http://www.stl-distribution.com Advancing the Christian Faith Copyright (C) 2010 STL Distribution Wed, 30 Jun 2010 11:31:22 -0400 STL Distribution was pleased to receive the CBA Impact Award for best booth staff for exhibits over 300 feet. We would like to thank all our customers and potential new accounts who stopped by booth 1507 to visit us in St. Louis. http://www.stl-distribution.com/news/id/93/CBA+Impact+Award+2010 STL-Distribution NA, STL/OM Books India, and Mardel successfully partner in “Bibles for India” project ELIZABETHTON, TN, MARCH 29, 2010- From September through December 2009, Christian consumers donated Bibles at 33 Mardel retail stores around the country as part of the “Bibles for India” project. STL initiated the “Bibles for India” project with Mardel after a proposal was made by K.J. Johny from STL/OM Books India, A Ministry of Biblica. Dylan Hillhouse, Mardel’s Bible Buyer, enthusiastically jumped on board since the project closely agreed with Mardel’s corporate vision. “Mardel is all about getting the Word of God into all people's hands. So, when the opportunity to partner with STL Distribution North America in the “Bibles for India” project came up, we felt like this really aligned with who we are, and what we are about.” According to K.J. Johny, “Many pastors, believers, and Bible students in India don’t even have a Bible, because they can’t afford one. India has a big need for Bibles and many people have extra Bibles in their homes that could be useful for someone in India.” There are currently around 1.1 billion people living in India. According to government figures, the estimated Christian population is 2.6%. However it is estimated that the true figure is around 7%. Over 80% of India’s population is Hindu and the country also has the second largest Muslim population in the world. Other religious groups include Sikhs, Buddhists, Baha’is and Jews. This diversity of religions, coupled with the size and growth of India’s population, make it a prime place to target evangelism projects. Mardel set up collection bins in each of the stores, distributed marketing materials, uncertain what the donation level would be. Any Bible was welcome—size, translation or even condition was immaterial. The goal of the project was to collect enough Bibles to help make a difference. After four months of collecting Bibles, Dylan estimates that between 2,500 and 3,500 Bibles were donated, totaling eight skids. The skids were then shipped to STL Distribution North America en route to India for distribution. Not only did customers get excited about this project, but Mardel employees as well. “Our employees and customers are great!” says Hillhouse. “When a project like this (solely ministry based) comes along we never really know what to expect response wise. But our stores did a tremendous job of getting on board, and communicating the project to our customers, and our customers responded,” he relates. “The used Bibles will benefit the believers who are extremely hungry for the Word of God. The used Bibles that were donated through Mardel will be amazingly used and treasured.” states K.J. Johny. “STL/OM Books India will distribute the donated Bibles through their 30 bookshops spread across India at an affordable small cost to help offset freight charges to local believers and non-Christians. In due course, we would like to see these Bibles reach the needy people who can't afford to buy a Bible available in the market.” K.J. Johny explains. http://www.stl-distribution.com/news/id/92/Bibles+for+India+ ELIZABETHTON, TN, September 9, 2009- It was not your typical holiday weekend for the employees of STL Distribution North America in Johnson City. Instead of barbecuing and boating over the three-day Labor Day weekend, 110 employees along with 275 volunteers packed, toted and unpacked 65,000 SKUs of inventory, along with truckloads of office furniture, fixtures, files, machinery and equipment to the new offices/warehouse at 100 Biblica Way in Elizabethton. STL Distribution North America, formerly Appalachian Distributors, has been operating in Johnson City since 1973. As a non-profit wholesale distributor of Christian products to retail stores, the company began as a small office and warehouse in a shared building on Rolling Hills Drive. Senior VP and Chief Distribution and Logistic Officer Robbie Edgar was the first employee hired by the founder, Tom Torbett. Robbie relates how the first building was “so small that you had to pull orders and roll your carts through the offices to reach the shipping area to pack product.” The company outgrew the original space and rented a larger warehouse with office space across from Evergreen Nursery on Princeton Road. When more space was needed again, a second warehouse was utilized, then a third. Eventually in 2007, with the space at the Princeton site overflowing, an off-site warehouse on Roweland Drive was rented. “It has been very difficult to operate out of multiple warehouses for 36 years,” explains Edgar. “We were constantly