Gates/FA in Distribution Deal with GRiD; Distributor will Sell Full Line of Portable, Desktop and Pen Computers
GREENVILLE, S.C. — January 21, 1993 — Gates/FA Distributing Inc. (NASDAQ:GAFA) of Greenville, Thursday announced it has signed a distribution pact with GRiD Systems Corporation of Westlake, Texas.
Under the agreement, Gates/FA will sell GRiD's full line of desktop, laptop, notebook and pen computers.
GRiD Systems, which was founded in 1979 and acquired by Tandy Corporation in 1988, was the first manufacturer to introduce a true portable laptop computer when it unveiled the GRiD Compass in 1982. Today, having substantially broadened its product line, GRiD commands industry leadership in the pen computer arena, with an 80 percent market share and more than 40,000 pen computers installed.
Bill DeGroot, GRiD Systems vice president of sales, comments, "We consider our relationship with Gates/FA critical to broadening the pen computer market. In addition, our strategic objectives complement Gates/FA's business plan focusing on the VAR (value added reseller) channel."
According to Jerry Lumpkin, vice president of marketing for Gates/FA, "GRiD is an important strategic line for us as it significantly supplements our portable offerings. Known for their rugged durability, GRiD's computers, and particularly its pen-based products, are widely sold into a growing number of industrial, governmental and workforce-automation applications.
GRiD computers have even flown on more than a dozen space shuttle missions."
Among GRiD's more strategic products are the GRiD ConvertibleTM, a combination notebook computer with a pen interface that supports Microsoft Windows for Pens; GRiD PalmPADTM, the first "wearable" personal computer weighing just 2.8 pounds and ruggedized for data collection applications in the field; the GRiD 1755/486SLC, a powerful and popular 6.25-pound notebook computer; and the Grid 1660c, a 386SL-based active matrix color notebook.
Note to Editors: Gates/FA Distributing Inc. is a leading national distributor of high-quality microcomputer product lines, specializing in the sale of personal computers, networking hardware and software, mass storage products and computer peripheral equipment.
Gates/FA offers "GATES/FASTTM" next-day delivery from its centralized-hub warehousing facility, and is the only national distributor to provide absolutely free technical support to each and every customer. The corporate headquarters are located in Greenville 803/234-0736. The national toll-free sales number is 800/332-2222.
CONTACT:
Gates/FA Distributing, Inc.
Jerry Lumpkin, 803 234-0736
or
Comstock Communications
Nancy Comstock, 510/799-7711