THE GARLINGHOUSE COMPANY MERGES WITH
THE COOL HOUSE PLANS COMPANY:
Two leading home plan providers create the nation's
largest single source for home designs.
BEAUFORT, S.C., December 21, 2005 - Virtual Marketing Concepts, LLC. (VMC), Beaufort, S.C., announced today that on January 1, 2006, Active Interest Media will merge the assets of The Garlinghouse Company, LLC with The COOL House Plans Company (http://www.COOLhouseplans.com), a fully-owned subsidiary of VMC and one of the foremost providers of home plans on the Internet. The combined collections of the two companies will exceed 30,000 home and project plans, making it the largest provider of home plans in America. The COOL House Plans and Garlinghouse websites will continue to be run independently under a newly formed House Plans Division of VMC. D. Jarret Magbee, former president and co-founder of COOLhouseplans.com will serve as the President of Internet Operations & Architectural Designs. Bruce Arant, former national sales director at Garlinghouse, will take on the new role of Editorial Director and will continue to oversee the lumberyard and book channel businesses. The VMC House Plans Division will be based in Chantilly, Va., where Garlinghouse currently runs its base of operations. Walt Raczkowski, president of Virtual Marketing Concepts, stated that "everyone at VMC is enthusiastic about the addition of Garlinghouse, the nation's oldest publisher of house plans, magazines, and books." Garlinghouse presently distributes home plans through its website http://www.familyhomeplans.com, newsstands, national book chains and lumberyards.
About Virtual Marketing Concepts, LLC.
VMC, founded in 1996, is a website design, marketing and hosting company operating under the leadership of Walt Raczkowski, D. Jarret Magbee and Walt Gnann. VMC currently employs 10 and hosts over 300 web sites. VMC will continue to provide Internet hosting and web marketing services for the combined plans businesses.
About COOLhouseplans.com
The COOL house plans company is the top independent house plan broker on the Internet, formed in 1997 by D. Jarret Magbee and Walt Raczkowski. The COOL house plans website receives the highest number of unique visitors of all the independent house plan brokers on the Internet. The company represents over 100 of the nation's top home designers and architects. COOLhouseplans.com will continue to publish plans through its website and intends to publish its first COOL house plan book in 2006.
About Garlinghouse
Founded in 1907, The Garlinghouse Company, a leading brand in the industry, has earned its long-standing reputation with millions of homeowners who have discovered their dream homes through Garlinghouse publications. As America's first and oldest publisher of home plans, Garlinghouse offers a diverse collection of its own home and project plans. Additionally, the company represents over 70 independent architects and home designers, whose designs are published in the Garlinghouse collection of home plan books, newsstand magazines and on the Internet through its website http://www.familyhomeplans.com.
About Active Interest Media
Active Interest Media ("AIM") is a dynamic media company, formed in October 2003 by Wind Point Partners and Efrem "Skip" Zimbalist III. AIM is an acquirer of enthusiast magazines, in addition to related books and trade shows. AIM seeks to acquire and build market-leading enthusiast publishing, direct marketing and event management organizations serving niche consumer growth markets. AIM has offices in El Segundo, California and Chantilly, Va.
BEAUFORT, S.C., December 21, 2005 - Virtual Marketing Concepts, LLC. (