Thanks Again L.L.C.
Owners: Marc Ellis, Ed Puckhaber
Location: Atlanta
Number of full time employees: 9
Founded: 2004
What it does: Provider of consumer loyalty rewards programs in industries that include air travel, restaurants, dry cleaners, and day spas
2008 Revenues: $200,000
2009 Revenues: $200,000
2010 Revenues: $650,000
2011 Revenues: $1.85 million
2012 Projections: $4.5 million
How they made it: Recent deals with major airlines and airports across the country have positioned the company as an important player in the loyalty rewards industry. Thanks Again plans to soon begin offering hotel points as another reward option.
For professionals who spend much of their time traveling above the clouds–or en route from terminal to terminal–nothing says “thank you†better than loyalty rewards programs that offer frequent flier miles for flying or shopping. Thanks Again L.L.C. (www.thanksagain.com) does just that.
A provider of merchant-funded consumer loyalty rewards programs, Thanks Again links customers and their favorite merchants through an incentive program. Customers earn rewards such as airline miles, cash back, or gift cards when they make purchases at participating retail establishments. The company currently has a presence in 168 domestic airports and more than 25,000 local merchants in all 50 states.
CEO Marc Ellis, 41, a former vice president at Wachovia Securities and Chase Manhattan Bank, co-founded Thanks Again in 2004. In the past seven years, the company has seen tremendous growth, having recruited merchants in industries such as airport retailers, golf courses, dry cleaners, day spas, restaurants, and limousine services. It has also formed partnerships with major airlines such as Alaska Airlines, Continental, Delta, United, and US Airways. Thanks Again employs nine full-time and three part-time employees and also provides consumer data analytics to its business partners, showing them how their customers spend and the best ways to engage them. The company generated revenues of $650,000 in 2010; it is expected to reach $1.85 million for 2011.
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