Yakima Products Selects CenterStone’s iVendix

For immediate release, Beaverton, Oregon and Denver, Colo. – CenterStone Technologies, Inc., an international developer of Web-based sales order management software for manufacturers of apparel, footwear, equipment and accessories, today announced that Yakima Products of Beaverton, Oregon has selected the company’s iVendix software application. iVendix will provide Yakima with a business-to-business (B2B) online ordering solution for their retail dealers and sales reps in North America. When Yakima goes “live” on the application, dealers and sales reps will be able to view automated catalogs, check on the availability of product, place orders, and track and monitor the status of those orders using iVendix since it is accessible 24/7 via the Web.

“CenterStone is a respected leader in online B2B solutions, especially in the outdoor recreation, cycling and snowsports markets,” said Ron Ten Berge, vice president of sales and business development for Yakima. “With thousands of specialty retailers already using CenterStone’s Web-based application, Yakima dealers will be quick to embrace this technology and to conduct business with Yakima 24/7, enabling them to spend more time on the shop floor with their customers.”

“CenterStone has built a strong following among the specialty retail community in the cycling, outdoor recreation and snowsports industries,” said Tom Detmer, chief executive officer of CenterStone Technologies. We have thousands of specialty retailers that are already very comfortable using our online B2B solution to check availability, place, and track orders for dozens of other brands. And so we’re pleased that Yakima has joined this growing groundswell of manufactures who have listened to their customers – the specialty retailer. After all, it is the specialty retailer that truly supports, promotes and protects the Yakima brand. Clearly the senior management team at Yakima understands the unique value that the specialty retail distribution channel provides, and wants to maintain it as a distinct, strong and vibrant channel for their brand. We are truly excited that such a well-known consumer brand as Yakima Products has selected CenterStone for their B2B solution.”

“We interact with hundreds of specialty retailers every day, and they are very vocal about wanting to conduct business at their convenience on a 24/7 basis using the CenterStone B2B solution. According to our most recent retail survey results, 54 percent of retailers spend more with vendors who have online ordering systems like CenterStone’s, and they spend, on average, 13 percent more with these vendors. Our iVendix solution delivers a large and extensive user community that is continuing to grow at a very rapid pace. And it is the adoption rate by this user community that will drive the ROI for Yakima and will help them continue to grow their brand in the specialty retail channel,” Detmer said.

Brands that currently use CenterStone’s Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) model and make the company’s other solutions available to retail customers and sales reps include: The North Face, JanSport, Vans, Reef and VF Imagewear, part of VF Corporation (NYSE: VFC); Pearl Izumi, a division of Nautilus, Inc. (NYSE: NLS); Marmot Mountain, Ex Officio, Marker Apparel, Adio Footwear and Planet Earth, brands of Jarden Corporation (NYSE: JAH); Under Armour (NYSE: UA); Helly Hansen; Perry Ellis Intl. (NASDAQ: PERY); Geneva Watch Group; Cleveland Golf, and Fidra Golf, part of Quiksilver, (NYSE: ZQK); SmartWool, a division of Timberland (NYSE: TBL); RipCurl; Billabong; Sport Obermeyer; Smith Optics; KHS Bicycles; Dale of Norway; O’Neill Clothing; Hot Chillys; Petzl; Sole Technology; Icebreaker; Four Star Distribution; Buck Knives; Fresh Produce Sportswear and others.

About Yakima Products
Yakima is a world leader in the design and manufacture of destination hardware and gear management solutions. Yakima’s products include: vehicle racks for bikes, boats, ski equipment and gear; and a line of cargo boxes and bags for a variety of needs. Yakima Products is headquartered in Beaverton, Oregon. For more information, visit www.yakima.com or contact Mike Steck at 971.249.7500.

About CenterStone Technologies, Inc.
CenterStone Technologies, Inc. operates a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform and provides Web-based sales order management applications in six languages and local currencies in North America and Europe with widespread adoption by specialty retailers and sales reps on those continents. As a result, CenterStone’s international e-commerce solutions are on track to process more than one billion dollars in wholesale transactions in 2007. iVendix and Escape applications open a new marketplace for vendors by enabling retail dealers and sales reps to view online catalogs and inventory availability, create sales proposals and to place preseason orders, reorders, and retail employee orders more effectively and efficiently with their vendors. CenterStone Technologies makes vendors more competitive by providing increased inventory turns at retail, reduced customer service costs, and greater speed to market, thus improving relationships with their customers — retail dealers. Additional information about CenterStone Technologies, Inc., based in Denver, Colo., with offices in San Diego, Calif., and Paris, France, can be found on the company’s Web site at www.centerstonetech.com or by contacting Pat Smith, OnTarget Public Relations, at 303-333-1516.


Editor’s Note: Product and company names mentioned herein may be trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective owners.
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