Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL (1888PressRelease)
April 04, 2008 - Two of the most highly respected collection and billing firms in the U.S., Merchants Association Collections Division, Inc. (MAF) of Tampa, a subsidiary of the Merchants Association of Florida, Inc.(Merchants), and ROC Associates, LLC and MCB Collection Services, Inc. (ROC) of Vero Beach, have announced their combination effective April 2008. Both organizations expect the resulting combination of assets and capabilities will provide expanded services to existing and new clients with resulting growth opportunities for employees and vendors.
MAF and ROC have each attained Professional Practices Management System™ certification (PPMS™), a designation similar to ISO9000, on which it is based. The designation is granted by the industry trade association, ACA International, The Association of Credit & Collection Professionals (ACA), an international organization of about 5,300 member companies including 3,400 collection agencies. Only 42 companies in the collection industry have earned the distinction to date.
While MAF and ROC offer some similar services to their clients, only a portion of their existing business overlaps. Due to the complementary nature of this combination, most company operations for both firms will continue to operate as they currently exist. Any anticipated changes are expected to be growth related.
According to Curt Flynn, Vice President of MAF (www.mafcollection.com), “We are very excited about the joining of our firms and what this means for our clients, employees and vendors. The ability to offer a broader range of services using high quality billing and receivables account management systems that are proven and in place creates great opportunities for both organizations.” Saber Grotticelli, Vice President of ROC Associates, LLC, adds “We are combining the strength of two well known organizations. Both have excellent leadership and staff with a great deal of industry involvement as well as deep roots in their respective communities. Merchants has a great reputation and history and we’re very excited to be part of this group.”
John Rockhill, President of ROC Associates, LLC, and a past president of the ACA, adds “This combination is a strategic alliance between two organizations with very similar history and culture. It would be hard to find a better fit.”
Merchants Association of Florida, Inc. (Merchants) (www.merchantsflorida.com) was founded in Tampa in 1916 as a way for merchants to share account information about their customers. Merchants has evolved into an organization that provides background screening, specialized credit reporting and mortgage services in addition to accounts receivable management and collection services. Merchants has about 100 employees in Tampa and Miami. Merchants Association Collections Division, Inc. dba MAF Collection Services was established in 1958, it serves clients primarily in the medical and utility industries.
ROC (www.rocassociates.com) is a legacy of an older commercial credit bureau that was located on Florida’s east coast and has also been in existence for almost 50 years. Today ROC has 60 employees. Their clients include hospitals and large outpatient clinics as well as utility companies located in Florida and in the eastern U.S. They provide full service billing and account services as well as collections for their clients. ROC was the 5th firm in the U.S. to earn ACA’s PPMS™ certification. ROC also conducts business operations under the trade names “Fitness Financial Services” and “CCP & MCB Collection Services”.
