HOW WEST COAST NOVELTY STARTED
In 1975, Brian McCroden was searching for a way to finance his college education and stumbled onto a small company that wholesaled merchandise for events such as parades, rock concerts, and sporting events. The company, West Coast Novelty (WCN), was founded to service the merchandise needs of the San Francisco World Fair in 1915. In 1981, Brian, along with other charter investors, purchased WCN from the original owners.

THE COMPANY'S GROWTH
Business quickly grew with the 1982-1984 Super Bowl Trifecta of the 49'ers, Raiders, and 49'ers. As the company gained momentum in licensed sports sales, the novelty non-sports product lines diminished in importance.

During the late 1990's, the Leagues started to reassess the effectiveness of their licensing efforts and the proliferation of licensees in various product categories. When the NFL and MLB assessed which distributor could best fulfill their needs on a national basis, WCN emerged as the company with the strongest national sales force, most established customer relationships and the largest breadth and depth of inventory to satisfy each league's demands. These leagues granted to WCN an official distributor status due to its market leadership, which has continued to this day.

In order to accommodate the ever expanding inventory needs and office space requirements, WCN moved its HQ to the former Alameda Naval Air Station in 2000. In 2005, the company moved its distribution operations into a 150,000 square foot facility in Memphis, Tennessee.

In 2009, WCN began manufacturing and importing apparel and headwear under its own brand, American Crown. This fun and fashionable destination line quickly grew, due to the value and quality of product that appealed to the mass market. WCN was named Walmart's national preferred resource for destination apparel and headwear in 2010. In that same year, WCN established a partnership with Disney to become their sole integration partner for Disney brands into the Grocery, Drug, and Convenience channel.

STRATEGY AND VISION
As the company continues to evolve and adapt to a changing market landscape, WCN prides itself on being a company that can effectively overcome obstacles and create new business opportunities. Over the next five years, WCN's vision is to:

CONSOLIDATE
• Create merchandising solutions that meet the needs of the retailer and showcases Licensed Sports and Pop Culture products in a visually compelling and easy-to-shop manner
• Allow retailers and buyers to purchase and plan with one company who can service their needs

CREATE
• Develop innovative, creative, and meaningful products at the local and national levels
• Use data driven merchandising to place the appropriate product mixes into the right channels of distribution
• Maintain strong and meaningful partnerships with suppliers, licensors, licensees, and retailers

PLAN
• Expand quick turn capabilities and stock inventory that meets the demands of the market
• Provide year-round solutions for retailers with product that will drive volume and meet the demands of consumers

DELIVER
• Commit to proactive, responsive, and accurate order management
• Provide efficient and responsive distribution, with cost-effective logistics
• Focus on quality, while also ensuring complete customer and vendor compliance