PURCHASE, N.Y. – MasterCard Advisors – an affiliate of MasterCard International which offers consulting, research, outsourcing and information products – announced the acquisition of Providence consulting firm Watch Hill Partners in late May. Watch Hill Partners specializes in optimizing customer relationships using multiple channels and technologies, such as mobile networks and Web services.
Watch Hill Partners will be integrated with MasterCard Advisors’ Customer Experience Group, which offers a range of strategic and on-the-ground consulting services to companies seeking to deliver differentiated customer experiences. The group works with clients to implement programs into day-to-day operations.
Brad Waugh, formerly the CEO of Watch Hill Partners, will serve in an executive management capacity for the Customer Experience Group. More workers are expected to join the 50 Watch Hill employees based in Providence and in the company’s satellite office in New York and Boston.
EGO Vehicles enters European market
PROVIDENCE – EGO Vehicles Inc., a manufacturer of eco-friendly personal transportation, announced its expansion into France, Germany, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Denmark, the Netherlands, Sweden, Austria and the Czech Republic.
“We’re confident that the two vehicles we are introducing will fit well with both the environmental and design sensibilities of the European consumer,” said Andrew Kallfelz, president and CEO of the privately owned company, in a release. “As a company, we see our expansion into Europe as a great opportunity to win over consumers in a market that already embraces alternative methods of transportation.”
To serve the European market, EGO Vehicles has established a logistics center in Rotterdam providing delivery to European distributors. Two models of the “Helio Cycle” and accessories are shipping to customers through distribution partners. EGO Vehicles expects to achieve profitability and sales growth of 250 percent in 2004.
