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Blackhawk Network Acquires NGC

Through this acquisition, Blackhawk Network takes commanding lead in the worldwide distribution of gift cards in every market segment.
 
Blackhawk NetworkGlobal branded payments provider Blackhawk Network announced that it has completed its acquisition of National Gift Card (NGC), one of North America's largest card and prepaid technology companies. The acquisition is designed to broaden Blackhawk's prepaid and gift card offerings and integrate NGC's reportedly best-in-class fulfillment capabilities into Blackhawk's operations. NGC's customer base will have access to Blackhawk's leading digital incentive solutions and expanded catalog of brands and original content.
 
"We are excited to welcome NGC to the Blackhawk family to further enhance our incentive solutions and strengthen our end-to-end program management solutions," says Talbott Roche, CEO and President of Blackhawk Network. "With this acquisition, Blackhawk now offers full issuance program management, fulfillment, global retail and business to business distribution, and is the global single source for leading, reward-based incentive programs large or small."
 
"Blackhawk has long been a leader in the gift card and incentives industry and has been a long-standing partner of NGC," says Adam Van Witzenburg, CEO of NGC. "Together, we drove almost $3 billion in gift cards and prepaid products for loyalty, rewards, and employee recognition programs in 2019 alone. Now, as an official part of the Blackhawk team, we can expand upon the continued growth of NGC, Blackhawk, and the prepaid industry overall and are excited to drive further value for both NGC's and Blackhawk's clients."
 
Lincoln International LLC served as exclusive financial advisor to NGC on the transaction.

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Education, Certifications, and Information to Activate
Brand Media and Enterprise Engagement 


A complete learning, certification, and information program and a course syllabus for educators.
 
Resources: The Brand Media Coalition, the only guide to the story-telling power of brands and where to source them for business, event, promotional gifting, and rewards and recognition. Enterprise Engagement Solution Provider Directory. The only directory of engagement solution providers covering all types of agencies and tactics as well as insights on how to select them.
 
Communities: The  Enterprise Engagement Alliance and Advocate and the  Brand Media Coalition free resource centers offering access to the latest research, news, and case studies; discounts, promotions, referrals, and commissions, when appropriate to third-party solution providers from participating coalition solution provider members.
 
Training and Certification
Enterprise Engagement Alliance Education: Certified Engagement Practitioner; Advanced Engaged Practitioner, and Certified Engagement Solution Provider learning and certification programs on how to implement Stakeholder Capitalism principles at the tactical level. 
 
International Center for Enterprise Engagement: The only training and certification program for ISO 30414 human capital reporting and ISO 10018 quality people management certification. 
 
A CEO's Guide to Engagement Across the Enterprise cover
The EEA offers a complimentary course syllabus for educators.
 
In Print: 
This is the definitive implementation guide to Stakeholder Capitalism, written specifically to provide CEOs and their leadership teams a concise overview of the framework, economics, and implementation process of a CEO-led strategic and systematic approach to achieving success through people.  (123 pages, $15.99)
 
The first and most comprehensive book on Enterprise Engagement and the new ISO 9001 and ISO 10018 quality people management standards. Includes 36 chapters detailing how to better integrate and align engagement efforts across the enterprise. (312 pages, $36.) 
 
Online:  
10-minute short course: click here for a 10-minute introduction to Enterprise Engagement and ISO standards from the Coggno.com learning platform.
 
Services: 
•  The Engagement Agency at EngagementAgency.net, offering: complete support services for employers, solution providers, and technology firms seeking to profit from formal engagement practices for themselves or their clients, including Brand and Capability audits for solution providers to make sure their products and services are up to date.
•  C-Suite Advisory Service—Education of boards, investors, and C-suite executives on the economics, framework, and implementation processes of Enterprise Engagement. 
•  Speakers Bureau—Select the right speaker on any aspect of engagement for your next event.
•  Mergers and Acquisitions. The Engagement Agency’s Mergers and Acquisition group is aware of multiple companies seeking to purchase firms in the engagement field. Contact Michael Mazer in confidence if your company is potentially for sale at 303-320-3777.
 
Enterprise Engagement Benchmark Tools: The Enterprise Engagement Alliance offers three tools to help organizations profit from Engagement. Click here to access the tools.
•  ROI of Engagement Calculator. Use this tool to determine the potential return-on-investment of an engagement strategy. 
•  EE Benchmark Indicator. Confidentially benchmark your organization’s Enterprise Engagement practices against organizations and best practices. 
•  Compare Your Company’s Level of Engagement. Quickly compare your organization’s level of engagement to those of others based on the same criteria as the EEA’s Engaged Company Stock Index.
•  Gauge Your Personal Level of Engagement. This survey, donated by Horsepower, enables individuals to gauge their own personal levels of engagement.
 
For more information, contact Bruce Bolger at Bolger@TheEEA.org, 914-591-7600, ext. 230.
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