 
| 
Gary
R. Ruddell - President
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Total Biz Fulfillment is a division of Hobby House Press, Inc., which was founded
some 62 years ago as a family owned and operated entity by Paul A. and J. Pauline
Ruddell. Their son, Gary R. Ruddell, continues this tradition as the current owner
and President. |
Originally Hobby House Press bought and distributed books on antiques collecting
to thousands of collectors. The first of many successful publications came off
the press in the early 1960s. The business grew into providing books not only
on antique collecting, but collectibles in general, dolls, and teddy bears—many
having multiple editions. The longest running edition, The Blue Book of Dolls
& Value is now in its 16th edition having approximatelyy 35,000 copies
sold every second year. Currently, Hobby House Press publishes twenty plus new
books annually. Feel free to review www.hobbyhouse.com
to see the many titles currently available.In addition to the books,
in the mid-1970s the company decided to publish a monthly magazine titled Doll
Reader. Its paid circulation grew to about 100,000 units and subsequently
became the bible for the doll collecting industry. A second magazine, Teddy
Bear and Friends, was introduced in 1983 and grew to around 45,000 monthly
paid circulation. Both magazines were subsequently sold in 1992 to Cowles Special
Interest Magazines.  After
the sale of the magazines, the company decided that the previous 50 years of servicing
a wide spectrum of needs of subscribers, merchants, bookstore chains, jobbers,
and independent collectibles stores provided a rich resource of business knowledge
by our Senior Management Team (shown at right). This knowledge could be put to
use in assisting companies grow their brand throughout North America and a separate
division was born under the Total Biz Fulfillment banner.
Since the founding of Total Biz Fulfillment in 1993, this division has flourished
and grown into the dominant trading partner of the parent corporation. Currently
we provide a full suite of logistical, back-office, and light manufacturing services
for 17 different brands ranging from toys, gifts, sports equipment, and soon-to-be
Housewares. In 2004 Total Biz Fulfillment expects to distribute approaching $36,000,000
in wholesale value of product on behalf of our clients. Our Facilities
The current facility was built in four stages as we continued to grow beginning
in 1994 and the most recent expansion was completed in 2003. The facilities consist
of a steel and masonry shell housing over 126,000 square feet of office and warehouse
space. Our location in Grantsville Maryland is strategically
located
near the Port of Baltimore
(2nd largest port on the east coast), which provides
easy, cost effective, port-to-port shipping from both Asia and European locations.
Our location is within one day's common carrier shipping to over 40% of the US
population and central to a myriad of different mass merchants' distribution centers.  Our
Systems
Total Biz Fulfillment utilizes a state-of-the-art IBM AS/400 based
computer system from Assist Cornerstone Technologies along with a robust network
of PCs. This data management software is capable of handling substantial growth
and is supported in-house by our full-time programming staff. It allows the use
of sophisticated operational techniques including the use of radio frequency scanning
devices that assist in maintaining order processing accuracy.
 An
internet-based reporting system is available for manufacturers who desire up-to-the-minute
information on their brand 24 hours per day, seven days per week. In addition,
some of our manufacturers have elected to have selected information migrated directly
into their headquarter based computer system.
Manufacturers may choose
between using our generic toll free line for inbound customer service calls or
to utilize their own toll free line. In either case, our telephone capabilities
include up to 100 independent lines and include advanced voice mail systems for
customer convenience. Our brigade of inbound customer service representatives
answer calls with that human touch and take part in continuous training sessions.
Now
that you know a little about our history, take a moment to explore why we feel
Total Biz Fulfillment could be the perfect solution to your fulfillment and/or
back-office needs. | 
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© Copyright 2001-2004 by Total Biz Fulfillment All rights reserved.
For
any questions or comments contact webmaster@totalbizfulfillment.com.
Total Biz Fulfillment
One Corporate Drive
Grantsville, MD 21536
Phone:
1-800-554-1447
Fax: 301-895-5029 |
