Friendly Express Selects PDI as Software Provider

ALPHARETTA, Ga. — Friendly Express Inc. and sister company Lewis and Paulerson Inc. tapped PDI as its enterprise resource planning (ERP) software provider.

The Georgia-based companies, which have retail, wholesale and fleet divisions, will use several parts of PDI's expanded solution portfolio, including its retail management, wholesale petroleum, warehouse inventory, card processing, dispatch and in-truck software.

"We are currently implementing an aggressive growth strategy, and we needed a platform that could accommodate that growth in all of our business divisions," said Danny Smith, president of Friendly Express. "Besides being an industry leader with a great reputation, PDI has the solutions we need to streamline intercompany transactions, reduce duplicative processes, and improve visibility across our operation, enabling us to respond to business needs as they arise."

Friendly Express will also take advantage of PDI MarketLink, which allows retailers to maximize their money-back relationship with manufacturers by exchanging rebate dollars for sales transaction data, according to the software solutions provider.

Additionally, Lewis and Raulerson will use PDI Petronet, a customer portal that helps businesses better manage their dealer, cardlock, commercial and residential customer relationships in a web-based environment.

"We're excited to welcome Friendly Express and Lewis and Raulerson to the PDI customer family," said Jimmy Frangis, CEO of PDI. "Companies' increasingly sophisticated and complex business models is the reason our ongoing efforts to expand our solution portfolio are so important. Our goal is to fully serve the needs of our entire customer base and ensure their success, and we look forward to doing that for Friendly Express and Lewis and Raulerson."

Friendly Express operates 35 stores in southeast Georgia with plans to complete up to four raze-and-rebuild and two new-to-industry projects this year. The sister wholesale company, Lewis and Raulerson, operates in four states, including Georgia, Florida, Alabama and South Carolina, and distributes major brand products to more than 250 open dealers.

Alpharetta-based PDI operates 15 offices worldwide and serves customers in more than 50 countries.