January 19 , 2010

New local search alliance from Canpages
Announces partnership with U.S.-based PDC

Canpages Inc ., Canada's fastest growing local search firm, and Utah-based Phone Directories Company (PDC), a directories publisher for more than 30 years, announced yesterday the formation of a North America-wide local search partnership between the organizations’ combined 1,400 employees and revenues of $180 million USD.

The partnership will allow Canpages to leverage PDC’s US footprint and on-the-ground sales team to expand into the American market nationwide. Canpages, which has experienced 400 percent growth in Canada in the last three years, will help take PDC’s predominantly print-focussed business into the digital local search realm. As part of this partnership PDC’s local search platform, PDCpages.com will re-launch as Ziplocal.com and the company will re-brand itself as Ziplocal. Canpages will leverage its digital expertise, extensive online and mobile local search technologies as well as research and development to offer PDC’s existing and new advertisers a host of digital marketing tools and products.

“For more than a year, Canpages.ca has experienced a 20 per cent month-over-month growth in digital revenues— even during difficult economic times,” said Olivier Vincent, CEO of Canpages . “Our relationship with PDC will allow us to tap into the huge US market, PDC’s 120,000-plus current customers, and also enable us to optimize organizational efficiencies and best practices across both companies to deliver greater value and digital innovation to North American advertisers and consumers.”

2009 marked a string of Canadian firsts for Canpages including the launch of Street Scene on Canpages.ca, which provides 360-degree views of Canadian cities at street level, as well as voice-recognition local search applications for the iPhone and Blackberry. Additionally, Canpages was the first local search firm to meaningfully embrace social media with the company’s recent acquisition of GigPark , a social networking and recommendations platform.

“Our partnership with PDC represents a tremendous business opportunity to monetize Canpages’ digital technology and innovation across the US—leveraging PDC’s presence in over 167 markets and 8 million homes and businesses,” continued Vincent.

Under the terms of the partnership, Canpages and PDC will form a common management team led by Mr. Vincent. James Rumble, Canpages’ CFO, will become CFO of both companies. Dariush Zomorrodi, Canpages’ CTO will become CTO of both companies and Geri Suster, PDC’s Vice President of Operations, will become Vice President of Operations of both companies. Mike Bynum, PDC’s current CEO, will take the role of President of US Sales.

The partnership represents one of several milestones Canpages has achieved in the past 18 months. The company has grown its online presence at Canpages.ca from 300,000 unique visitors per month to 3.5 million and was named as the fastest growing website in Canada in 2008. Together Canpages and PDC will have a presence in over 240 markets across North America and reach over 16 million homes and business with its online and directory publications.