Quill Corporation
Encyclopedia
Quill Corporation is the largest mail-order office supply retailer in the United States with revenues of $1.3B per year and EBITDA of over 20%. Currently headquartered in Lincolnshire, Illinois
, Quill offers more than 200,000 products including school and office supplies, office machines, furniture, technology
, cleaning and breakroom, custom-printed and promotional
products. Over 70% of Quill's sales are conducted online.
Quill is currently owned by Staples, Inc.
and is recognized as their most profitable division, accounting for nearly 25% of the company's net income. Between 1998 and 2009, Quill grew from $500 million in revenues to over $1.3 billion. The company is still one of Staples' fastest growing divisions and is led by Michael Patriarca, President of Quill Corporation.
. Initially lacking retail experience, the young entrepreneur relied heavily on his face-to-face selling techniques to drive revenue. With the assistance of Jack's brother Harvey, the two evolved their marketing strategies to include mail-order campaigns that enticed potential customers with substantially discounted prices and free shipping - transforming Quill Corporation into one of the first mail-order companies in the United States. In 1974, Quill reported annual sales of $3.5 million. During the early and mid-1980s, the company's revenues skyrocketed, amounting to $180 million in 1986. Its mail-order business was the most successful within the office supplies market, with more than 40 million catalogues and flyers sent to a customer base of approximately 600,000 businesses and organizations, and listing more than 9,000 various office supplies and products. In 1996, the company launched the web site Quill.com. In the winter of 1998, Quill Corporation was acquired by Staples, Inc.
for approximately $685 million. Jack Miller utilized funds from the sale of Quill to create the Jack Miller Center.
Quill added a larger assortment of "green" products including paper, cleaning and breakroom, filing and binder products, as well as a laser cartridge recycling box that is free to order and free to return to Quill.
purchased the Minneapolis-based company for $385 million. Since 1950, Medical Arts Press has helped healthcare practices meet their unique front-office supply needs. Medical Arts Press carries the industry's largest selection of specialty filing and general office supplies, 100% government-compliant forms, code books, office furnishings, imprinted patient communication and giveaways, ink and toner, breakroom supplies and more.
In addition to the acquisition of Medical Arts Press, Quill also obtained SmileMakers and Hayes Marketing Inc. (HMI). Both provide creative products to help build patient loyalty and promote practices with giveaway items, promotional postcards, greeting cards and more.
campaign was launched. In conjunction with a program to migrate catalog shoppers to the Web site, Quill.com, the goal of the campaign was to encourage shopping online for a faster, simpler way to shop for office supplies.
Lincolnshire, Illinois
Lincolnshire is a village in the Vernon Township region of Lake County, in the U.S. state of Illinois. The village is a suburb of Chicago, a city in the adjacent Cook County. Its population was 6,108 at the time of the 2000 census. Lincolnshire was incorporated on August 5, 1957, from the...
, Quill offers more than 200,000 products including school and office supplies, office machines, furniture, technology
Technology
Technology is the making, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or perform a specific function. It can also refer to the collection of such tools, machinery, and procedures. The word technology comes ;...
, cleaning and breakroom, custom-printed and promotional
Promotion (marketing)
Promotion is one of the four elements of marketing mix . It is the communication link between sellers and buyers for the purpose of influencing, informing, or persuading a potential buyer's purchasing decision....
products. Over 70% of Quill's sales are conducted online.
Quill is currently owned by Staples, Inc.
Staples, Inc.
Staples Inc. is a large office supply chain store, with over 2,000 stores worldwide in 26 countries. Based in Framingham, Massachusetts, United States, the company has retail stores, serving customers under its original name in Austria, Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Norway,...
and is recognized as their most profitable division, accounting for nearly 25% of the company's net income. Between 1998 and 2009, Quill grew from $500 million in revenues to over $1.3 billion. The company is still one of Staples' fastest growing divisions and is led by Michael Patriarca, President of Quill Corporation.
History
Quill Corporation was the outgrowth of an idea by Jack Miller . In 1956, with a small loan of $2,000 from Jack's father-in-law, a desk, chair and two phones, Quill's first office was established in the back room of his father's poultry shop on the north side of ChicagoChicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. Initially lacking retail experience, the young entrepreneur relied heavily on his face-to-face selling techniques to drive revenue. With the assistance of Jack's brother Harvey, the two evolved their marketing strategies to include mail-order campaigns that enticed potential customers with substantially discounted prices and free shipping - transforming Quill Corporation into one of the first mail-order companies in the United States. In 1974, Quill reported annual sales of $3.5 million. During the early and mid-1980s, the company's revenues skyrocketed, amounting to $180 million in 1986. Its mail-order business was the most successful within the office supplies market, with more than 40 million catalogues and flyers sent to a customer base of approximately 600,000 businesses and organizations, and listing more than 9,000 various office supplies and products. In 1996, the company launched the web site Quill.com. In the winter of 1998, Quill Corporation was acquired by Staples, Inc.
Staples, Inc.
Staples Inc. is a large office supply chain store, with over 2,000 stores worldwide in 26 countries. Based in Framingham, Massachusetts, United States, the company has retail stores, serving customers under its original name in Austria, Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Norway,...
for approximately $685 million. Jack Miller utilized funds from the sale of Quill to create the Jack Miller Center.
Environmental responsibility
In an effort to be more environmentally friendlyEnvironmentally friendly
Environmentally friendly are terms used to refer to goods and services, laws, guidelines and policies claimed to inflict minimal or no harm on the environment....
