Background
for
Family on Board
The idea for Family on Board was, fittingly, hatched while the Beihl family was on a trip from New Hampshire to Ohio, on Route 9 west of Brattleboro, Vermont, to be exact.
Brian Beihl, a magazine circulation director and consultant, and his wife, Jeanmarie, a retail merchandise director, were making their annual 14-hour trek to Middletown, OH to see Jeanmarie's parents, with Madeleine, 8, Claire, 6, and Ethan, 4, in tow. It occurred to Brian and Jeanmarie that there was not a single source for the many products on the market for family travel. After thorough research , Brian determined that there was enough of a market potential to prepare a launch.
Family on Board will distribute 200,000 copies of its printed catalog in 1998, beginning with its first mailing on May 4, 1998. In addition to the printed catalog, Family on Board launched its web site, including an online version of its catalog, in late April. Already the web site has had inquiries from as far as Hungary, United Arab Emirates, England, and the Marshall Islands, as well as every state in the U.S.
Customer service and warehousing has been contracted to Graphik Dimensions, Ltd. of High Point, NC, which manufacturers and catalog markets its own line of frames and framing supplies. Business and creative operations are based at the Family on Board offices in Antrim, New Hampshire.