GRAYDON TAKES ON D&B IN THE S.E.

THE GRAYDON GROUP IS COUNTING ON ITS INTERNATIONAL NETWORK OF DATABASES TO PROVIDE AN EDGE IN THE COMPETITIVE FIELD OF CREDIT REPORTING SERVICES FOR EXPORTING COMPANIES.  THIS NETHERLANDS-BASED ASSOCIATION OPENED A U.S. OFFICE IN NEW YORK CITY FIVE YEARS AGO, AND EXPANDED ITS OPERATIONS TO CHICAGO, SAN FRANCISCO AND MOST RECENTLY TO MARIETTA.

BY ENTERING THE U.S. IT INVADED THE HOME TERRITORY OF DUN & BRADSTREET (D&B), THE WORLD’S LEADING SUPPLIER OF MARKETING AND BUSINESS INFORMATION.  BUT GRAYDON’S MANAGERS FELT THAT THEY COULD CARVE OUT A NICHE FOR THE COMPANY BY COMPETING WITH DAB ON PRICE OF REPORTS, ON PROVIDING CONTINUALLY UPDATE INFORMATION FROM ANYWHERE IN THE HE WORLD AND ON CUSTOMER SERVICE.

GRAYDON HIRED VERNE J. GAY JR. TO HEAD ITS U.S. OPERATIONS.  HE HAD WORKED AS A COUNTRY MANAGER IN AUSTRALIA AND AS A REGIONAL DIRECTOR IN LATIN AMERICA FOR D&B AND ALSO ADMINISTERED THE DEVELOPMENT OF D&B’S INTERNATIONAL STRATEGY AS A VICE PRESIDENT AT CORPORATE HEADQUARTERS IN NEW YORK.

SO FAR GRAYDON’S STRATEGY HAS SERVED THE COMPANY WELL, ENABLING IT TO EXPAND ITS CUSTOMER BASE TO SOME 2,000 CLIENTS, SAID LEN BRODEUR, GRAYDON’S SOUTHEAST SALES REPRESENTATIVE.  AS THE REGION’S TRADE WITH LATIN AMERICA EXPANDS AND SINCE LATIN AMERICA REPRESENTS 15% OF ITS BUSINESS, HE SAID THAT THE COMPANY WILL BE WELL POSITIONED TO ASSIST COMPANIES TRADING IN THAT PART OF THE WORLD.

INCREASED INTEREST IN THE GLOBAL ECONOMY ALSO HAS HELPED THE COMPANY HE SAID, AS THE DEMAND FOR CREDIT REPORTS ON FOREIGN COMPANIES EXPANDS.  IS THE GLOBAL ECONOMY FOR REAL? HE ASKED RHETORICALLY. ALL I CA SAY IS THAT I GET CALLS EVERYDAY, AND EVERYBODY I TALK WITH IS THINKING OF GOING INTERNATIONAL.

INSTEAD OF REQUIRING STANDARD FORMS AS D&B DOES, GRAYDON ALLOWS THE CORRESPONDENT COMPANIES TO SEND THEM INFORMATION AS THEY WANT TO.  AS LONG AS THESE COMPANIES MEET OUR STANDARDS, WE LET THEM GO AHEAD THE WAY THEY ARE USED TO, HE SAID.  FOR EXAMPLE THE MEXICANS DON’T REALLY LIKE TO GIVE OUT INFORMATION.  BUT IF WE LET THEM KNOW WHO IS ASKING FOR THE INFORMATION, THEY FEEL MORE COMFORTABLE, AND THEY KNOW THAT WE WON’T CHANGE IT TO FIT ANY PARTICULAR FORMULA THAT WE WANT.  THIS WAY WE PROBABLY GET MORE INFORMATION, AND IT’S APT TO BE A LITTLE MORE COLORFUL AND REVEALING ABOUT A PARTICULAR COMPANY. DUTCH COMPANIES, VENDEX INTERNATIONAL AND NEDERLANDSCHE  CREDIETVERZEKERING MAATSCHAPPIJ NV, WHICH EACH OWNED TWO WELL-ESTABLISHED SUCCESSFUL CREDIT REPORTING, MARKETING AND COLLECTION SUBSIDIARIES.  TWO YEARS LATER, THEY EXPANDED BY ACQUIRING A LONDON-BASED AGENCY, AND HAVE SINCE EXPANDED BY ACQUIRING OTHER FIRMS IN ITALY, FRANCE AND GERMANY.  GRAYDON COMPRISES MORE THAN 500 EMPLOYEES AND HAS AN ANNUAL REVENUE OF U.S. $60 MILLION.

GRAYDON ALSO HAS ASSOCIATE RELATIONSHIPS WITH SCRL IN PARIS, WHICH HAS EXTENSIVE OPERATIONS IN SPAIN, PORTUGAL AND ITALY; BWI IN BURGEL, GERMANY; BUSINESS DATA ISRAEL IN TEL AVIV; AND EBC IN STAMFORD, CT. BASED ON THEIR INTERNATIONAL NETWORK, GRAYDON HOLDING FOUNDED EUROGATE TO BRING ON LINE THE DATA BASE RESOURCES OF ITS MEMBERS AS WELL AS EUROPE’S MAJOR CREDIT INSURANCE AGENCIES, NCM, COFACE AND HERMES.