moving product from one place to another. Pieces and parts of orders were ‘picked’ from several places, and the more components that had to be gathered from different places, the more possibility of error or delay. With our guarantee of same-day shipping, it was often quite frenzied by mid-afternoon.” “With the new facility,” Edgar continues, “there will be no delays waiting for stock to be moved around from one to another building, or picked up from an off-site warehouse. We will finally have proper space to have streamlined picking and shipping areas,” Edgar explains. “We are extremely excited about the efficiencies we will gain, and the ability to grow in a way we have never had the opportunity to do before.” The new warehouse, located off Highway 19E across from the Elizabethton Airport, “is perfectly suited for our business,” continues Edgar, since it was originally built as a book distribution center by Frank Schaffer Publishing. “This new facility will give us two-and-a-half times as much storage capacity,” explains STL President Glenn Bailey. “Plus there is enough room on the property that we could add more square footage in the future as needed.” A 30-year veteran of the Christian industry, Bailey explains that although many businesses are currently putting plans to expand or move on hold with the tough economy, STL has grown more than 12% in the last year, and has experienced growth for the past 10 months straight. “We are extremely pleased with this growth in light of the tough economic downturns many companies are facing,” Bailey continues. “For over 30 years, this company has almost constantly operated at the limit of its facilities. For the first time in our history, we will be able to really handle future growth in our business,” Bailey adds. “We’ve increased not only our warehouse space, but also our office space.” “Here in northeast Tennessee, we are in a great location to serve the eastern half of the country. This move gives us all the necessary tools to increase our business and expand our product inventories.” (A warehouse in Sparks, NV serves the western half of the U.S.) Once the Elizabethton facility was acquired in June 2009 a task force was set up at STL to begin planning for the move, and assignments began to be apportioned out--everything from planning the new warehouse layout, to adding offices to the existing office space, to recruiting workers, to making 90,000 new BIN shelf tags. The idea was simple in theory—use a three day weekend so that no days of shipping were missed and to have a seamless transition so that vendors and stores wouldn’t notice any interruption in service. The volunteers for the weekend move came from area churches and local civic organizations. Members donated their time to raise money for their church or organization for such things as mission trips, youth funds and other ministries and projects. On Friday, the work began in earnest. All store orders for Friday’s business had to be sent out from the Princeton warehouse before the major moving began. As moving vans and trucks began parading in and out of both locations, workers inside the warehouses bagged and labeled books, Bibles, t-shirts, jewelry and other items. Then shopping carts were filled with merchandise, rolled onto waiting trucks and sent to the new location. Once there, carts were rolled off the trucks and bags were sorted and matched to the proper BIN locations and shelved. When all the items were in their bins, workers began removing the bags and stacking merchandise. Meanwhile, in other areas of the 190,000 square foot facility, office furniture was put in place, computers were reconnected and tested, and phones, copiers and FAX machines were plugged in and checked. Students from East Tennessee State University (ETSU) were among the volunteers. Seven students worked to earn money for fall and winter retreats with Campus Crusade for Christ. Krista Jones said it was “good experience” as well as a way to raise money. Danny Birkner, Youth Pastor at Grace Baptist in Elizabethton, was there with a group from his church. “We are here to help in our efforts to raise money for a mission trip to Haiti next year,” Birkner said. “We have really enjoyed doing this.” And Debbie Barnes of Johnson City, who worked Friday night through Monday evening, said “it was fun, I met a lot of new people.” Barnes said she had put in around 34 hours, and “have to be at work tomorrow morning at 8!” Another local church earning funds was Lighthouse Baptist of Unicoi, which had 16 members volunteering throughout the weekend. “It’s a great way to raise funds for our church at the same time helping STL with their efforts,” said Karen Murphy, spokesman for the group. Lunches and dinner were provided for all the workers, including a hot meal on Sunday. On Monday, a holiday-like meal of grilled hamburgers and hotdogs and all the fixin’s was served to a hungry crew. By 4 p.m. Monday, inventory bins were full as work continued on setting up the shipping and receiving areas. Initial