About Us | BDS Connected Solutions For Retail Marketing

Our Mission

BDS creates fully-integrated, people-led, digital-first, customer-obsessed solutions that spread brand enthusiasm, simplify the sale, and influence every step in the buyer’s journey — any time, any place, and any way.

Our Core Values

Authenticity

is coming from a place of truth.

Be true to yourself and be real with others. Share the whole picture: the good, the bad, and the ugly. Set clear expectations, live by your word, and always assume good intentions.

Truth
Forth-rightness
Reliability
Integrity

Agility

is being fast and flexible.

Know the lay of the land and what lies ahead. Trust your instincts but know when to get creative. Put things together in new ways. Embrace change and act bravely.

Flexibility
Speed
Foresight
Creative Ideas

Achievement

is getting it done right.

Know your desired results, break it down into meaningful goals and be relentless in pursuing it. Use what you know works, and don’t reinvent the wheel. When things get tough, get tougher.

Goal-oriented
Discipline Action
Passion
Resilience

35 Years Of Excellence And Counting

BDS was founded in 1984 as a field marketing agency by three partners (Baker, Dean, and Sherwood) whose vision was to provide an excellent working environment for employees. They believed that by putting employees first, employees would in turn take exceptional care of their clients. The rest was history.

In the early years, BDS was a boutique agency that ran consumer promotions and sampling events.

Since then, we have grown to become the leading marketing and sales solution provider in the United States. Today, BDS and our employee base of 7,000 representatives have the privilege of collaborating with Fortune 500 brands, world-class manufacturers, and global retailers.

BDS Is A Powerhouse Company That Has Flourished Through A Number Of Notable Acquisitions

Those strategic partnerships have allowed us to develop a robust suite of integrated solutions to meet our clients’ ever-changing needs and influence the modern customer journey — at any time, in any place, and in any way.

‘06

The first major addition to BDS was in 2006 when we acquired Channel Partners to enrich our Training and Assisted Sales offerings. The following year, Keystone Marketing Specialists was acquired, which added the Flex Force shared model, along with the Retail Access training platform.

‘13

Later in 2013, BDS brought RMSe on board to offer Installation and Construction services as an in-house capability, further expanding our solutions to include the retail environment.

‘16

In 2016, BDS partnered with Apollo Retail Specialists and its equity partners to form BDS Solutions Group, LLC., a platform organization that has allowed us to significantly expand our field team and service offerings to influence buying decisions throughout the entire customer journey, including the post-purchase stage.

‘17

Then in 2017, we acquired digital marketing agency WOWbrands, to generate demand and influence sales in the digital space.

‘18

To continue to further our footprint beyond brick-and-mortar, we acquired award-winning experiential agency, MAG, in 2018 to connect with consumers through real life and virtual events.

‘21

Most recently, in 2021, BDSmktg and Creative Channel joined to form the industry’s most progressive, sales-powered channel solutions provider, integrating as one company – BDS Connected Solutions.

While we have evolved quite a bit over the years, one thing has never changed: our culture. We continue to be driven by being a People-Led, Digital-First, Customer-Obsessed organization.

Additionally, we are proud to staff award-winning industry experts and amazing teams of hard-working people who we call colleagues and friends. We’ve worked our fair share of late nights, weekends, and client emergencies, and we have lots of great stories to tell. Just ask any BDSer. Better yet, let’s create a new story together!

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