Quill added a larger assortment of "green" products including paper, cleaning and breakroom, filing and binder products, as well as a laser cartridge recycling box that is free to order and free to return to Quill.
Online
The domain quill.com attracted at least 1 million visitors annually by 2008, according to a Compete.com survey. The online community, Office Living was launched in November 2006 with a variety of articles from tips to recipes that are useful for a busy office professional.Acquisitions
In July 2002, Medical Arts Press became a subsidiary of Quill when Staples, Inc.Staples, Inc.
Staples Inc. is a large office supply chain store, with over 2,000 stores worldwide in 26 countries. Based in Framingham, Massachusetts, United States, the company has retail stores, serving customers under its original name in Austria, Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Norway,...
purchased the Minneapolis-based company for $385 million. Since 1950, Medical Arts Press has helped healthcare practices meet their unique front-office supply needs. Medical Arts Press carries the industry's largest selection of specialty filing and general office supplies, 100% government-compliant forms, code books, office furnishings, imprinted patient communication and giveaways, ink and toner, breakroom supplies and more.
In addition to the acquisition of Medical Arts Press, Quill also obtained SmileMakers and Hayes Marketing Inc. (HMI). Both provide creative products to help build patient loyalty and promote practices with giveaway items, promotional postcards, greeting cards and more.
"So fast, so simple" slogan
In 2006, Quill's "So fast, so simple" brandingBrand management
Brand management is the application of marketing techniques to a specific product, product line, or brand.The discipline of brand management was started at Procter & Gamble as a result of a famous memo by Neil H...
campaign was launched. In conjunction with a program to migrate catalog shoppers to the Web site, Quill.com, the goal of the campaign was to encourage shopping online for a faster, simpler way to shop for office supplies.
Timeline
- 1956 – Quill is founded by Jack Miller in Chicago, IL
- 1957 – Brother Harvey joins the business and Quill moves into its first real office and warehouseWarehouseA warehouse is a commercial building for storage of goods. Warehouses are used by manufacturers, importers, exporters, wholesalers, transport businesses, customs, etc. They are usually large plain buildings in industrial areas of cities and towns. They usually have loading docks to load and unload...
- 1963 – Quill's first big mail-order catalog is introduced
- 1974 – Quill reports annual sales of $3.5 million
- 1974 – Arnold joins his brothers in the family business
- 1986 - Quill reports annual revenues of $180 million
- 1992 – United States Supreme Court case Quill Corp. v. North DakotaQuill Corp. v. North DakotaQuill Corp. v. North Dakota, 504 U.S. 298 is a Supreme Court ruling concerning use tax. Quill Corporation is an office supply retailer...
in which Quill took the position that North DakotaNorth DakotaNorth Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America, along the Canadian border. The state is bordered by Canada to the north, Minnesota to the east, South Dakota to the south and Montana to the west. North Dakota is the 19th-largest state by area in the U.S....
does not have the power to make Quill collect a use tax from North Dakota customers - 1995 – A wide range of school supplies are added, such as crayons, rulers, audiovisual equipment, erasers, and other items to meet the needs of primary and secondary students
- 1996 – Quill.com is launched
- 1997 - Quill weathers the UPS strike.
- 1998 – Quill is acquired by Staples, Inc.Staples, Inc.Staples Inc. is a large office supply chain store, with over 2,000 stores worldwide in 26 countries. Based in Framingham, Massachusetts, United States, the company has retail stores, serving customers under its original name in Austria, Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Norway,...
- 2000 – Larry Morse is named President
- July, 2002 – Medical Arts Press becomes a subsidiary of Quill
- 2004 – Quill is awarded the "Circle of Excellence" Platinum Award by BizRate.com (a ShopzillaShopzillaShopzilla is a price comparison service. Founded in June 1996 by Farhad Mohit and Henri Asseily as Binary Compass Enterprises, the company changed its name to BizRate.com in January 1999...
Company) for customer service - 2006 – "So fast, so simple" branding campaign launched
- April, 2006 – "Clips" the Quill chicken and official mascot of Quill's 50th anniversary is "hatched"
- June 23, 2006 – Quill celebrates its 50th anniversary
- 2007 – Quill is recognized by J.D. Power and AssociatesJ.D. Power and AssociatesJ.D. Power and Associates is a global marketing information services firm founded in 1968 by James David Power III. The firm conducts surveys of customer satisfaction, product quality, and buyer behavior for industries ranging from cars to marketing and advertising firms. The firm is best known for...
for providing "An Outstanding Customer Service Experience", expands to 12 distribution centers with the addition of 1 in Denver, ColoradoDenver, ColoradoThe City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
, and attains 70% of total sales online at Quill.com - 2008 – Quill launches the Green Scene initiative with environmentally friendlyEnvironmentally friendlyEnvironmentally friendly are terms used to refer to goods and services, laws, guidelines and policies claimed to inflict minimal or no harm on the environment....
products and business practices - 2008 - Quill is recognized for the second year in a row by J.D. Power and AssociatesJ.D. Power and AssociatesJ.D. Power and Associates is a global marketing information services firm founded in 1968 by James David Power III. The firm conducts surveys of customer satisfaction, product quality, and buyer behavior for industries ranging from cars to marketing and advertising firms. The firm is best known for...
- 2008 – Michael Patriarca succeeds Larry Morse and is appointed senior vice president of Staples
- 2009 - Quill launches their own YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
page with a new "Ask Quill" campaign - 2009 - Quill rebrands to Quill.com and updates tag line to "Best experience in office products"
- 2009 - Quill.com launches a FacebookFacebookFacebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
page and TwitterTwitterTwitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
feed 'Quillcom'