Crossmark

The company was founded in 1905 as Johnson and Hunt Merchandise Brokers in Fort Smith, Arkansas. The company began as a provision supply point for groups traveling to the Oklahoma Territory and evolved into a national sales and marketing agency over the next century.

In 1914, the company was renamed as Willis Johnson & Company and operations moved to Little Rock, Arkansas.

In 1943, President Roosevelt named Willis Johnson Sr. to the National Office of Price and Administration, a two-year assignment.

In 1944, the W.L. Gordon Company formed in Dallas, Texas. In 1953 the Phillips Brokerage Company was created in Birmingham, Alabama.

In 1977, Johnson and Hunt Merchandise Brokers rebranded to SALES MARK and began travelling across the country to rotate products on shelves.

In 2017, Walmart selected Crossmark as one of five Preferred Services Providers (PSP) to be part of its “Merchandising Services Program”. Only preferred service providers are authorized and approved to perform merchandising services in Walmart’s stores on behalf of the retailer or its suppliers.

CROSSMARK provides a range of services designed to support brand growth and retail performance:

Headquarter sales services, such as working with retailer buyers to win listings, manage budget promotion, etc.

Retail solutions including in-store merchandising, compliance, display programs, field service, and retail operations support

Marketing solutions, such as shopper marketing, promotions, activations, and motorized or experiential engagements

In 1997, Crossmark was one of three companies that collectively controlled 75 percent of the sales and marketing services industry. In 2012, The Dallas Morning News reported that then Plano, Texas-based Crossmark had 34,000 employees and an estimated annual revenue of $1 billion. In December 2012, a majority of the company was sold to the private equity firm Warburg Pincus.

On August 6, 2013, Crossmark agreed to buy Marketing Werks. The Marketing Werks deal will contribute to its total annual revenue of nearly $1 billion. Based in Chicago, Marketing Werks provides experiential marketing campaigns for companies in several consumer industries.

In October 2013, Mike Graen joined CROSSMARK as Vice President/Managing Director for CROSSMARK's Center for Collaboration in Bentonville, Arkansas, which opened in July 2014.

In November 2013, Crossmark acquired Chicago-based agencies Marketing Werks and PromoWorks to strengthen its shopper marketing and activation capabilities.