ABOUT FOUNDERS AND ADVANCED-ONLINE
THE BEGINNING
Mike and Peg Standish started Advanced Graphic Products Inc. in 1985 from their garage selling filing systems to hospitals and binders/manuals to corporations. Beginning in 1987, Advanced began manufacturing products in a small facility in Irving, Texas. Binder and print manufacturing expanded to a larger facility in Dallas in 1989.
During the early 90’s, the company began to gradually phase down the filing systems business with the expected gradual transition to electronic medical records replacing filing systems in the healthcare market. At the same time, the company expanded the graphics related products offering for the corporate market.
TRANSITION TO GRAPHICS
In the mid 90’s, Mike looked at CD ROMs and knew these would gradually replace the marketing and training manuals sold by Advanced. Bonnie Business Forms, a full-service printing company was purchased in 1997 and integrated into the Advanced production operation.
The following year, Critic’s Choice, an apparel screen printer and embroiderer for the sports industry was purchased by Advanced. The overall goal was to transform Advanced Graphic Products Inc. into a full-service graphics-related product manufacturer to sell to corporate clientele already served by the company.
CORPORATE ONLINE STORES
Creating A New Business Model
In 1998 Trammell Crow Company asked Mike to take over their “company store” program involving branded merchandise and printed products ordered by fax and shipped to locations across the US.
Building Unique Advantages
This new business model was successful providing a market advantage selling “stores” to help corporate clients control their brand and spending, automate processes, and serve their locations. Advanced began to phase out of a full-service graphics model to an online store provider for corporate clients.
Early To Market Online
After changing our go-to-market name to Advanced-Online, we continued to invest in software and automated processes for online ordering, reporting, spending controls, direct to floor production processes to build a business model that has not been duplicated by any competitor in the world.
NEW MARKETS-COLLEGE, FRATERNITY, SORORITY STORES
CREATING A POWERFUL MARKET POSITION
Over time, Mike’s team developed state of the art integrated software unlike and superior to any competitor in the online store marketplace. All functions in the organization from customer service, billing, product loading, and production processes have been automated at the highest levels.
The production facility added capability for embroidery, engraving, screen-printing, digital printing, offset printing, pad printing, full service bindery, food services, and other processes and capabilities unlike any facility in the world to fulfill online store orders.
MOVING TO NEW OPPORTUNITIES!
In late 2015, Follett Corporation purchased Advanced-Online to gain access to the proprietary software capabilities and unique production processes developed by Mike and his team to expand their offering in the college market. Mike continued to manage the company to provide a seamless transition for the management team.
Kratos was created to utilize past business experience to help fund non-profits dedicated to helping inner-city children become successful.
Kratos will help non-profits and small to mid-sized businesses develop successful business strategies, branding, marketing, sales, and operational efficiencies using technology and will provide branded merchandise and printed products to their clients.
20% of revenue from Kratos will be donated to a select group of children’s non-profits Mike and Peg support. Customers will select which non-profit they wish their purchases to support.