testing of orders was being done by Warehouse Manager Chris Jordan and Edgar. Work was scheduled to continue by some employees until late in the evening to be completely ready for business on Tuesday morning. Edgar says, “This was very challenging, but the staff has done a fantastic job.” President Bailey concurs. “We have accomplished a monumental task,” he says. “We have successfully relocated 750 tons of inventory, shelving, office equipment, files, fixtures and equipment from 3 different warehouses and offices a distance of almost 13 miles in just 3 days.” “Our goal was to have no interruption in our ability to serve our stores,” Bailey states. “The day after a holiday is always a very big one for us, and Tuesday was one of our busiest days ever. Due to the 65,000 titles that needed to be relocated over the weekend, a small percentage of products were not included for Tuesday shipment, and several customers may have experienced one or two items missing from their order. This situation is not up to our standards, and will improve every day this week and be resolved before the week is over,” he explains. “The good news for all customers is that these very temporary moving issues will result in very major permanent improvements,” Bailey continues. “We now have the room to increase our title selection by thousands of SKUs, we have the room to stock more depth so we will be able to give higher fill rates, and we have the room to be more orderly and efficient in our processes,” Bailey adds. “This major improvement in our facilities means that we will be able to meet or beat the service and price offerings of any other distributor for years to come.” “I have never been prouder of any group of staff members I’ve ever worked with than I am of these employees and their leaders,” Bailey states, proudly surveying the stacks of newly-loaded shelves. “I am extremely grateful for the dedication STL employees showed during these long days, and the hard work of our volunteers. And we are all grateful to have answered prayers for good weather and worker safety throughout the weekend,” says Bailey. # # # # STL Distribution, a ministry of Biblica, is a not-for-profit distributor of Christian books and products from warehouses on the East coast and Nevada with next-day delivery available to most locations in the U.S. http://www.stl-distribution.com/news/id/91/STL+DISTRIBUTION+MOVE+CONSOLIDATES+FOUR+WAREHOUSES+UNDER+ONE+MASSIVE+ROOF AND THE $25,000 GIVEAWAY WINNER IS… Les & Fran Spoelstra from Selah Christian Store in Redlands, CA! Les & Fran left Denver with smiles on their faces as they were the BIG winners from STL’s $25,000 Giveaway. They are sure to keep smiling for an entire year as they will receive a monthly credit to their STL account to assist in purchases. As part of STL’s 5 Star Promotion, stores visited several “stops” around the STL booth to learn about new programs, participate in a website demo, view product offered by our Publisher Services Vendors, and a lot more! Once complete, stores turned in their entry and anticipated Wednesday’s drawing. We had a huge turnout for the Giveaway Wednesday morning which also included two sponsored product packages from the booth totaling $3,000 retail each. The winners were: Nancy Ford, Words of Wisdom, Swansea, IL And Steve Prickett, Logos of Northern KY, Alexandria, KY Congratulations to Selah, Words of Wisdom, and Logos of Northern KY—We look forward to seeing everyone again next year in St. Louis! http://www.stl-distribution.com/news/id/90/ICRS+$25,000+Giveaway According to the Department of Education’s National Center for Education and Statistics, the number of families homeschooling their children has risen over 35% in the past five years. Retailers can now tap into this growing market by providing quality homeschooling resources and products to their customers through STL Distribution, a not-for-profit company dedicated to serving the Christian retailing community. The 2009 Homeschool Resource Catalog has just been released to participating Christian stores for distribution to homeschooling families in their existing customer base. This 64-page, full-color, catalog features over 1,500 of the current top-selling homeschooling products. The release of this year’s catalog coincides with the beginning of the 2009 “Homeschool Season”—when homeschooling families are selecting their curriculum and resources for the coming school year. Participating stores use the catalog to point their homeschool customers toward the bestselling products and new releases of the current year. According to Rita Allan, Homeschool Operations Manager, not only could stores choose to have fully customizable catalogs and targeted mailings, but the 2009 Consumer Homeschool Catalog was also delivered in mid-March, which was much earlier than ever before. This was so that retailers were better able to take advantage of the Homeschool selling season and conventions held around the country. “We are truly excited about the continuing growth in the