Touchstone has acquired a controlling interest in Fanattik, LLC.  Fanattik, based in Cincinnati, OH, is a leading provider of custom designed apparel programs focused on High School, College, Team and Organizations.

 

"What Fanattik is doing in the High School and College space is incredibly innovative. Not only have they built a technical process for one-off fashion creation, they have developed a proven "do-good" business model that can scale across industries. This will completely change the world of branded merchandise and promotional products," states Derek Block, CEO of Touchstone.  In addition to technology that allows consumers to design online in real time, Fanattik has developed an innovative way to own the High School and College space through social media applications, internships, and design.  "The technology platform, middleware, and production process will allow Touchstone to bring products and services to our clients that no other provider will be able to touch," added Block.

Fanattik, founded in 2007 by Chad Reynolds, initially started as a experimental venture to build a consumer brand from scratch using CoCreation. This process provided the new brand with a collaborative structure to build products and services directly with the people who would eventually purchase them. "Consumers want to "co-create" and participate in a whole new way with the brands they invest in. Our philosophy translated into a new business model and brand platform, where everyone feels ownership in the end product and experience," states Reynolds. 

 

With the addition Beth Schlehr as Partner and Chief Operating Officer in June 2008, Fanattik started to build formal relationships with schools, teachers, parents and students. This collaboration takes place through an on and offline Internship Program, where students actually participate in the business through design, sales, marketing and innovation. "This presents a new and important opportunity for students outside of the classroom," states Schlehr. 

 

This unique approach has provided the partners with the opportunity to now scale the business across geographies and demographics. 

 

Touchstone founder, Derek Block, and principal owner Larry Sheakley, also see the potential.  "In such a short amount of time, their vision and execution have positioned the brand for greatness. Our combined efforts will provide capital, operations and the resources to now scale this innovative business into a household name. We are excited to be a part of it," states Block.

"Our entire staff, student interns and school partners have worked tirelessly to help get Fanattik to this point. Everyone here is looking forward to bringing this new level of involvement to additional schools and students across the country," says Schlehr.

 

As operations transition to Touchstone's Mason, OH (Cincinnati) based headquarters, new initiatives are already underway to accelerate the brand's growth and opportunity.