| MBI, Inc. |
47 Richards Avenue,
Norwalk,
CT
06857 |
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(203) 853-2000
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Catering to the country's collectors
You'd be surprised how many people buy those "Limited Edition Genuine Die-Cast Model T Replicas," "Commemorative Plate" collections, and "antique burgundy" leather-bound copies of Black Beauty. In 1996 MBI Inc., the company that operates Danbury Mint, Easton Press, and the Postal Commemorative Society, boasted $350 million in sales. Direct marketing is big business, accounting for 15 percent of all consumer purchases in America and 50 percent of advertising revenue. MBI opened its arms to American home shoppers in 1969 and the company's profits have increased every year since then. MBI creates and launches over 500 new products "designed to enhance the quality of life" every year and is one of the country's largest advertisers.
Get those plates out, fast!
The company's structure is based on the Product Group, and Product Managers are totally responsible for managing approximately one hundred products each throughout the year. The organization of the company is such that there are only three levels of upper management - program manager, division director, and president. Streamlined bureaucracy means that the turn-around time for developing and introducing a new product is only a day or two, hence the high volume of MBI's direct marketing. The company's major competition comes from home shopping networks (who thought Zsa Zsa Gabor could be so threatening?) and other direct-marketing companies, including the Franklin Mint and the Bradford Exchange. However, MBI's sales indicate that it is holding its own against Zsa Zsa and QVC. Go ahead and giggle at your Aunt Thelma's "Dolls of the Old South" collection; MBI is laughing all the way to the bank.
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The hiring process is as follows: send a resume to the Personnel Manager. Wait for a call back. If you do get called, MBI invites you to its offices in Norwalk for a half day of interviews with three or four program managers and a division director. The firm will put out-of-town applicants up in a local hotel if necessary. MBI recruits at top schools and looks for the usual combination of strong academics and leadership ability. The company also has a limited number of summer internship positions.
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Elvis impersonators
The hours at MBI are "pretty light." Insiders say they work "8 a.m. to 6:30" and that the company "shuts down the building and kicks us out after 9 p.m. and on weekends." Management informants report the "pay is high considering that the hours are so good," especially when compared to other management jobs. Employees are not treated as plebes. In fact, one insider comments, "superiors are VERY solicitous of good ideas from junior employees." The social interaction among employees is "pretty good," and managers are "expected" to eat together in the company cafeteria. For MBI's 25th anniversary party in 1994, employees were treated to "talking robots and Elvis impersonators" - in addition to a welcome cash bonus.
A car, a house, a dog, 2.3 kids, and cheesy memorabilia
Insiders say the company is "very receptive" to women and is "family oriented," with new mothers getting "good maternity leave." However, cutting-edge it is not. One source complains that "the atmosphere is permeated by a suburban mindset. The lunchrooom conversations veer towards minivans, private schools, and camcorders." Also, there are "really no minorities" in management positions, possibly a "side-effect" of MBI's "nauseatingly suburban surroundings." While satisfaction is fairly high, there is relatively "high turnover," as some people "tend to feel embarrassed" about selling "dolls and spice racks to Midwestern housewives." As for prestige, most people "have never heard of MBI" and employees tend to identify it to outsiders as "the company that sells the Elvis plates." If you like collecting such stuff, though, you?'ll enjoy the 50 percent employee discount on MBI merchandise.
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Human Resources
Collectible plates;Model cars;Dolls;Spice racks;Leather-bound books
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