home education market,” Allan says. “The STL Homeschool department is working hard to continue satisfying our stores’ expectations in fulfillment and customer service as well as searching out new ways to help all of our retail partners take full advantage of this growing trend.” Allan continues, “We’ve also made vast changes to our website, www.homeschoolstore.com. It is now a view-only reference site for stores and consumers to obtain complete product information on all 7,500 titles supplied to stores through STL and is being revised and updated daily. We also are adding to our title base of quality Homeschool specific products continually, and we always welcome your suggestions.” STL stocks 7,647 homeschool specific titles from over 160 vendors (in addition to other homeschool-related products available through the Wholesale and Publisher Services divisions). A limited number of 2009 Homeschool Resource Catalogs are still available for purchase by stores. To place an order, please contact Melanie Jones at 1-800-289-2772 ext.266. http://www.stl-distribution.com/news/id/89/STL+releases+2009+Homeschool+Resources+Catalog The month of July at STL Distribution North America was an exciting one as we began putting together our “Christmas in July” special. Our goal was to thank our customers by offering deferred payment on qualifying orders and generate more business opportunities for the company. To tie in our “Christmas in July” special to the International Christian Retail Show (ICRS), we planned our entire “model bookstore” to be Christmas-themed to get all of our booth attendees in the spirit. Each day of the show, we gave away dozens of Christmas presents, with two big drawings for product including an iPod Nano, GPS, and digital camera. Not surprisingly, one of the most sought-after giveaways was a $200 gas card. Many retailers eagerly waited for their store name to be called in hopes that they would be able to use the card during their travels home from the show. STL Distribution North America was honored to receive the ICRS Large Booth Total Exhibitor Award on July 15. The award was based on all aspects of the show experience. The judges reviewed all marketing material sent out before and during the show, reviewed the training plan for STL Distribution staff, and compared our booth visuals to others on the floor. The comparison included staff friendliness, booth appearance, cleanliness, overall theme and message. As a result STL-Distribution North America will receive two free booth spaces at ICRS 2009 in Denver, CO. On Thursday we completed our afternoon at the show by giving three stores the chance to take home sponsored product (valued at more than $10,000) from several of our vendors. Although we could not send each store home with a big prize, we let everyone present at the final drawings grab a consolation gift from under the Christmas tree. http://www.stl-distribution.com/news/id/88/ICRS+2008 Partnership Launches High-Engagement Scripture at the Cost of a Greeting Card Authentic Publishing, a division of IBS-STL Global and Zondervan, a leading Christian communications company, have partnered to produce the first NIV Scriptures available through Christian retail that are designed specifically to help Christians reach out to friends and family with the life-changing Word of God. The partnership will launch Finding God, a one-of-a-kind line of high-engagement, feature-rich but low-cost New Testaments, based on the best selling, most trusted New International Version (NIV) translation. The New Testaments will offer quality paper, attractive covers, easy-to-read text, and be available exclusively in Christian retail stores for the first 12 months. “Scripture is the most important resource believers have, so this isn’t just about introducing a product line—it’s about equipping a movement,” said IBS-STL Global Publisher Steve Johnson. “By providing Christian retailers with a high-engagement, high-impact Scripture resources, we can help them help the believers in their communities reach out and share God’s Word.” Zondervan and Authentic Outreach, an imprint of Authentic Publishing, will release four editions in the new line that will retail for $4.99 each: Finding God; Finding God for Men; Finding God for Women; and Finding God for Young Adults. The New Testaments feature an extensive in-text note system designed specifically for each targeted audience. Three individual tracks support the New Testament, including sections titled “The God Who Seeks You,” “The God You Seek,” and “True Encounters.” For more than 30 years, IBS-STL and Zondervan have collaborated to resource Christians with NIV Bible products. The Finding God New Testaments represent the first time IBS-STL has been able to provide this kind of resource to Zondervan for the retail market. Zondervan is the exclusive distributor of Finding God New Testaments, and every copy sold supports IBS-STL’s Bible translation and distribution efforts around the world to put Scripture into the hands of people