank our clients for their constant feedback and partnerships.”

Sydney, October 30, 2012: STW, Australia’s leading marketing content and communications services group, continues to expand its retail service footprint, today announcing an investment in marketing logistics and fulfilment company Markitforce.

The deal sees STW take a majority share in the national business, which was founded in 2001 by CEO Alan Higgins and has had outstanding year-on-year growth. Markitforce has a presence in five Australian states, plus Auckland NZ, with a total staff of 100.

“Markitforce is a leader in promotional campaign execution for local and global clients, and brings entirely new capabilities around retail services to the group,” explained STW’s CEO, Michael Connaghan.

“It is a business that will complement our existing retail and ‘Path to Purchase’ offer, and we see future opportunities across the sector. Markitforce is a great cultural fit for STW, has a strong leadership team, a broad client base and growing client demand within the shopper marketing segment. I have known Alan and been speaking with him for a while now. He is a quality bloke and built an amazing business. Markitforce is world class and a welcome addition to the STW stable.”

Markitforce CEO and founder Alan Higgins said the two companies were “an excellent strategic fit”. “As an entrepreneur within a fast growth business, you come to a point where you need external investment to continue growing,” Higgins explained. “But as with any partnership, it is crucial that there is a good cultural fit and strong business synergies. Markitforce and STW have similar clients, a commitment to growth and a solid business foundation built on entrepreneurialism and innovation. I can see fantastic future opportunities for both organisations.”

Markitforce provides a range of Marketing Logistics services specialising in Point of Sale management and product fulfilment (guaranteed to deliver in full on time), warehousing and distribution, third party logistics, Pick & Pack and Kitting services, consumer redemptions, climate control storage and value adds such as TGA warehousing for pharmaceutical samples and a bonded storage area. It operates in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth and Auckland, and has clients across the FMCG, Entertainment, Automotive and Pharmaceutical industries. Higgins will remain at the helm of Markitforce.

It was an early start on a chilly (very uncharacteristic of Melbourne!) spring Sunday morning. A team of 7 eager Markitforce race entrants (with ranging levels of fitness) arrived at the foot of the Eureka to commence Australia’s biggest vertical race!

The Eureka Climb is in the top 10 stair climbs in the world, and looking up at the challenge ahead seemed rather daunting for the Markitforce crew!

In true Markitforce fashion, with nothing but determination, persistence, hard work and smiling enthusiasm, all 7 race entrants finished the climb and managed to deliver some happiness in unlikely and very topical places!

Well done to all those who took part and raised money for a very worthy cause – namely Whitelion. Markitforce donated $0.10 to each stair climbed. With 7 finishers climbing 1,642 stairs each, a total of $1,149.50 was raised.

“Whitelion is a non-profit community organisation that provides youth-focused gender and culturally specific services in several areas which include; mentoring, employment, role modeling, specialist outreach support and education based prevention programs.”

The scene was set for a super night… The Le Montage in Lilyfield; The ladies of Markitforce looking ever so elegant in their evening frocks and the males of Markitforce looking incredibly handsome in their lounge suits; Dinner, drinks, entertainment, dancing and of course, the awards!

Alan Higgins our inspirational leader, a finalist in the South Western Regional  ‘Business Leader’ award category.

“This award recognises the positive contribution made to business by business people and professionals. This award recognises business people who demonstrate outstanding entrepreneurial spirit, strategic business direction and innovative ideas whilst providing inspiration to a new generation of upcoming young business people.”

3 finalists… a 33.3% chance of winning… in our hearts we knew our chances were much greater!

“… and the award goes to… Alan Higgins of Markitforce!” The roar in the venue was lion like; clapping, whistling, high fiving; all 15 of us at the function were immensely proud of our Leader.

The award was accepted with humility, passion and dignity. Congratulations Alan on representing the category in its truest form and on building a business on the foundations of honesty, integrity and exceptional customer service.

Alan is now a finalist in the ‘State Business Leader’ award category, with the winner being announced on the 23^rd November at the Hordern Pavilion.

We look forward to another great night and to Alan bringing it home for the state of NSW! Wish us well!

In addition to becoming a signatory to the Australian Packaging Covenant; continually looking for innovative ways to recycle and dispose of materials; employing energy efficient operating methods; and driving around Sydney in a Toyota Prius; Markitforce has literally gone GREEN!

Office and warehouse staff now have their very own beautiful green PLANTS to look after! Feed them, water them and also give them their own unique names…

‘Bazza The Bamboo’, ‘Mr Hulk’, ‘Lil Miss Bliss’, ‘Happy Herby’ – just to name a few!

Plants in the workplace do not only aesthetically breathe new life; they also enhance employee attitudes, reduce stress, increase productivity and improve air quality.

Here are some of our very “happy” staff with their plants…