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Patnerships and Acquisitions for 10 Oct 05: CR Certification Corp. and OnVantage -- Amphenol and Teradyne -- Geek Squad and U2
[October 10, 2005]

Patnerships and Acquisitions for 10 Oct 05: CR Certification Corp. and OnVantage -- Amphenol and Teradyne -- Geek Squad and U2


By DAVID SIMS
TMCnet CRM Alert Columnist

Partnerships and acquisitions noted today:
 

CR Certification Corporation ("CardioReady"), an information source for cardiac emergency readiness programs, has extended its partnership with OnVantage, Inc., a supplier of marketing and corporate spend management products for professional meetings and events.

The OnVantage Marketplace for Meetings will identify meeting facilities that meet cardiac emergency preparedness standards. The American Heart Association will provide CPR/AED training, materials and resources in support of industry-wide education initiatives, including web sites, e-newsletters, and industry tradeshows.
…

 

Amphenol Corporation has announced that it has reached an agreement to acquire the Connection Systems division of Teradyne, Inc. for approximately $390 million in cash, subject to a post closing working capital adjustment. The sale is subject to regulatory approval and customary closing conditions and is expected to close in the fourth quarter.

Teradyne Connection Systems, headquartered in Nashua, New Hampshire, is a supplier of high-speed, high-density, printed circuit board interconnect products. TCS has annual sales of approximately $380 million and sells its products primarily to the data communications, storage and server markets, wireless infrastructure markets and industrial markets.
…

 
Hey, when press releases are this well-written we'll quote 'em:
 
In another step toward its endless pursuit of world domination, Geek Squad(R), the 24-hour computer support task force, confirmed earlier reports that it has partnered with Clear Channel to provide complete computer support for the U2 World Tour. As part of this relationship, a Geek Squad Agent accompanies the tour at all stops, providing computer support for the production crew, the band and other members of the touring company, including roadies.


"At some point during the early 90s -- right around the time Bill Gates became the richest man in the world--it was clear that the geeks were taking over," said Robert Stephens, founder and chief inspector, Geek Squad. "It was only a matter of time before Geek Squad Agents became rock stars unto themselves."

Agent Joshua Kapellen (or Special Agent 41) is the Geek Squad representative accompanying the U2 World Tour. Kapellen has been on the road since March of this year, traveling with the tour through North America and Europe, taming unruly computers, establishing and securing wireless networks necessary for the on-stage show and backstage production, and enabling online gaming capabilities for the crew. Even former high school classmates are stunned and encouraged by Agent Kapellen's current mission.

"I always knew Josh would be a computer whiz, but now look at him, he's big time," said Matt Lund, former classmate of Joshua Kapellen. "I should have spent more time studying and working with computers and maybe I could be in his shoes now."

"Now that I'm on the road with this incredible tour, people expect me to be this crazy, larger-than-life person," said Kapellen. "I don't know what to tell them; I'm still the same guy who reads computer manuals on Saturday nights."

 
 

David Sims is contributing editor for TMCnet. For more articles by David Sims, please visit:

 
 

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