who need it. “We have been blessed to share a tremendous partnership with IBS-STL for decades and are thrilled to expand our partnership with a line of Bibles that are designed to help transform lives,” said Paul Caminiti, Senior Vice President of Bibles for Zondervan. “For the cost of a greeting card, Finding God New Testaments are the perfect gift to share with family, friends and neighbors. We are confident that retailers will get behind this product line in a major way, as they are truly one-of-a-kind and are perfect for engaging the hearts of those who seek direction from God.” Finding God New Testaments (ISBN 1-934-06874-8) will release in February 2008 at a suggested retail price of $4.99. They feature the NIV translation, the most popular modern English translation of the Bible in the world. With more than 300 million copies in print worldwide, the NIV celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2008. About Authentic Publishing/IBS-STL Global Authentic Publishing is the publishing arm of IBS-STL Global, the merged organization of International Bible Society and Send The Light. The combined organization delivers more Bibles into the hands of more people, in more countries, more efficiently than either could individually. IBS-STL holds the copyrights to the New International Version® (NIV), the Today’s New International Version® (TNIV), and New International Reader’s Version® (NIRV) Bibles. Visit IBS-STL online at www.ibs.org and www.stl.org . About Zondervan Bibles Zondervan is the world’s leading Bible publisher. With a vision to see more people engaging the Bible more, Zondervan offers bestselling study, devotional, reference, text, audio, software, and digital Bibles designed to inspire readers at every age and each stage of life. Zondervan holds exclusive North American publishing rights to the New International Version (NIV) which is celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2008. The most popular modern English translation of the Bible, the NIV has more than 300 million copies in print worldwide. Zondervan also publishes Bibles in the TNIV (Today’s New International Version), NIrV (New International Readers Version), KJV (King James Version), NRSV (New Revised Standard Version), NASB (New American Standard Bible), the Amplified Bible, and parallel Bibles featuring The Message. During the past 75 years, Zondervan, a HarperCollins company, has grown to be a global leader in Christian communications through its bestselling Bibles, books, curriculum, children’s, and new media products. Visit Zondervan Bibles on the Internet at www.zondervan.com/Bibles. http://www.stl-distribution.com/news/id/87/Authentic+Publishing+and+Zondervan+Support+Christian+Outreach+with+First-Ever,+Low-Cost,+High-Quality+Bibles COLORADO SPRINGS, CO (January 9, 2008)—A young girl’s persistence led her all the way from Surinam’s flood-prone jungle interior to a visit with Suriname President Ronald Venetiaan in the capital city of Paramaribo. On Nov. 23, 2007, Roseline Pansa presented Venetiaan the first copy of the IBS-STL Suri Bible (Suri Bijbel). Devastated by severe flooding in May 2006, Suriname’s interior is still struggling to rebuild. Along with other valuables lost in the floods were family Bibles. The region is home to a growing Pentecostal community, as well as sizable Muslim and Hindu populations. Pansa, who travels by canoe to attend Bible studies, searched without success for an affordable Bible. In response to the region’s need, IBS-STL produced the Suri Bible and is distributing it with the support of the Suriname Bible Society, Give Pasture to My Lambs ministry, and donors. The Dutch Living Bible-style paraphrase (Dutch is Suriname’s official language) includes a map of the interior and photo of Pansa on the cover, plus material on the history of Suriname and various Christian organizations. IBS-STL packaged 6,000-plus copies with Sunday school materials, children’s Bibles, and other Christian resources. Approximately 1,000 Bibles will go to Surinamese communities in the Netherlands. On Nov. 24, 2007, about 200 church leaders attended a thanksgiving event for the new Bible. Also in attendance was a representative from the Ministry of Interior. On Nov. 25, Suriname’s Independence Day, church leaders distributed New Testaments to many of the 60,000 visitors enjoying festivities. “This Bible is designed for nonbelievers and new converts,” IBS-STL Netherlands Director Jan Otter said. “We intend to evangelize with the help of this New Testament.” Dutch speakers will find more information on the Suri Bible at http://www.eurobible.net/nl/home. IBS-STL Global is one of the largest Bible and Christian literature ministries in the world, translating the Bible into languages of 1 million or more speakers and distributing Christian resources to people worldwide. It is the translation sponsor of the English-language New International Version (NIV) Bible, today’s most widely read contemporary English translation. The organization’s mission is to engage