Precision Response Corporation

Precision Response Corporation, commonly known as PRC, was an outsourced customer-contact services company founded in 1982 by Mark J. Gordon and David Epstein. The company built and operated call centers for client organizations, handling customer service and related contact-center work rather than selling a consumer product under its own brand. Its main headquarters was in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, while its operations included centers in Miami, India, and the Philippines. PRC grew into a substantial South Florida employer and became particularly associated with the Miami-Dade County business community. By 2007, it was reported to be the county’s fifth-largest employer, with more than 6,000 employees. Earlier reporting described the company as having approximately 11,000 employees worldwide in 2001, while in 2002 it had more than 5,000 employees in Miami-Dade County and ranked among the area’s leading employers. These figures reflect different years and reporting contexts rather than a single consistent workforce total. Gordon and Epstein took PRC public in 1996. The company traded on NASDAQ under the symbol PRRC until USA Networks acquired it in 2000 for $728 million. USA Networks placed PRC within a diversified corporate portfolio that also included USA Cable, the Home Shopping Network, and Ticketmaster. The transaction changed PRC from an independently listed company into a division of a larger media and electronic-commerce group. PRC’s business model depended on geographically distributed contact-center operations. Its facilities in the United States and overseas allowed it to provide outsourced customer-contact capacity to client companies. Public descriptions identify the company primarily as a call-center operator; the available reference material does not establish a complete list of its individual clients, branded service packages, or specialized vertical offerings. The company also had a visible civic and employment role in Miami-Dade County. In 2002, PRC received the first annual Beacon Council Award, an honor associated with the Miami-Dade economic-development organization. The recognition reflected the company’s local employment scale and economic presence. In 2010, Alorica acquired PRC. The deal expanded Alorica’s service capabilities and was described as strengthening its position in the U.S. outsourced customer-contact-center industry, including its status as a major minority business enterprise. Following the acquisition, PRC ceased to operate as an independent company in the form described in earlier public accounts. The available material does not document a separate current PRC consumer-facing operation, standalone website, or independent listed entity.

Precision Response Corporation was established in 1982 by Mark J. Gordon and David Epstein as an outsourced call-center business. Its operations were built around providing customer-contact capacity for other organizations, making PRC part of the business-process-outsourcing sector rather than a conventional consumer-goods brand. The company’s public identity was closely tied to the scale of its contact-center workforce and to its presence in South Florida. During its expansion, PRC developed a network that included call centers in Miami, India, and the Philippines. The geographic distribution gave the company access to a large U.S. operating base as well as international delivery locations. Public reference material characterizes the company primarily as an operator of outsourced call centers and does not provide a complete account of its client roster or individual service contracts. Gordon and Epstein took the company public in 1996. PRC was listed on NASDAQ under the ticker PRRC. Its independent public-company period ended in 2000, when USA Networks acquired it for $728 million. USA Networks was a diversified media and electronic-commerce company with holdings that included USA Cable, Home Shopping Network, and Ticketmaster. After the transaction, PRC operated as a division of USA Networks rather than as a standalone listed enterprise. PRC became a significant employer in the Miami-Dade and broader South Florida economies. In 2001, reporting described the company as having approximately 11,000 employees in total and being located in Fort Lauderdale, with call-center activity in the Miami-Dade area. In 2002, the company was reported to employ more than 5,000 people in Miami-Dade County and to rank among the county’s ten largest employers. It also received the first annual Beacon Council Award that year. By 2007, PRC was described as Miami-Dade County’s fifth-largest employer, with more than 6,000 employees. Because these figures belong to different years and may use different workforce definitions, they should not be treated as a single definitive employee count. The company’s later history was shaped by consolidation in the outsourced customer-contact industry. In 2010, Alorica acquired PRC. The acquisition expanded Alorica’s service offerings and was described as helping establish Alorica as the largest minority business enterprise in the U.S. outsourced customer-contact-center industry. The acquisition ended PRC’s existence as an independent company in the form documented during its public-company and USA Networks periods. In 2011, reporting noted that David Epstein had returned to the call-center sector through C3, a separate company based in Plantation, Florida. That development connected a PRC founder with a later industry venture but did not restore PRC as an independent business. The available sources do not identify a current PRC website, independent ownership structure, executive team, or separately listed security.

• 2010

  Acquisition by Alorica

  [1]Precision Response Corporationen.wikipedia.org

  Alorica acquired PRC and incorporated its capabilities into Alorica’s outsourced customer-contact business.

• 2007

  Major Miami-Dade employer

  [1]Precision Response Corporationen.wikipedia.org

  PRC was reported as Miami-Dade County’s fifth-largest employer, with more than 6,000 employees.

• 2002

  Beacon Council recognition

  [1]Precision Response Corporationen.wikipedia.org

  PRC received the first annual Beacon Council Award and was recognized as a major Miami-Dade employer.

• 2001

  Large regional and international workforce reported

  [1]Precision Response Corporationen.wikipedia.org

  PRC was reported to have approximately 11,000 employees in total and operations centered in South Florida, with international call centers also operating.

• 2000

  Acquisition by USA Networks

  [1]Precision Response Corporationen.wikipedia.org

  USA Networks acquired PRC for $728 million, ending its period as an independent listed company.

• 1996

  PRC becomes publicly listed

  [1]Precision Response Corporationen.wikipedia.org

  The founders took PRC public, and the company traded on NASDAQ under the symbol PRRC.

• 1982

  Company founded

  [1]Precision Response Corporationen.wikipedia.org

  Mark J. Gordon and David Epstein founded Precision Response Corporation as an outsourced call-center operator.

A large-scale business-process-outsourcing and customer-contact-center operator serving client organizations through distributed call-center facilities.

• Business process outsourcing · 1982

  Outsourced call-center services

  PRC’s core offering was the operation of customer-contact centers on behalf of client organizations. The company supplied facilities, personnel, and operational capacity for outsourced calls and customer-service interactions. Public descriptions identify this broad service category but do not provide enough information to specify a complete client list, technology stack, or detailed service-level structure.

• Customer-contact operations

  International contact-center operations

  The company operated call centers in the United States, India, and the Philippines. This distributed footprint supported the delivery of outsourced customer-contact work across multiple locations. The available reference material does not distinguish separate branded products for each geography.

• 2010

  Sale to AloricaM&A

  Background

  Industry consolidation created an opportunity for Alorica to expand its outsourced customer-contact capabilities.

  Action taken

  Alorica acquired PRC and absorbed its business into Alorica’s service organization.

  Aftermath

  PRC ceased to operate as an independent company in the form documented before the acquisition.

  Source

• 2000

  Sale to USA NetworksM&A

  Background

  USA Networks pursued PRC as an addition to its diversified media and electronic-commerce portfolio.

  Action taken

  USA Networks acquired Precision Response Corporation for $728 million.

  Aftermath

  PRC became a USA Networks division and was no longer an independent NASDAQ-listed company.

  Acquisition price. $728 million (2000 acquisition)

  Source

• 1996

  Public offering and NASDAQ listingStrategy

  Background

  After expanding its outsourced call-center business, PRC was taken public by founders Mark J. Gordon and David Epstein.

  Action taken

  The company became a NASDAQ-listed business under the ticker PRRC.

  Aftermath

  PRC remained publicly listed until its acquisition by USA Networks in 2000.

  Source

1. 1Precision Response Corporationen.wikipedia.org