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Diamond Comic Distributors Celebrates 35 Years of Service

 

A Special Anniversary Message from
Diamond Founder, President & CEO Steve Geppi

 


Today, Diamond Comic Distributors, Inc. marks the 35th anniversary of its incorporation, a new milestone in the evolution of the company President and CEO Steve Geppi successfully started as a former retailer to distribute comic books and pop-culture related merchandise to his fellow retailers. Under Geppi’s leadership, the company has grown since then into the world’s largest distributor of English-language comic books, graphic novels and related pop-culture merchandise.

"From day one, Diamond has proudly worked to deliver the best possible service to our customers,” said Geppi. “Our ability to fulfill that commitment reflects the dedication of everyone who is, and ever has been, part of the Diamond team. Their accomplishments seem superhuman to me when you realize that they’ve been doing this for more than three decades. I am deeply grateful to everyone for their hard work, and I am honored to work alongside them.”

Recognizing the extraordinary growth of Diamond, Executive Vice President and COO Chuck Parker spoke about the company’s anniversary and the exceptional commitment Geppi has made to the Comic Book Specialty Market over the past 35 years. 2017 marks Parker’s 32nd year at Diamond.

"Our recognition of this special milestone reminds us of Steve's accomplishments, and those of thousands of Diamond employees over the past 35 years who have worked to make this company an innovative industry leader," Parker said. "Long ago, Steve had a vision of growth and professionalism for the comic book industry and has worked his entire adult life to make that vision a reality. It is clear that Diamond has been built on the inherent value of maintaining excellent customer and supplier relationships and providing an environment in which its employees can thrive. This is why many of Diamond's employees have been with the company for a decade or more  -- and we are very thankful for all of our hardworking employees."

From its establishment in a Baltimore warehouse, Diamond has always operated on the principle that its success is a direct result of its customers’ success, which goes beyond the vast product selection, competitive discounts, or services Diamond offers.

"Diamond is a service business, first and foremost,” Parker said.  "Service to our customers and service to our vendors. We understand the needs of the retailers we serve and how to fulfill them. Successful retailing is the result of passion, hard work, creativity and stick-to-itiveness. It is not easy.  

"Likewise, being a successful vendor is no easy task," Parker continued. “We also understand their needs, their products and how to move them to market. Without quality product for our retailers to sell, there would be no business and no consumer interest. Bringing all of this together are Diamond’s employees, who make ideas and goals for new and improved services become reality. The depth of our experience with comic books, graphic novels and many other product lines is unsurpassed." 

Geppi added that Diamond also takes great pride in the company’s involvement with numerous causes and activities that serve the entire comics industry. “We’ve used our PREVIEWS catalog and our Retailer Summits to generate awareness and funds for such worthy causes as the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, the Hero Initiative, ProLiteracy, the Center for Cartoon Studies and many others. We’ve utilized our resources to assist retail customers in areas stricken by natural disasters to ensure that they get their shipments in a timely fashion and to provide counsel and strategies to customers facing financial challenges. Along with our publishers, we've proudly donated millions of comic books to the men and women serving in our Armed Forces.

“Plus, Diamond serves as the central support for Free Comic Book Day and Halloween ComicFest, and vigorously sponsors such industry-wide events as the Eisner, Harvey, and Joe Shuster Awards, as well as Local Comic Shop Day and Coast to Coast Comicon. Everyone at Diamond is honored to be associated with these organizations, and we hope that our involvement will continue to benefit them in the future.”

That future, according to Geppi, should be an exciting place for Diamond. “As we look towards the next 35 years, I want everyone to know that we are investing deeply in our core business with better products and services and a complete upgrade of our distribution center facilities. For our vendors, this upgrade will enable us to better distribute products to our retailers. For our retailers, this upgrade will help us deliver product quickly and efficiently so that you can sell to your customers -- and those sales will continue to grow our industry. 

“Thanks to the trust of our retailers and vendors, Diamond has accomplished much throughout our history,” Geppi said, “All of us at Diamond are beyond grateful to have your support and loyalty."

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