Peleman Industries

Since being founded in the United States in 1998, Peleman Industries has grown 
from a company of two people to an office of over 80 employees. Peleman 
Industries employs a large number of disabled people who help produce its 
products. With its growth, the company moved last year to a 52,000-square-foot 
office and distribution center - double the size of its original occupied space. 

When U.S. operations first began nine years ago, the company offered a binding 
machine widely used in Europe, but rarely known in the Americas. Today, the 
company has grown to be a driving force in document production and on-demand 
publishing. Peleman Industries provides binding, laminating and presentation 
products to a variety of industries and institutions in more than 100 countries 
including financial, real estate, photography, government, education, copy and 
print shops and large corporations. 

Peleman has also increased its number of sales and distribution channels. While 
the company continues to maintain a direct sales force focused in the 
southeastern U.S., it has also begun selling through distributors, dealers,
Internet, and retail channels. Most of this diversification has occurred in the last two
years.

In 2005, Peleman identified a new trend in the market – photo books. The 
proliferation of digital cameras and cheap, high-quality ink-jet printers has
created an enormous opportunity for the firm to work with businesses such as Apple - a 
partnership that opened the door for relationships with companies including Kodak, 
Fuji, Office Max, Shutterfly, Target, and Best Buy. Targeting this new market 
presented new challenges to the company, which has traditionally had a B-to-B 
focus. 

The transition into photo books was not easy, but the payoff is proving to be very 
lucrative. In September 2007, Peleman launched a deal with CVS Pharmacies 
nationwide to offer My Books to customers of their photo labs. A similar deal with 
Ritz Camera (secured in February 2007) has resulted in the sale of 2.1 million 
photo books to both retail chains. This new concept has allowed Peleman to grow 
its retail presence in excess of $6 million thus far.

The PhotoBook Creator has received several national awards, including the Digital 
Imaging Marketing Association award for "Most Innovative Product in 2006" and 
American Photo Magazine's "Editor's Choice for 2006." The product was also 
televised last year on programs such as "The Montel Williams Show" and "The 
View." 

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CEO Brigitte Peleman-Vantieghem has over 10 years of management and 
entrepreneurial experience.

She was winner of the Atlanta Business Chronicle's Pacesetter Award in 2003 and 
2004 for leading one of the 50 fastest growing small businesses in Georgia. She 
has been actively involved in charities such as Rotary, Cliniclowns, Any Soldier, 
and DreamPower, and has also been an active member of the professional 
organization Vistage since 1999.

Peleman-Vantieghem is an attorney and holds a masters degree in law from the 
University of Brussels and Katholic University Leuven. She and her husband, Bart, 
have two sons; Henry, 3, and Nicholas, 1.