people with the life-transforming message of Jesus Christ by translating, publishing, and distributing the Bible and other Christian resources throughout the world. IBS-STL holds the copyrights to the English New International Version® (NIV) and Today’s New International Version® (TNIV), as well as 42 international Bible translations. For more information on IBS-STL Global, visit www.ibs.org. http://www.stl-distribution.com/news/id/86/IBS-STL+Distributes+Bibles+in+Flood-Prone+Suriname+Region COLORADO SPRINGS, CO —More than 300 Philippine church leaders, government dignitaries, and IBS-STL translation partners celebrated the Ang Pulong sang Dios Hiligaynon Bible launch November 17, 2007, at Central Philippine University, in Iloilo, Panay, the Philippines. Dedications were also held November 19 in Bacolod City on Negros Island, and December 11 in Mindanao. The dedications were covered live on TV and radio. “Long ago the Bible was only open to the clergy, and ordinary people were prohibited to have a Bible … But today we not only celebrate the liberty to read the Bible but to dedicate the Bible in the language of the people—a Bible they can read and understand,” Iloilo Provincial Governor Niel Tupas Sr. said. Seven translators and 20 reviewers from various Christian denominations worked on the new Hiligaynon Bible, with SIL as a primary translation partner. Sixteen years in the making, it is an accurate, contemporary translation for 7 million Hiligaynon-speaking Filipinos. An additional 4 million people speak Hiligaynon as a second or third language. Two older Hiligaynon Bible translations exist, but archaic language, unnatural grammatical constructions, and exegetical errors make them difficult to use. IBS-STL speakers at the Iloilo and Bacolod dedications included EURASIA Executive Vice President Graham Sopp, East Asia Executive Area Director Bishop Leo Alconga, and East Asia Director of Translations Kermit Titrud. IBS-STL officials presented pastors and government dignitaries with complimentary copies of the new Ang Pulong sang Dios Bible. Translator Ramon Torres quit his job as a Bible school director to work full time on the translation. “I was very excited to help with the project,” he said. “I am very happy that the Bible is being received positively by churches. Every time I hold my Bible in my hands it stirs me to thank the Lord for giving us this wonderful and precious gift—His Word we can now clearly understand.” The IBS-STL translation project began with the popular Hiligaynon New Testament, published a decade ago. Reprinted almost annually, more than 215,000 copies have been distributed to date. International Bible Society and Send The Light merged as IBS-STL Global on March 1, 2007. The combined organization delivers more Bibles into the hands of more people, in more countries, more efficiently than either could individually. The organization holds the copyrights to the English New International Version® (NIV) and Today’s New International Version® (TNIV), as well as 42 international Bible translations. For more information on IBS-STL Global, visit www.ibs.org. http://www.stl-distribution.com/news/id/85/IBS-STL+Launches+Hiligaynon+Bible+for+Philippines After just three years in the U.S. market, STL Distribution North America was honored at the International Christian Retail Show (ICRS) with a Vendor of the Year nomination. The award is given to the vendor who exemplifies quick, accurate service; innovative marketing programs; and excellent customer service. More than 380 exhibitors participated in this year’s ICRS event, and a dozen were nominated for Vendor of the Year. STL Distribution’s heritage is much longer than just three years, however. The organization celebrates its two-year anniversary with the former Appalachian Distributors as its wholesale division, which it purchased in July 2005. With more than 32 years in business, Appalachian was a well-established company when it joined the STL Distribution family. STL Distribution carries on many of the fine traditions of Appalachian, and with recent added improvements in technology and programs, it is now being recognized for excellence. Senior Vice President and Chief Logistics Officer, Robbie Edgar, says, “STL continues to excel in the areas of product selection, technology, and people. We have built upon the core that Tom Torbett, founder and president of Appalachian Distributors, established and thank the stores that have allowed us to serve them.” Two of the hallmarks of STL Distribution and the IBS STL family, as stated by Global President and CEO Keith Danby, are that STL Distribution will be truly “missional” and truly “Christian.” As a missional organization, profits from STL’s trade business are funneled directly into multiple missions projects and ministry organizations around the world. In addition, STL Distribution, as a non-profit organization, does not have any individual owners. http://www.stl-distribution.com/news/id/84/STL+Distribution+is+Honored+with+Vendor+of+the+Year+Nomination