ATLANTA – David Schwartz, co-founder and CEO of Technology Transfer Tactics and its wide range of related products and services, has purchased the assets of the company from fellow co-founder Dr. Leslie Norins. Schwartz, a former Specialized Information Publishers Association (SIPA) Board member, and Norins, a member of the SIPA Hall of Fame, launched their venture in early 2007 with a single newsletter addressing the practical issues and challenges among professionals in the technology transfer field, which focuses on nurturing, protecting, and ultimately commercializing laboratory research conducted by scientists at universities, government labs, and other research institutions.

In the two-plus years since its inception, the company — with a global customer base in virtually every developed country — has rapidly grown to offer two newsletters and associated e-zines distributed to more than 200,000 professionals; a series of 24 annual audioconferences; a library of special reports; an intellectual property marketing service; and a collection of co-marketed products. The publications and other products are widely read and respected in the small but high-stakes research commercialization arena, where billions of research dollars go toward making many of the world’s scientific discoveries, which then must be cultivated, licensed or otherwise commercialized to bring their benefits to the public at large.

The assets of the company, which had been developed within BizWorld Inc., controlled by Norins, will become the basis for a new company, 2Market Information Inc., formed by Schwartz and based in Atlanta. According to Norins, he and his wife and partner Rainey have decided to semi-retire, but will continue to pursue other projects in specialized publishing from Naples, FL.

“David and I have been colleagues for more than 25 years, and I can’t imagine leaving the operation in better hands,” Norins commented. “We’ll be cheering from the sidelines.”

Schwartz, who served as CEO before the acquisition, plans to grow the company aggressively, despite the global economic slump. “We’re on track to increase sales in 2009 by nearly 50%, and we’ve identified a number of opportunities that will extend our footprint even further in this fascinating field, which is so central to innovation and economic prosperity worldwide,” he says. All company staff will remain on board, including Marketing Director Connie Austin, Distance Learning Director Deb Melillo, Web and Graphics Director Jason Norris, Sales Director Sara Henderson, and Circulation Manager Valeasia Walker.

Schwartz’s first newsletter job was as a staff writer for Norins’ first company, American Health Consultants. After selling AHC to Medical Economics in the mid-1980s, Norins went on launch Global Success Corp. and its Coding Institute, which was later sold to Eli Publications. Schwartz launched his own healthcare publishing firm, National Health Information, in 1994 and sold it to HcPro in 2006. It was at that point the two linked up for the latest venture.

Commenting on the sale, Schwartz noted the long association between the two co-founders made for an ideal acquisition. “Leslie could have shopped the company around, and more than likely would have garnered a better price for it. But he wanted me to continue what we started, and I’m very grateful for the opportunity. He and Rainey have been great partners, and I’m sure we’ll be keeping in close touch with each other. Knowing Leslie, he’ll soon be doing more in semi-retirement than most of us could handle in an 80-hour work week.”

Contacts:

David Schwartz
2Market Information Inc.
404-626-8191
dschwartz@technologytransfertactics.com

Dr. Leslie Norins
BizWorld Inc.
239-649-1346
RaineyN@aol.com

Posted August 31st, 2009 under Company News